In kindergarten one of the values most emphasized (or at least when I had regularly scheduled naps and snack breaks…although that’s a few decades back at the least) is to share. Share your play toy. Share your snack. Share the computer.

However, up until recently the real world market models were designed with little consideration for sharing, and have been very lucrative for it. How many people would choose the comfort of their car over public transportation? How many of us would buy a CD only to sell it back when we were done? And why would a company want you to? Thanks to the Internet and the emerging “sharing economy” we have entirely new questions to ask. Read along for examples of the companies that are leading this collaborative economy.