An Uber driver who tested positive for coronavirus says the company didn't pay him the sick pay it had promised until he took to Twitter to tell his story, CNET reported Wednesday.Uber said earlier in March that it would compensate drivers and delivery workers diagnosed with COVID-19
or placed in mandatory quarantine.However, three drivers told CNET that they've had difficulty getting the company to approve their compensation requests.Gig workers, most of whom are independent contractors, have said companies aren't doing enough to protect their financial or physical health as the coronavirus pandemic upends business as usual.Visit Business Insider's homepage for more stories.

An Uber driver in San Francisco who tested positive for COVID-19 couldn't get the company to cover his sick pay as it had promised until he called out the company's CEO, Dara Khosrowshahi, on Twitter, according to CNET.

The driver told CNET he came in contact with two passengers who he believed might have had the coronavirus: one who had recently traveled to Taiwan and told the driver they had the coronavirus, and another who was coughing up blood on the way to the hospital.

So, he stopped accepting trips and went to get tested himself. He got a doctor's note ordering him to self-quarantine — and eventually tested positive for the new coronavirus. The driver also asked Uber to compensate him while he was forced off the road due to his sickness, according to CNET.

Uber announced earlier in March that it would pay drivers and delivery workers who are diagnosed with COVID-19 or are placed in mandatory quarantine by public health officials. Uber said the payments would cover up to 14 days off and the amount per day would be calculated based on how much drivers had earned in the past six months.

However, the driver told CNET that in order to upload his doctor's note, he had to agree to "onerous conditions" like letting Uber collect personal information and acknowledging that the payments wouldn't change his status as an independent contractor.

That prompted the driver to take his request to Twitter, where he described his experiences and mentioned Uber CEO Dara Khosrowshahi and chief legal officer Tony West in a 24-tweet thread — and finally received a payment of $2,108 eight days later, CNET reported.

Another driver, Jon Hoheisel, shared a similar experience, telling CNET that Uber didn't respond until he tweeted at Andrew Macdonald, Uber's senior vice president of rides. Even then, he said, the company initially shorted him $1,000.

"There's overwhelming demand for compensation," said Sergio Avedian, senior contributor at The Rideshare Guy, an industry news site for Uber and Lyft drivers. "It's hit and miss at best, but Uber's system seems to be handling requests a little better [than competitors]," he added.

The stories told to CNET echo criticism Uber has faced in the UK, where a labor group told Business Insider that, due to a lack of access to testing, the company's policy had made it practically impossible for drivers to claim funds.

"We are always working to help keep everyone who uses Uber safe. We have a dedicated global team, guided by the advice of a consulting public health expert, working to respond in every market where we operate around the world. We remain in close contact with local public health authorities and will continue to follow their guidance to help prevent the spread of the coronavirus," Uber said in a statement to Business Insider.

Gig workers transporting passengers and food for platforms like Uber, Lyft, Instacart, and others have been at an especially high risk of exposure to the coronavirus given their increased exposure to recent travelers, medical workers or passengers going to the hospital, and people in general.

But many are staying on the road despite the health risks because they need the money and, as independent contractors, most don't have access to the same sick pay benefits that full-time employees at companies like Uber typically enjoy. Still, with Uber ridership tanking — as much as 50% in cities like Seattle that have been hard by the virus — drivers are struggling.

"Drivers are between a hard place and a rock: be broke and be sick or be broke and healthy," Avedian said.

Original author: Tyler Sonnemaker

Former Apple CEO John Sculley thinks that once the coronavirus pandemic is over, the US economy will enter a new age of innovation. Industries like telehealth and remote work are on the cusp of a breakthrough, Sculley observed. And startup founders looking to innovate could look to a saying from his old colleague Steve Jobs for guidance. "Steve used to say, 'you always have to zoom out beyond the boundaries of the industry as it's known,'" Sculley said, "'What would that be in terms of changing how everybody thought about an industry?'" Visit Business Insider's homepage for more stories.

As dire as the coronavirus pandemic has become, it will eventually pass — and when it does, the US economy will enter a new age of innovation.

So says John Sculley, a former CEO of Apple who points to the recent increase in telehealth and remote work as the foundation for some big breakthroughs.

Sculley, who now works in the healthtech industry, says this view is informed by a saying from his old colleague, Steve Jobs. "Steve used to say, 'You always have to zoom out beyond the boundaries of the industry as it's known,'" Sculley told Business Insider. "'What would that be in terms of changing how everybody thought about an industry?'" 

