Reinvent Podcast

Annise Parker, the mayor of Houston, Texas, from 2010 until January 2016, is well-accustomed to navigating the often murky waters of sharing economy regulation. Parker’s first experience with the sharing economy was using Zipcar’s technology to manage Houston’s fleet of light-duty vehicles. Later in her tenure as mayor, Parker worked to create a regulatory level playing field for the taxi industry and ride-sharing apps by lessening regulations on taxis and applying what she viewed as necessary regulations to the apps. “You can’t take a heavily regulated industry and de-regulate it overnight,” Parker said.