Category: employees

Despite the rise of remote work, tech hubs are here to stay

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With the pandemic reshaping the way we work, many articles predict the demise of cities as startup hubs and promote the ascendancy of remote (and rural) tech capitals. While the technology-enabled exodus to remote workforces has been a blessing for companies operating under COVID-19 restrictions—and dramatically increased opportunities for disabled workers—don’t rush to that tiny rural town too soon. The attractions of cities are less enticing during a lockdown, to be sure. But in the long-term, metropolitan areas offer advantages that can’t be duplicated in fully remote settings. The diversity of cities provides fertile ground for connecting with people who share similar passions and interests. Whatever your preference, whether personal or professional, cities have a large population of others who can spark and nurture creativity and innovation. The suburban flight we saw in the 1950s and ’60s has reversed, led by younger people who value the amenities and attractions of urban life. Walkability and access to bike lanes and ride-share services allow reduced reliance on automobiles. Vibrant cultural scenes, restaurants, and retail are obviously big draws, which will become even more attractive on the other side of the pandemic. Where people once retreated to suburbs when starting their families, many cities now have competitive and desirable schools—enhanced by nearby parks, museums, and child-friendly activities. As population density is increased, each individual’s carbon footprint is lowered. And there are huge economies of scale in areas like healthcare and public transportation Read More …

Hulu’s WeWork doc tries to recapture the energy of the 2019 saga

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In fall 2019, the story of WeWork’s Icarian plummet —from the startup destined to change the way we work and live to the laughing stock of Wall Street—played out with all the drama you’d expect when at its center are a messianic CEO and a Japanese billionaire enabling his reckless whims. As you may recall, former WeWork CEO Adam Neumann had a vision of creating a culture of communal workspaces that was turbocharged by SoftBank CEO Masayoshi Son investing more than $10 billion in WeWork with a mandate to Neumann to think bigger. WeWork soared to a $47 billion valuation and was on the precipice of going public until its prospectus raised a sea of red flags —from the company reporting $900 million in losses and $47 billion in lease obligations to Neumann’s wife, Rebekah, being granted the power to name his successor should anything happen to him. It was a tale of staggering hubris, lavish excess, and toxic leadership that became catnip for a storm of media coverage. Indeed, in today’s insatiable market for content for video streaming and on-demand audio, the WeWork saga inspired a flurry of deals to turn this story into tragedy, farce, or a bit of both. Last year there was Wondery’s deep-dive podcast miniseries WeCrashed , and New York Magazine contributor Reeves Wiedeman published the book Billion Dollar Loser. Yet to come is the book The Cult of We from Wall Street Journal reporters Maureen Farrell and Eliot Brown, which is being adapted into a limited series with Succession breakout star Nicholas Braun. Another forthcoming book, about SoftBank, from Fast Company contributor Katrina Booker, was fast-tracked for a TV series from Blumhouse. An Apple TV Plus limited series starring Jared Leto and Anne Hathaway as the Neumanns has also been announced Read More …

This millennial women’s health brand is expanding with a controversial partner

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Carolyn Witte says she’s building the future of women’s healthcare. Her company, called Tia, is a beefed up primary care clinic with gynecological services and mental healthcare that’s been called a “ gynecologist for the self-care generation. ” Now, it’s partnering with Catholic healthcare system CommonSpirit in order to go national. Tia doesn’t currently perform elective abortion or in vitro fertilization, two services the relationship would bar. But the partnership begs the question: Can Tia be the future of women’s healthcare if it partners with entities that actively limit women’s health choices? Carolyn Witte [Photo: courtesy of Tia] Tia, which Witte cofounded in 2017 with Felicity Yost, offers a blend of primary care, gynecological care, nutrition, acupuncture, and mental health services. It charges an annual fee of $150 in addition to the cost of services, the latter of which is largely covered by insurance. Its services include IUD insertion and removal, colposcopies for abnormal pap smears, myomectomies, and biopsies Read More …

I run Google TV. Here are my secrets for leading a team remotely

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Even before COVID-19 led people to turn their dining rooms into makeshift offices, remote work was on the rise. Perhaps unsurprisingly, many businesses have found that remote work makes it increasingly difficult to preserve their company culture. After all, perks such as childcare, happy hours, and social lunches don’t mean much if you’re not on-site. What’s more, remote work has the potential to throttle the kind of free-flowing collaboration and brainstorming that happens when people are in the same space. That said, remote work is not without benefits. In fact, when done right, it’s a win for companies and employees Read More …

Why it’s the perfect time to learn to be an engineer or data scientist

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COVID-19 has led to widespread layoffs and job losses across industries, with hospitality, travel, and retail hit especially hard. After the pandemic, many of those jobs are not expected to come back. At the same time, hiring for technical roles in software engineering and data science has skyrocketed: Remote interviews for technical roles grew by 370% on HackerRank’s platform from 2019 to 2020 as companies pivoted business online. The shortage of talent to fill those roles continues in 2021—hiring managers are worried about recruiting enough developers this year. With the right infrastructure, these are ideal conditions for a unique, more diverse generation of tech employees to emerge and fill the open positions. This can come to fruition in two main ways: companies offering technical reskilling programs for their own employees and outside talent, and people embracing nontraditional technical education options such as coding boot camps and self-teaching. Internal reskilling programs thrive in a remote-first world During COVID-19, most companies have found themselves needing more software developers and fewer employees on the ground or in service roles. They can use remote training tools to transition nontechnical employees into technical roles. With intuitive virtual tools, companies can still assess and train workers remotely during the pandemic. Amazon’s Tech Academy is a great example. The program, part of Amazon’s $700 million investment in upskilling , is open to any nontechnical employee (such as truck drivers and warehouse maintenance staff). It provides intensive reskilling with the goal of hiring students as Amazon software developers Read More …