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Hello, welcome to the weekend!
Compared to other austerity measures in tech this past year (mass layoffs, hiring freezes, the end of in-house laundries), the loss of the holiday party may not have caused panic among tech workers. But should it?
As Annie and Ariel wrote in this week’s cover story, it seems like only yesterday (ie, 2019) that big tech companies like Google, Salesforce, and Facebook were proud children of “success.” Think ice sculptures, champagne towers, Maroon 5 concerts And photo-ops with the White Walkers (always a sign that winter is coming).
My, how times have changed. With the exception of Adobe — which just celebrated its 40th birthday earlier this month — tech companies are shunning their employees for anything resembling boredom.
But it’s not the end of the uninhibited holiday bacchanal he’s holding that’s the crux—it’s the death of his passion that ignites it. For decades, people have been flocking to Silicon Valley because they hoped to prove themselves worthy of such lavish festivities. For a long time, employers considered them as such. As it turns out, they don’t.
It’s not just companies’ entertainment budgets that have been cut, but the valley’s perception of itself. It makes you think about where those talented and ambitious employees are looking for their next certification.
Now on to this weekend’s stories…
In the year Remember when Yahoo spent a reported $7 million on a Gatsby-themed party in 2015? Or 2019, when Facebook’s “Game of Thrones”–themed bash includes an archery range, those White Walkers and roast pig? As Annie and Ariel report, those halcyon days are largely gone in Silicon Valley, and have been replaced by far more modest celebrations. We offer group lunches, gingerbread making workshops and (win) gratitude journals.
“ChatGPT has managed to break what I call the ‘imagination gap,'” said Alex Volkov, creator of ChatGP-T-1000, the Telegram bot he cooked up at a hackathon last weekend. Volkov is one of an army of developers experiencing a “glass-breaking moment” thanks to OpenAI’s ChatGPT program. Correspondent Chris Stockel-Walker explores the exploding AI industry in real time.
As Silicon Valley snow bunnies well know, there are always tools you need to upgrade. Annie called up a few slope-addicted founders and investors for their opinions on the best high-tech winter sports gear of the season.
A founding partner of Alexis Ohanian’s Seven Seven Six venture firm, Holloway has some very critical opinions on technology. FaceTime: Never. Dark Mode: Always. Inbox Zero: Required. Siri and Alexa: Toxic. Here she opens up her phone to reveal her personal passion for technology.
Watching: Elon Crash Landing
When I was a kid, a hot air balloonist crash landed in my parents’ backyard, sending the upstate New York suburb into a flashback. From then on, I thought that was the most absurd airbrushing I’d ever seen. Error! This week Elon Musk inspired. Back and forth Drama on @ElonJet account, which tracks a private plane’s location using public flight data. Under the hastily created New law, Musk launched the @ElonJet , then temporarily restored it before shutting it down again. (ElonJet’s creator, University of Central Florida student Jack Sweeney, still follows Musk on Instagram.) Twitter subsequently took down more than 25 jet-tracking accounts—and then suspended journalists covering the soap opera, citing infractions. Same rule as @ElonJet. coming Independent Supporter of free speech, as recently as last month He promised. @ElonJet can stay on Twitter, Musk’s thinking seems like that hot air balloon. – Abe
Read: A deep dive into TikTok’s moderation problem
Social media moderation is a fickle beast, and TikTok’s policing of its younger users has put the company in a no-win situation. For Bloomberg reporter Olivia Carville examines Tik Tok’s headaches through the lens of 16-year-old creator Jenni Popch (real name Roselee Arritola), whose sexually explicit dance videos made her a lightning rod. Aretola’s parents encourage posting, which is monetized through several lucrative brand deals. TikTok banned Aritola’s account several times before she brought it online. Critics say the platform isn’t doing enough to weed out child pornography (for example, 200,000 of Aretola’s 7.2 million viewers are men over 35), while other teen creators say the app’s moderation efforts infringe on their rights. Meanwhile, all the controversy will only heighten the teenager’s temper. “If you ain’t got no haters, you ain’t poppin’,” Aritola says. – Annie
Note: Could a four-day work week be a thing?
Obviously not. Most employers hate the idea of a 32-hour week. Many economists agree with them. And it’s not hard to imagine what most conservative and liberal lawmakers would think of a mandatory year-round three-day weekend. (Will the war on fun never stop?!) But it’s hard to argue with raw data, and a recent study led by a Boston College economist found that self-selected companies reported an average of 8 during the four-day work week. Increase in income during the 10 month trial period. San Francisco startup Bolt is one of the companies pioneering four days, and it’s good to read about employees’ experiences with long weekends, weekly rock-climbing sessions, and “ruthless prioritization” Monday through Thursday, if not…believer, then at least four days of curiosity. . – John
It makes you think
When you think you’re Ethan, you’re actually Albie.
Until next weekend, thanks for reading.
– John
Weekend Editor, The Information
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