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Gigs are part of the sinkhole; funneling money from those struggling to get by to the app-makers and their investors. At best, gigs are the pretty-but-slippery wallpaper lining the sinkhole many have fallen into, and can't climb out of because the apps unilaterally decide how small the gig-workers' share of the revenue is.

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Isn't it the opposite? Have any of these companies made net lifetime profit? They hemorraged money for years to build market share? Which of them are actually profitable and have they made all that money back?

It seems to me more like funnelling money from investors to software developers and consumers given how unprofitable they are.

Not if the investors can get an IPO done because of their great "innovation", then the bag holders are 401ks, mostly.

Don't gig apps largely create jobs that didn't exist previously? E.g. we used to have a few people employed in pizza delivery and taxi driving; now we have delivery for a much wider variety of restaurants, and taking an Uber/Lyft is far more common than taking a taxi used to be.

So I don't see traditional jobs being cannibalized for the most part.

Alternatively, wages are low in gig apps because so many enjoy the flexibility that the apps provide.

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