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    Back to Press Play with Madeleine Brand

    Press Play with Madeleine Brand

    Silicon Valley is bleeding jobs. Which startups will survive COVID-19?

    S ilicon Valley businesses are bleeding jobs because of COVID-19.

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    By Madeleine Brand • May 20, 2020 • 1 min read

    Silicon Valley businesses are bleeding jobs because of COVID-19. Uber has announced nearly 7,000 layoffs since the global pandemic began.

    “It’s super brutal. The whole point of Uber is taking people from one place to another, and that’s the exact opposite of what we’re being told to do right now,” says Mike Isaac, a New York Times tech reporter and author of the book “Super Pumped: The Battle for Uber.”

    Lyft slashed just shy of 1,000 jobs. Airbnb cut nearly 2,000 positions.

    “They [Airbnb] were ready to go public in 2021. They were spending $500 million on advertising at the Olympics, and now their entire business is in a total tailspin,” says Isaac.

    But some tech businesses like Amazon, Zoom, Slack and Facebook (which just launched Facebook Shops) are seeing an increase in demand.

    Isaac says things centering around remote work will be the future in this new pandemic era.

    The full episode

    3 of 5
    What will it take to reopen LA by July 4?
    1. 0:00LA County wants to open by July 4. What will it take to get there?
    2. 8:57Many business insurance policies don't cover lost costs during a pandemic
    3. 16:59Silicon Valley is bleeding jobs. Which startups will survive COVID-19?You’re reading this
    4. 25:38‘The End of October’: Lawrence Wright’s novel is a prescient look at a global pandemic
    5. 41:33Masks are becoming fashion. What do they say about self-expression?
    • https://images.ctfassets.net/2658fe8gbo8o/AvYox6VuEgcxpd20Xo9d3/769bca4fbf97bf022190f4813812c1e2/new-default.jpg?h=250

      Madeleine Brand

      Host, 'Press Play'

    • KCRW placeholder

      Sarah Sweeney

      Vice President of Talk Programming, KCRW

    • KCRW placeholder

      Michell Eloy

      Former Producer/Line Editor, Press Play

    • https://images.ctfassets.net/2658fe8gbo8o/AvYox6VuEgcxpd20Xo9d3/769bca4fbf97bf022190f4813812c1e2/new-default.jpg?h=250

      Amy Ta

      Digital News & Culture Editor

    • KCRW placeholder

      Mike Isaac

      New York Times technology correspondent

      NewsBusiness & EconomyCoronavirus

    The full episode

    3 of 5
    What will it take to reopen LA by July 4?
    1. 0:00LA County wants to open by July 4. What will it take to get there?
    2. 8:57Many business insurance policies don't cover lost costs during a pandemic
    3. 16:59Silicon Valley is bleeding jobs. Which startups will survive COVID-19?You’re reading this
    4. 25:38‘The End of October’: Lawrence Wright’s novel is a prescient look at a global pandemic
    5. 41:33Masks are becoming fashion. What do they say about self-expression?
    Back to Press Play with Madeleine Brand