Category: Tech

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 …

Want to make healthcare cheaper? Bring the hospital to you

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At first blush, the idea of moving most healthcare from hospitals and medical offices to people’s living rooms seems impossible. Of course, once upon a time, so did getting your groceries without leaving your couch. Or voting. Or attending college. Or talking to your doctor. Or virtually any of the activities in our daily lives that used to require going somewhere and doing something. There’s not many silver linings to COVID-19, but the emergence and acceptance of virtual healthcare is certainly one of them. Patients and doctors are now far more comfortable interacting over video or text, discussing intimate healthcare issues, prescribing treatment and conducting the follow up, all without anyone having to go anywhere. No one with a fever prefers climbing into a car or squeezing onto a crowded subway to sit in a germ-infested waiting room only to eventually have a doctor ask the same standardized questions that could have fit into a text Read More …

Hankering to meet new people? Try one of these virtual networking apps

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During the coronavirus pandemic, design executive Trip O’Dell says he’s connected with dozens of new people. It’s not that he’s been dodging the need to quarantine. Instead, O’Dell has been connecting through video chats arranged by a startup called Lunchclub that pairs people with common interests for serendipitous conversations. “There’s an element of meeting that really interesting person on a cross-country flight that you just end up talking the whole time,” he says. Through the service, he’s connected with venture capitalists, making connections for a startup he advises, and even lined up a speaking engagement after discussing his own experiences with dyslexia and his work in accessible design. Lunchclub and apps like it have come to fill a void during a time when business conferences, local meetups, and social outings of all kinds have gone to Zoom—or just gone away. These digital tools connect users via shared interests and a dose of randomness by putting two strangers on a video call where hopefully they hit it off. Some, like Lunchclub, focus more on connecting for business purposes, while other services connect people to discuss hobbies and other shared interests. These services have effectively stepped in to fill a pandemic-era void, in which the types of serendipitous encounters that drive people to move to big cities and attend conferences and conventions have been strictly limited for virus safety reasons. Lunchclub , which uses machine learning to match members with others who share their interests, didn’t originate during the coronavirus era. It got its start about three years ago primarily connecting people for actual in-person lunches and meetings. Cofounder and CEO Vladimir Novakovski says that the platform’s creators had realized that traditional social networks don’t really facilitate new connections—rather, they’re built around existing ones. About a year ago, with the spread of the virus, the company successfully switched from in-person meetings to video calls. “Last year, we grew across the board very significantly,” Novakovski says, explaining that the professionally focused network saw a rise in new members who work in entertainment, biotech, and other industries. Novakovski says users range from young students to senior executives; members are asked to specify their interests and a bit about what they do when they sign up. Members also list goals like “explore new projects” or “brainstorm with peers,” and connect sites like LinkedIn and Twitter to provide data for better matchmaking. “Everyone has long-term goals, and we understand what those are and ask about them on registration,” he says. “At the end of the day, people understand the way they’re going to achieve them is through building their network with relevant people who have mutual interests and mutual values around the same place in their career.” The platform is currently free, but Novakovski says he envisions that in the future Lunchclub could license its technology to anyone looking to connect like-minded people, whether that means wedding planners or conference organizers 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 …

How remote work helped us move past old-school ‘professionalism’

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Over the past year, much has been made of where, when, and how we work. But the sweeping shift to working remotely has raised a deeper question that we’re still not sure how to answer: Who are we at work?   The pandemic has scrambled so much of the “normal” professional experience—commutes, workspaces, business hours, childcare, business travel—that it’s also rewiring our concept of professionalism itself.   For me, “professionalism” began 18 years ago when I started as an intern at Microsoft. Today, I lead a team of more than 500 designers and researchers creating the next generation of communication and creation experiences for Microsoft 365, across both work and life. As you can imagine, design at Microsoft has changed dramatically over the years, and that includes how people collaborate.   When it comes to traditional modes of expression, both Microsofties and our customers typically drew a clear line between work style and personal style. Take emoji or reactions as an example. I use them freely in texts or on social media, but on a productivity platform like Microsoft Teams? As much heart as I put into my work, I never thought I’d “heart” things there. I do that at home, where my guard is down. But now that the office is my home, there are hearts all over the place. I heart everything (unless I’m giving it a thumbs down). Read More …