Facebook plans for half its workforce to work remotely. Mark Zuckerberg took to Facebook Live last week to announce that the social media giant is aiming to be “the most forward-leaning company on remote work.” His goals include a 50 percent remote workforce within five to 10 years, a ramp up of remote hiring starting July 1, as well as the opening of new company hubs in cities like Atlanta, Dallas and Denver. What this could mean for the company’s massive headquarters in Menlo Park remains unknown. [Built In SF]
Salesforce’s plan for reopening. Another influential tech employer is also pulling back the curtain on its plans for getting its workforce back to the office. When its office reopens, Salesforce is reportedly planning to make masks mandatory for its in-office employees, in addition to mandating six-foot separation between workers and instituting temperature checks on each floor. In the meantime, its employees have the option to work remotely through the end of the year. [SF Chronicle]
The “mayor of the Tenderloin” on the COVID-19 frontlines. In 2015, Del Seymour founded the nonprofit code Tenderloin out of his car. The group provides free job-readiness training and coding classes targeted to individuals struggling with homelessness, addiction and other issues that can serve as obstacles to employment. Today, the organization is continuing to help vulnerable people by offering virtual versions of its classes, as well as assisting with immediate needs like food, shelter and testing. [NY Times]
A strong pre-Memorial Day funding week. Last week was the busiest week of venture capital activity since March, led by large funding rounds announced by a slew of companies including Brex, States Title and MasterClass. [Built In SF]
Fitbit launches COVID-19 study. Fitbit users can sign up for the fitness startup’s study via its app. The company is trying to learn if it can develop an algorithm that could detect a COVID-19 infection before symptoms occur and needs data from individuals who have contracted the virus in order to determine its feasibility. [TechCrunch]
Dreamforce’s cancelation hurts restaurants. The cancelation of Salesforce’s massive annual gathering is, of course, a big disappointment for the tech industry, but it’s also roiling the local restaurant scene, particularly in the SoMa neighborhood. Hospitality businesses in the vicinity of the Moscone Center are losing their piece of a $500 million pie of local spending due to this and 27 other cancelations this year. This loss could threaten the survival of many local restaurants that thrived thanks to their proximity to these events. [SF Eater]
Standard Cognition’s global acquisition. The SF automated retail startup just acquired an Italian competitor, Checkout Technologies, and is reportedly eyeing a rollout of its Amazon Go-like technology in Japan. The company offers an AI-powered computer vision platform that allows brick-and-mortar retailers to offer a cashier-less checkout process. It also recently reopened its Market Street shop, the Standard Store. [TechCrunch]
Yes, remote user learning is possible. SF-based research and service agency AnswerLab used to conduct 75 percent of its user testing in person, but shifted its entire operation to operate completely online over the course of just five days as the pandemic spread in March. We spoke with CEO Amy Chowdhry to learn how the company did it. [Built In SF]
