Checking in on the state of Amazon’s chickenized reverse-centaurs

Cory Doctorow argues that Amazon has created a "chickenized reverse centaur," a new form of labor exploitation in which workers fund and operate a system they cannot control. Delivery Service Platform owners borrow heavily to buy vans outfitted to Amazon's specifications, then get paid $0.10, $0.50, or sometimes $0.00 per parcel at Amazon's discretion. The article draws on the DAIR Institute's "Driven Down" report, by Adrienne Williams, Alex Hanna and Sandra Barcenas, which describes drivers monitored by at least nine apps, with penalties for routes, braking and photos they cannot fully know in advance.