The perennial issue in the gig economy is whether workers should be classified as employees. Uber Technologies Inc, Lyft Inc and other companies that rely on contract work have dealt with this question in a number of ways: staging PR campaigns, hiring lobbyists and arguing in court that they’re software platforms, not employers.
At Getaround Inc, which helps people rent out their personal cars online, the startup is employing an uncommon legal tactic in the hope of defeating a class-action lawsuit before it starts.