Ah, the gig economy. A liberating concept that gives workers the opportunity to be their own boss and complete flexibility? The answer is absolutely, unequivocally, no – explained the hosts of A Rebel’s Guide to the Gig Economy (Spotify), Ben Wray and Marini Thorne.

The new podcast series, Thorne explained, aims to provide an antidote to the countless gushing tech CEO interviews online offering cheery accounts of gig work as a “wonderful experience”.

And it did. Episode one laid out the plan for the following 10 – which cover underlying algorithms, why the gig platforms are so powerful but struggle to turn a profit, and how flexible they really are. Not then a meandering weekly chat, but an audible textbook on the labour model.

Arm workers with knowledge, Wray said, and they can better “understand their exploitation, get prepared and get organised”.

The hosts provided an engaging contrast in styles. While Thorne’s tone was measured and academic, Wray was more tubthumping. But by the end, Thorne was rousing riders into action. “The aim should not be to modify or tame the gig economy, but to eradicate it,” she said.

That might be a little ambitious, but gig workers are already demanding better deals. Earlier this year, hundreds of delivery riders for Deliveroo, Just Eat, Uber Eats and Stuart went on strike, in protest against “appalling working conditions” and low wages. These snappy and easily digestible explainers can only help them in their struggle.

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