Then there is good news for you. This Foucaultian critique of the neoliberal notion of entrepreneurialism is precisely what Italian philosopher Maurizio Lazzarato has articulated in his book, The Making of the Indebted Man.
He argues that (to quote Zizek), "in daily ideology, our servitude is presented to us as our freedom. He demonstrates how we are all treated as capitalists who invest in our lives. Indebtedness implies a functional discipline. It is today a new way of maintaining control over individuals, all whilst promoting the illusion of free choice. Even the fragility of our career path and chronic insecurity is presented to us a chance to reinvent ourselves every two or three years. And it works very well."
Interesting. I've only vaguely interacted with Lazzarato's work through Hardt and Negri. I'm guessing the book builds on what Deleuze says about the society of control, e.g. "Man is no longer man enclosed, but man in debt."
It's so much more cost-effective than slavery. Slaves have to be fed, clothed, and housed. Gig workers don't.
Not only that, gig workers have freedom and opportunity. Not much of it, but they can fantasize about escaping their trap. There's a whole ideological system telling them it's all their fault. Capitalism, Christianity, and Judaism all line up on this.
Rebellion is very difficult. The debt system doesn't oppress. It's merely indifferent to your suffering. It simply ignores you until you die.
He argues that (to quote Zizek), "in daily ideology, our servitude is presented to us as our freedom. He demonstrates how we are all treated as capitalists who invest in our lives. Indebtedness implies a functional discipline. It is today a new way of maintaining control over individuals, all whilst promoting the illusion of free choice. Even the fragility of our career path and chronic insecurity is presented to us a chance to reinvent ourselves every two or three years. And it works very well."