This ruling made it possible for thousands of drivers to join the suit, arguing that they ought to be classified as employees, not independent contractors. The decision, and any trial that follows, are expected to have a major impact on the on-demand economy, which depends on these independent contractors.

But in a blog post today, Uber's managing counsel for employment, Abby Horrigan, not only vowed to appeal the ruling, she also argued that the ruling itself is substantially more narrow than it seems.

For starters, not all 160,000 drivers in California today are eligible to join the suit. Instead, Horrigan writes, the suit applies only to drivers who stopped driving before June 2014, as well as drivers who were on the app after June 2014 but opted out of the arbitration agreement in Uber's contract.