By Futurist Thomas Frey

Something unprecedented is happening in the American economy—and it’s not being measured by the usual charts, reports, and government statistics. The rise of digital entrepreneurship has quietly created a new economic undercurrent, one powerful enough to reshape labor markets, redefine wealth creation, and challenge the way we think about “work.”

In 2023, Americans filed a record 5.5 million new business applications. By 2020, even before this wave, 2 million individuals were already making six figures or more directly from social media. Add in e-commerce platforms, subscription models, AI-assisted startups, and the ever-expanding gig ecosystem, and what emerges is not a sideshow—it’s a shadow economy operating largely outside traditional measurements.

Continue reading… “Digital Entrepreneurship and the Rise of America’s Shadow Economy”