If an employee who earns tips does not make the equivalent of minimum wage pay his or her hours worked, then the employer is required to pay difference (i.e., employees will be paid at least minimum wage for their work)

Not tipping still makes the workers still suffer, though, because with tips, many of many of them make above minimum wage.

Honestly, in the general case, I don't understand how anyone can manage to live on minimum wage, unless they live in a barracks, their mother's basement, or under a bridge.

In the case of on-demand companies, the workers are independent contractors so they're not even entitled to minimum wage.

What about in states like California where that's illegal, even if their tips make up the difference between their actual wage and the minimum wage?

They suffer because we made it socially mandatory to tip, allowing at the same time the businesses to pay under minimum wage for workers.

Come on. It IS socially mandatory.

People are harassed for not tipping. People look down on you for not tipping. Even, for bad service, we still have to tip.

the market will necessarily sort itself out here. sad but true. if the workers are paid less, they will find employment elsewhere, the company will suffer (as they rightfully should).

Instacart has 1.9b in funding, if they are stealing from their workers, it only means that their business model is broken.. or we as consumers can fall into this dishonest game and normalize it.

> if the workers are paid less, they will find employment elsewhere

Thats a big assumption that is demonstrably untrue in many specific cases.