Uber, Lyft win California ruling to consider drivers as independent contractors

The ruling by the California Supreme Court is a major victory for the ride-hailing industry, which has said that many companies would end or limit service in the state if they were forced to treat thousands of drivers as their employees.

California’s top state court on Thursday upheld a measure approved by voters allowing app-based services such as Uber and Lyft to consider drivers in the most populous U.S. state as independent contractors rather than as employees entitled to greater benefits.