| Last February, a DoorDash delivery driver named Jeffrey Fang chased a thief who had stolen his phone. While he was in hot pursuit, his van was carjacked—with his young kids in the back seat. The story made national news, and Fang was held up as an example of a desperate worker in the on-demand economy. After the initial buzz and the think pieces petered out, Lauren Smiley reached out to Fang. She wanted to know what happened that night, yes, but more than that she wanted to hear from Fang. Who was he? How had he become a DoorDash driver? How, as she wrote, "a man could arrive at the point where he abandons his children to chase a phone"? Fang turned out to be an uncommonly thoughtful person, willing to reveal himself. This week, Smiley tells the story of his life, one that is funny, energetic, and also full of disappointment. Fang doesn't shy from acknowledging his own failings. It is a surprising story and specific to his circumstances. But if you pull back the lens, you can see the entire arc of the gig economy—from its exciting early potential to the inevitable squeeze that Uber and Lyft put on the drivers who made their platforms possible. These were people like Fang who drove with strategy, energy, and sometimes to excess in order to support their families or fulfill a need. As one reader on Twitter commented, "This article punched me in the gut and then shivved me in the kidney." It's the tale of an ordinary man doing extraordinary things, told by one of the best narrative writers in the business. Vera Titunik | Features Editor, WIRED |
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