TaskRabbit

When IKEA acquired TaskRabbit in September 2017, furniture assembly represented 2% of tasks booked on the platform. By 2024, assembly had climbed to nearly 10% of 140,000 taskers operating across 45 cities in the US, UK, and Canada. The integration reveals how mutualism compounds advantages through shared infrastructure rather than simple addition: TaskRabbit bookings doubled not because IKEA customers needed more services, but because IKEA's trust signals reduced transaction costs for all home services.

Mutualism succeeds when both organisms gain more from cooperation than the sum of independent operation. TaskRabbit acquired three assets from IKEA integration: credible quality signaling (customers trusted IKEA's vetting), consistent task volume (furniture assembly generates predictable demand), and international reach (IKEA's 460+ stores created geographic density). IKEA gained operational capability without building internal infrastructure—furniture assembly services at scale, customer data on post-purchase pain points, and retention improvements (customers who use assembly services buy 23% more furniture over three years).

The biology of mutualism explains why TaskRabbit thrived under IKEA ownership while most gig platforms struggled. Cleaner wrasses remove parasites from larger fish: the wrasse gets food, the host fish gets health maintenance. But the mutualism persists because neither party can cheat efficiently—wrasses that bite healthy tissue get expelled; fish that eat wrasses lose cleaning services. TaskRabbit and IKEA face similar lock-in: TaskRabbit cannot sell IKEA customer data without destroying the trust that generates bookings; IKEA cannot build competing infrastructure without signaling that TaskRabbit integration was failed strategy.

The post-COVID shift to app-based home services cemented mutualism advantages. In 2024, 13% of US adults engaged in short-term task work, with 4% using platform apps. But consumer preference has crystallized around trusted brands for in-home services—the interaction carries higher risk than food delivery or rideshare. TaskRabbit's positioning within IKEA's trust envelope captured this shift: customers preferring verified, insured taskers for furniture assembly also hired them for mounting TVs, hanging artwork, and general handyman work. The furniture assembly hook expanded into full home services through borrowed credibility.