Nov 2, 2018

The tech elites are revolting

Axios

Illustration: Aïda Amer/Axios

Elite U.S. tech workers, some awakened to political organizing by the election of President Trump, are increasingly giving their own CEOs a painful wakeup call via internal dissents on company business decisions and policies.

Between the lines: It's a "Revolt of the Haves," with highly-paid workers seeking to leverage their employers in ways that lower-skilled workforces cannot, AP's Mae Anderson and Matt O'Brien report.

Microsoft and Amazon workers have dissented on facial recognition projects used by U.S. law enforcement and immigration services.

  • Google staffers have protested the company's censored search engine for China and its projects with the U.S. military.
  • Just this week, hundreds of Google employees walked out in protest of the company's handling of sexual harassment.
  • "Walkout co-organizer Meredith Whittaker... said in an interview that workers’ demands for better treatment at the company are intertwined with their larger concerns about a 'general abuse of power' that includes how Google’s business ventures affect society."

The bottom line: The midterms are Tuesday, but these political earthquakes look like they're just getting started.

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Axios

Coronavirus dashboard

Illustration: Sarah Grillo/Axios

  1. Global: Total confirmed cases as of 10 p.m. ET: 1,014,673 — Total deaths: 52,973 — Total recoveries: 210,335 — Map.
  2. U.S.: Total confirmed cases as of 10 p.m. ET: 244,678 — Total deaths: 5,911 — Total recoveries: 9,058 — Map.
  3. 2020 updates: The Democratic National Committee said its July convention will be postponed until August because of the coronavirus. A federal judge declined to delay Wisconsin's April 7 primary election.
  4. Jobs latest: Coronavirus unemployment numbers are like a natural disaster hitting every state.
  5. Public health latest: Anthony Fauci called for all states across the U.S. to issue stay-at-home orders. The FDA will allow blood donations from gay men after 3-month waiting period, citing "urgent need."
  6. Business latest: Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin said oil companies are eligible for aid from new lending programs the Federal Reserve is setting up, but not direct loans from his department.
  7. U.S.S. Theodore Roosevelt: Navy removes captain of aircraft carrier who sounded alarm about coronavirus.
  8. 1 future thing: In developing countries, consequences of COVID-19 could be deeper and far more difficult to recover from.
  9. What should I do? Answers about the virus from Axios experts — What to know about social distancing — Q&A: Minimizing your coronavirus risk.
  10. Other resources: CDC on how to avoid the virus, what to do if you get it.

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