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The Real Tech Layoff Surge: A Valid Concern

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Tech layoffs are accelerating, according to the data. After quick revenue growth in 2023, midsized tech companies are cutting as well. Brex’s latest layoffs make it plain that even some of the best-known, and most richly funded, upstart tech companies are finding their headcount to be too much. Thankfully, that information is at our fingertips and we can report that, yes, the layoff surge that you are feeling is in fact an actual wave. In that month, Layoffs.FYI counted just 4,707 tech layoffs across 65 total known cuts.

Amazon Hit with $35 Million Fine from French Watchdog for Warehouse Employee Monitoring Tactics

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France’s data privacy watchdog, the CNIL, has fined Amazon’s logistics subsidiary in France €32 million, or $35 million at today’s exchange rate. Again, it’s worth pointing out that the CNIL is listing some data processing wrongdoings. This isn’t a labor case, it’s a data processing case about illegitimate and excessive monitoring of the warehouse workers. “As implemented, the processing is considered to be excessively intrusive.”According to the French regulator, Amazon uses this performance data to assess the overall performance of its warehouse workers on a weekly basis. The company’s first argument is that Amazon isn’t the only company in the logistics industry using a connected warehouse management system.

Spain Challenges Legality of Meta’s Use of Content Moderating Subcontractors

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The Barcelona court accepted that the mental problems suffered by the worker are not a common illness but a work accident, per the newspaper. Meta’s subcontractor had processed his absence from work as common ailment and sought to deny responsibility for any psychological harms suffered from reviewing violent content uploaded to Facebook and Instagram. Meta also noted it provides technical solutions to subcontractors which are intended to enable content reviewers to limit their exposure to graphic material they are being asked to moderate as much as possible. In the article the newspaper quotes a worker describing the support provided by their employer, and Meta’s subcontractor, as “very insufficient”. Legal rulings that impose requirements on third party content reviewers to take care of workers’ mental health could put limits on the model, however.

Amazon Announces Additional Job Cuts in Buy with Prime Division

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As Amazon initiates job cuts across its entire business, including its streaming division, the e-commerce giant is now laying off employees within its Buy with Prime segment. Launched in 2022, Buy with Prime is a service that enables third-party merchants to offer Prime benefits like free shipping and returns. Buy with Prime expanded its availability in early 2023, adding more U.S. brands like BigCommerce and Sustainable Glam. “Buy with Prime is a top priority for Amazon, with strong adoption from merchants and positive feedback from customers, and we will continue investing significant resources in Buy with Prime to build on that momentum. Earlier this month, Amazon laid off 500 Twitch workers and hundreds of employees at Prime Video and MGM Studios.

Google announces further job cuts as YouTube reduces staff by 100

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Yet another series of layoffs has hit Google, this time at its video-sharing platform, YouTube. The company will eliminate 100 employees, a spokesperson confirmed to TechCrunch. Last week, Google laid off more than 1,000 workers across several divisions, including engineering, services and voice-activated product Google Assistant. “As we’ve said, we’re responsibly investing in our company’s biggest priorities and the significant opportunities ahead,” a Google spokesperson said in a provided statement. “We’re continuing to support any impacted employees as they look for new roles here at Google and beyond,” the spokesperson added.

“Tech Layoffs’ Adverse Effect on Minority Workers: Concerns Raised by Black Senators”

Views Of The U.s. Capitol As Obstacles Await Lawmakers During Its Three Week Stretch
Members of the Congressional Black Caucus have written to the United States’ Acting Secretary of Labor, Julie Su, expressing concerns over the disproportionate impact tech layoffs could have on Black workers, according to a letter seen by TechCrunch. More than 240,000 jobs have been eliminated this year due to layoffs in the tech industry. The worry here is that the “last in, first out” approach to tech layoffs commonly employed at companies may impact new, less senior and “non-essential” employees, who are most likely to be minorities. “We’ve seen that Black, Brown, and women tech workers have borne the brunt of layoffs while companies have enjoyed billion-dollar profits,” Missouri Rep. Emanuel Cleaver, co-chair of the CBC, told TechCrunch. The Department of Labor and Su did not immediately respond to requests for comment.

“Top 6 Gifts for Modern Remote Professionals to Enhance their Work-from-Home Experience in the Year 2023”

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6 work from home gifts for remote workers in 2023 A gift guide for remote workers, by a remote worker, because the WFH life is here to stayAccording to WFHResearch, 40% of US employees work remotely at least one day a week. Here are my six work from home essentials to gift the remote worker in your life. While that may be a bit dramatic, a ring light is an easy way to help any remote worker look more professional on camera. To add a little light to a remote worker’s life (quite literally), I suggest LUXSURE’s selfie ring light. I suggest gifting an ergonomic mouse, like Logitech’s Lift Vertical Ergonomic Mouse.

Tesla Seeks Temporary Pause in Federal Racial Discrimination Lawsuit While Resolving Other Legal Matters

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Tesla requests pause in federal racial bias lawsuit as it wraps up other casesTesla wants to pause a federal agency’s lawsuit against the automaker for racial bias against its Black workers at its Fremont assembly plant. The electric vehicle maker, in a filing in San Francisco federal court Monday, accused the U.S. The EEOC’s lawsuit alleges that Tesla violated federal law by tolerating widespread and ongoing racial harassment of its Black employees and subjecting some workers to retaliation for opposing harassment. Tesla also faces a proposed class action that alleges racial harassment filed by workers in 2017. Tesla’s filing on Monday says the federal court should decline to open a third lawsuit until the existing cases are resolved.

“Preparing for a Greener Future: Developing the Workforce for Clean Energy”

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Innovation in clean tech and renewable energy is moving fast — maybe a bit too fast. The clean tech industry is expected to create 8 million jobs by the end of 2030, according to a recent report by the International Energy Agency. These numbers are apparently based on current policies, and if more resources go toward the clean energy transition, the report’s authors expect the number to rise, too. The startup hires and trains folks to install and maintain sustainable heat pumps. It trains people new to the trades, provides upskilling training to those who have some experience, and has its workers install and maintain equipment for other companies.

Leader cruise expelled after preliminary inquiry into robotaxi crisis

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Cruise spokesperson Erik Moser confirmed the departures and shared a statement, but declined to comment on whether these employees were fired. “Today, following an initial analysis of the October 2 incident and Cruise’s response to it, nine individuals departed Cruise. A video, which TechCrunch viewed a day after the incident, showed the robotaxi braking aggressively and coming to a stop over the woman. Morale at Cruise has been low since the October 2 incident, with employees pointing the finger at poor management that didn’t prioritize safety at the company. Initial layoffs affected contract workers who had jobs cleaning, charging and maintaining the vehicles as well as answering customer support inquiries.