Bikeboys and Platform Work in Brazil: Experiences of Work, Entrepreneurial Culture, and the Ethic of Getting By

The extensive process of precarization, flexibility, and technological revolutions in information over the last decades has led to the platformization of various activities, resulting in new arrangements in labor relations, as seen in the case of app delivery workers. The so-called "bikeboys" use bicycles to make deliveries, typically meals, via an app. In Brazil, they are generally young, Black, and residents of the periphery—one of the most vulnerable populations. Deprived of labor rights, guarantees, protections, and responsible for the risks and costs of their activity, they are influenced by the entrepreneurial discourse that digital platforms provide complete freedom to delivery workers, valuing the "autonomy" of their "franchisees" and constituting a job "without a boss.". This study aims to understand how bikeboys assimilate, reinterpret, and use the entrepreneurial discourse in Brazil. This proposal was conducted with bikeboys in the city of São Paulo, using an ethnographic and life trajectory methodology.This research indicated that a significant portion of the bikeboys rejected work relationships whose normative scenario is salaried employment (Carteria Assinada). Delivery workers often discuss among themselves how labor rights "restrain human beings" and "hinder their growth." The idea of a minimum wage is seen as something that "accommodates people" in their current situation and generates a "loss of countless possibilities for greater profitability". This horizon of expectations is built around the perception of freedom and autonomy, with the idea of defining their own working hours seen as something positive. For them, the idea of entrepreneurship has advantages and represents a real possibility of life and work compatible with their values. This assimilation of entrepreneurial culture is accompanied by a set of practices and values, such as "sagacity" and "astuteness", acquired through experiences on the streets and developed throughout their complex life trajectories, forming what has been called the getting by ethic