Lean platforms and the class structure of neoliberal society

Abstract

The article inspects the class structure that sustains platform capitalism, with a focus on lean labor platforms. The aim is to examine the platforms’ internal configuration to understand the role of each level in their operation. I draw on data from the secondary literature (especially the 2021 report of the International Labor Organization) in addition to elements of my own qualitative research with cyclist platform workers in São Paulo. I then compare this internal arrangement of platforms with the broader class structure typical of neoliberal societies. The intent is to discuss the relationship between platform capitalism and neoliberalism in terms of social stratification. I conclude by stating that the platform is both predicated upon the class structure bequeathed by five decades of neoliberal hegemony and reproduces it in its internal arrangement.