I suspect they will continue to use “contractors” until regime change forces them not to. Midterms look good for swinging toward Dems (due to gestures broadly at everything), and this federal admin has an end date (relates to NLRB and employee classification enforcement). These issues change on an arc over years or decades.

NYC has started to do this until then: https://www.nyc.gov/mayors-office/news/2026/08/mayor-mamdani...

Bloomberg investigation: https://www.bloomberg.com/news/features/2026-06-02/amazon-tr... | https://archive.today/3Nnj9

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JLO64 2 hours ago | parent | next [-]

I deliver packages for Amazon as an independent contractor (via Amazon Flex). While there are plenty of issues I have with it, I have an overall positive sentiment. For those who don’t want to work full time hours (you can schedule yourself in 1-5 hour blocks), immigrants, or are just in a bad spot it’s not a bad option. I’ve worked for food delivery apps as well and I think it’s a better gig compared to those other ones.

	▲	toomuchtodo an hour ago \| parent [-]
		I’ve heard a rumor that ICE is using access to gig work platforms to pickup immigrants, so I’m unsure if it’s a positive for those in the US who aren’t citizens. They’ve already consumed IRS data to do so (in violation of the law, but laws don’t matter currently). DoorDash specifically has strong signal it’s relying heavily on undocumented labor, for example. The only folks it really works for are those who need to convert their vehicle equity to cash promptly without any regulation. https://img1.wsimg.com/blobby/go/cc91fda7-4669-4d1b-81ce-a0b...

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throw93947309 an hour ago | parent | prev [-]

So "employees" will drive for uber/amazon in their own cars, and will be unable to put gas and car maintenance into tax write offs as expenses (it is form of commute to work).

Lovely!