Though not overly partial to emojis, The Flash <hearts> a savvy IPO play – and that’s just what we’re seeing in the move to conjoin Tinder, Match.com and OkCupid for an upcoming IPO. Brought together by IAC/InteractiveCorp as The Match Group, this three-headed online dating hydra is led by Tinder, which may see its valuation top $1B this year. To The Flash, that seems like just the right foundation for wedded bliss.
We also checked in with the key labor issue faced by sharing economy startups and other companies: how and under what conditions an independent contractor must be considered an employee of the parent company. The Flash previously alerted readers to the California labor commissioner’s determination that an Uber driver is an employee of the company – not an independent contractor – and the related implications. Now we’re seeing other startups in the “1099 economy” space – including Instacart and Shyp – moving to reclassify contractors as part-time employees. This issue is surely one to watch.
Check out these and other posts in The Flash!
- Match, Tinder and OKCupid join forces for an upcoming IPO (Boston Globe)
- Companies in the “1099 economy” respond to California labor commission’s Uber ruling:
- Instacart reclassifies hundreds to status of part-time employees (Slate)
- Shyp will turn contractors into employees (Wired)
- More people want Fitbit than Apple Watch (Inc.)
- Mall operators begin courting startups (Wall Street Journal)
- Costolo on Twitter’s short-term thinking (Re-code)
- Did Prince just kill Apple Music? (Bloomberg Business)
- Tesla deliveries surge by 52% (Wall Street Journal)