Episode 231: How California's AB5 Law Is Decimating Freelance Writers and Could Hurt Game Developers

California's new AB5 law is here, and it's already harmed the lives of countless west coast freelance writers, photographers, musicians, and more. And it could potentially harm California-based freelance game developers, too. Long story short, AB5 originally intended to provide greater worker protections for exploited workforces like those working for Uber, Lyft, and other contractor agencies. Instead, the bill was written so broadly that it now arbitrarily restricts the number of submissions we can make to a company per year. Imagine only being able to write or produce 35 pieces of work, including smaller examples like a news story, PER YEAR.

To that end, I spoke with Richard Hoeg of Hoeg Law, an experienced lawyer who's been following AB5 and its impact since mid-2019. We discuss the law's impact on the freelancer community, its history and background, why so many more powerful groups managed to get exemptions for their industries, and what the future holds for California companies and the freelancers they now can't bring on.

If you want to speak up about AB5, contact your local representative.

Who is my representative: https://whoismyrepresentative.com/

Assemblywoman Lorena Gonzalez, mastermind of AB5: (916) 319-2080

Governor Gavin Newsom: https://govapps.gov.ca.gov/gov40mail/

You can find Hoeg Law: https://hoeglaw.com/

You can also watch his wonderful YouTube series Virtual Legality at: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCi5RTzzeCFurWTPLm8usDkQ

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