Gig Economy

So, recently I was talking to a girl, and her first text was ‘User Engaged’. All thanks to this site and the consequential benefits of pull marketing. It didn’t take me any time to figure out that she is an engineer and I sent her a link to the correlated MVP article. She was quite impressed. Less by my writing, more by the muse, and felt that the girl is a keeper.

The elevator pitch went great, and since I don’t like texting, I suggested meeting in person. She agreed, and before she could name a café or bar, I sent her the landing page. To my surprise, she had already read this post. That proved two things: my writing finally paid off, and I no longer need to justify why meeting at a café or bar is practical, not shady. As I say, “your time in this world is limited, the people aren’t.” Second, she’s observant and humble—exactly my target market (TG), since opposites attract.

She didn’t express any apprehensions, but she is also presently staying with family, and unlike the girl from the landing page post, she is a bit risk-averse to sneaking me in the middle of the night at their place. Also, she needed to be back for the night. So we ended up taking an Airbnb near her place with high ratings. It was a boutique luxury concept styled like a cave, with matching decor and features. Quite a pathetic property, nowhere close to the ratings and oversell, and wasn’t even worth half the price. But since this isn’t Trip Advisor, so I’ll stick to the storyline.

The place hardly mattered, be it caves or an ultra-modern city with flying Tesla cars on Mars. She is one of the few whose initial impression is completely different from her actual self. When I saw her, she was driving an ‘Aisha’ type daddy’s princess car, carrying a fancy designer bag, phone et al. So my obvious guess was that she’s my ideal archetype, but that was far from reality. She is quite a hard-working, completely self-made girl who actually handled an immense amount of pressure on all fronts right from childhood. Despite that, she excelled and achieved countless accolades and success on the career front. From the moment we hugged, I instantly grew a fondness for her voice, warmth, and cute dimple.

I am a seasoned gig strategy consultant for close to half a decade with big scale strategy consulting firms like BCG, FMCG majors like MARS Wrigley, veteran ex-McKinsey partners, , as well as, some high growth startups. The projects are from diverse domains and at high-intensity stages where firms require high firepower. (Refer to my LinkedIn in case you are actually intrigued)

Coming back to the crux of the site, analogous to this corporate gig economy, with the influx of technology (dating apps), the gig economy (Uberisation) is on a rise in the context of modern-day dating. The increasing individualism and commitment phobia are making millennial dating habits a lot more risk-averse and transactional. They are hedging the three components of the triangular model (emotional, physical, and intellectual). Analogous to an Uber, where you are just along for the ride, you don’t regret a ‘gig’ encounter coming to an end. It just helps in making some cherishable memories without much hassle or baggage and doesn’t require the investment of buying a ‘car’.

In the context of Uberisation in dating, it’s essential to keep a few key points in mind. Both people should stay clear that this is just about testing the waters, not a full-time commitment yet. Avoid casual hookups with friends, batchmates, or colleagues, as they can lead to complications if things don’t work out. Make sure there’s strong compatibility—emotional, physical, or intellectual—to make the risk worth it. Be mindful of the mental health toll that often comes with ghosting, gaslighting, or general emotional detachment. Most importantly, understand that this lifestyle, much like that of a gig worker, can get lonely—it runs on dopamine highs, with bursts of excitement followed by long stretches of nothing.

That brings me to the cute dimple date. Am I finally “User Engaged”? Has my churn rate dropped just because I look better in person and no longer need a cool Insta life? Her soft voice came from a genuine American accent—she’s an American citizen of Indian origin, working with NASA, visiting Delhi briefly. She radiated oxytocin (TG), warm and observant, while I ran on dopamine (TG). In her first relationship (her MVP), she spent seven years driven by sunk cost fallacy—switching continents, jobs, and even compromising her career for a guy who eventually left her for a girl with a shallow USP. Since she stayed with extended family, we had just a few hours together, but I cherished every moment. By the end, I didn’t want to let go of that final hug.

But such is life, and me being a gig veteran am back to my ‘rides’. She had reserved some of the ‘privileges’ just for her boyfriends. I consider it a privilege to have a ‘job’, but as a freelancer, I’ve learned to live without such ‘perks’. Last year, when on a project outside the country, I was staying in a suite for about four months. I had a bathtub with a jacuzzi in my washroom and I used it on multiple occasions, but this jacuzzi experience was definitely a first of its kind.

Later,

Sidhant