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This paper traces the transformation of business organisation in the United States of America (USA) in recent decades, chronicling the move from the hierarchies and bureaucratic procedures that characterised large USA firms throughout most of the 20th century to the networked structures of today - lean corporations and 'virtual' companies - where small, autonomous groups interact in a flexible, ad hoc manner. These new organisational approaches have brought greater speed and efficiency but have also undermined the traditional employment contract. As a result, many American workers face greater economic insecurity and truncated career prospects. A solution to this problem is posited in the development of new kinds of organisations, dubbed 'guilds', which operate outside and across firms, and assume the role formerly played by large employers in providing workers with social insurance, career opportunities and a sense of belonging. Examples of recent experiments with guilds in the American setting are described.