How Sharing Economies Companies Such As Uber and Airbnb Can Learn From Steemit and Cryptocurrencies
## By Leon Fu Dot Com, @leon-fu *The Oracle of Austin*
*Twitter: https://twitter.com/leoncfu*
A way for Airbnb, Uber, and other sharing economy companies to get around regulations is to eliminate collecting money from the system and use an internal point system. Regulations isn’t about letting strangers live in your house or giving them rides. It’s about money, pure and simply. Eliminate the money, you’ve eliminated most of the problems.
Here's how it could work: After users rate each other, the system simply credits the host/driver with a number of points. These points come out of thin air. The only thing these points are good for is they can be used as payment for services offered on site.
This is what Steemit does when posts are upvoted (Steem Dollar) . It’s what Bitcoin does when miners find a block(Bitcoin). It’s what the Federal Reserve does when they do quantitative easing(USD). All of these are entries in a database, created out of nothing. The only thing these credits are good for are in the system, which they were created.
The only additional feature needed is to make these points transferable to any other user on the system. That’s all these sharing economy companies need to do. A secondary market will develop on its own to buy/sell these points for money (USD, EUR, BTC, etc). The company issuing these points don’t need any affiliation with the company making a market in them. There could be multiple exchanges just as there are with cryptocurrencies. To prevent a sybil attack, they would need to verify the identity of each user, but Airbnb, Uber, etc. all do this already.
No blockchain is even required, although one could be used to make the transfer of these points censorship resistant.
Great find. Add a picture to make it trend. How about a taxi.
Now how do we get Uber to use Steem? If I was them I would probably use ethreum etc or Bitcoin but we can dream. Could be any an interesting use for sbd since it's one of only pegged crypto currencies.
Thanks, I found one image with the logo of Airbnb and Uber.
If I were them, I wouldn't use BTC. Gov't's are already forming laws and regulations around Bitcoins and cryptocurrencies. If they created their own internal currency, legally they may start off as the equivalent as points given scored in a video game.
Leon Fu
Agree on btc and Eth etc is too hard to pick winner. Steem dollars here we come.
Getting around regulation isn't, in my opinion, the takeaway for AirBnB and Uber from a platform like Steemit. The real lesson is: the rent-seeking behaviours of monopolistic platforms are vulnerable to disruption by a platform that is owned and operated by the people who make up the network.
If you think about how Uber gained market share, it was by attacking the rent-seeking behaviours of existing taxi firms (medallion restrictions etc). But, now, it's vulnerable to something Steemit-like for cars: why pay 20% of your earnings to Uber, when you can own a chunk of the network and not pay that 20%?
Steemit looks to me something like a 'guild for content producers' where you can buy influence - I think Uber and AirBnB will eventually go the same way.
great idea, will the secondsry market be paying some commission to transact?
I'd imagine they charge a commission like what existing exchanges do.
Secondary market is bittrex etc. pay with spreads
On a second note. It's interesting how it gets around contractor laws and hotel taxi laws in one blow.
And taxes. I'd wonder how the gov't would try to tax it if they used such a system?
I'm sure systems like that will be developed in the near future.
If Steem succeeds in implementing an internal economic system for a social platform, I'm sure it will open the doors for many other collaboration networks to do the same.
All this is very exciting! ;)
@Leon Fu! Lol I've been watching your buddies on YouTube for a while now and I've always thought you should monetize "Leon Fu Dot-Com"! Maybe you could marry Kim.... THAT is a t-shirt i would buy! Hahaha
Great article! Thanks!
Great idea! Having an exchange to convert them into FIAT money or crypto will is a great idea as well.
Good info. I have subscribe to Youtube channel and upvoted this here, some good info. One area I cant seem to get my head around, Steem is also mined, but how is that done? I saw that you are voted to mine and you mine Steem power. Can you & Leon add some light on that.
Also take care of your Indian driver, sounds like a good driver.
Keep up the great work @cryptomarket
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