It is fascinating how the Internet is creating new entities and phenomena that defy existing categories. The challenge that arises is that many politicians and regulators still think in these old categories. Here are just a bunch of recent examples.

Uber, Hailo, Lyft, Sidecar etc all enable transportation but are not cab companies.

AirBnB, VRBO, HomeAway all enable lodging but are not hotels.

Skillshare, Udacity, Udemy, Coursera, Khan Academy enable learning but are not schools.

Blogs enable publishing of opinion but are not press.

I am sure this list could be made much longer if I weren’t running out for a meeting.  So if you have other examples please contribute them in the comments.

It is fascinating how the Internet is creating new entities and phenomena that defy existing categories. The challenge that arises is that many politicians and regulators still think in these old categories. Here are just a bunch of recent examples.

Uber, Hailo, Lyft, Sidecar etc all enable transportation but are not cab companies.

AirBnB, VRBO, HomeAway all enable lodging but are not hotels.

Skillshare, Udacity, Udemy, Coursera, Khan Academy enable learning but are not schools.

Blogs enable publishing of opinion but are not press.

I am sure this list could be made much longer if I weren’t running out for a meeting.  So if you have other examples please contribute them in the comments.