He offered an example of how that applied to the computer industry's early days. "The first product to actually use Moore's law was Microsoft, with personal computers," he said, an innovation that had everyone in Silicon Valley thinking that personal computers were going to be a game-changer for businesses, scientists and engineers. 

Steve Jobs thought differently and broadened the target market to consumers. He wondered how non-technical people could benefit from the power of a personal computer — that's how the earliest Macintosh came to be, Sculley said.

It's been close to 27 years since John Sculley left Apple but he still holds that lesson close to his heart. 

"I think that a leader has to be able to have the curiosity to have a different frame of mind," Sculley said. "So when you go through a major event like the coronavirus, I say the advice of Steve Jobs- zoom out, think beyond," and find a way to make an even bigger impact on the world. 

Sculley, who now works in the health-tech sector as the Chairman of the cloud-based platform RxAdvance, observes that one great sector for startup founders to enter right now is the telehealth industry. 

"Well I think when the coronavirus pandemic is over, telehealth isn't going away. In fact, this is really a breakthrough for telehealth because people are starting to realize, 'Wow, you can really do things with it,'" Sculey said. 

Telehealth and remote-monitoring startups raised a total of $684.6 million across 30 funding rounds last year, according to PitchBook Data. And more than a quarter of US physicians had adopted telehealth tools in 2019, according to a February report from the American Medical Association. 

But a global crisis has already legitimized and sped up the adoption of the telehealth sector, a move that could make it even more valuable in the years to come. 

As the coronavirus pandemic has taken hold of health systems across the world, causing patients to steer clear of hospitals and clinics, telehealth companies like Teladoc Health have seen their virtual patient traffic spike in recent weeks. 

Last week, the government announced that it would begin allowing Americans enrolled in Medicare to use telehealth services for no additional cost, to save citizens the risk of visiting a hospital or medical facility. And under a new economic stimulus headed for a Senate vote on Wednesday, the Federal Communications Commission would receive $200 million to support telehealth services. 

Original author: Bani Sapra

The global fatality rate of confirmed cases of the novel coronavirus has doubled over the past 2 months.New York City is now an epicenter of COVID-19, the disease caused by the virus, with more than 17,000 confirmed cases of at least 450,000 worldwide.A licensed funeral director and embalmer, who works for a company that removes bodies, said hospital morgues are seemingly full of COVID-19 bodies while the city — the backup option for hospitals — seeks additional temporary storage.FEMA told Business Insider the city has requested emergency mortuary assistance through a disaster response program.Politico reported Wednesday that, according to an unnamed Department of Homeland Security official, the city expects to exceed its own capacity next week. Visit Business Insider's homepage for more stories.

New York City is running out of room to store the bodies of those who've died from COVID-19, a respiratory disease caused by a novel coronavirus that emerged less than 3 months ago.

The city has become an epicenter for the spread of the novel coronavirus due its role as a global hub of travel, tourism, and commerce.

On Wednesday, New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo said during a press conference that the state has more than 30,000 confirmed cases — in part due to dramatically expanded testing — of which about 17,000 are from NYC.

"We're not slowing it, and it is accelerating on its own," Cuomo previously said, in another press conference on Tuesday. He added that the state's projection for hospital beds it will need at the peak of the outbreak will be around 140,000 — though it currently has only 53,000.

COVID-19's global death rate from January through March has doubled. Out of 300 known deaths in New York, the virus is confirmed to have killed 199 people in the city. Cuomo said cases, and deaths, are going to increase in the coming weeks.

Patients with the coronavirus are overwhelming hospitals

Hospitals around the city are beginning to find themselves overwhelmed by COVID-19 cases, many of which require intense and long-term critical care to treat respiratory failure.

As increasing numbers of people die from the illness, relatively small hospital morgues around the area are filling up. That's according to a licensed funeral director, embalmer, and body removal expert who works for a company handling transport of most COVID-19 bodies in the city. 

"On Sunday the morgues already seemed full," said the mortuary professional, who asked not to be named due to the sensitivity of their work, adding that there are typically only one or two corpses on Sundays. (Business Insider confirmed the person's identity.)

"You have to wait for the tests to come back before making the removal for our safety," they said, and due to a sometimes days-long lag in that testing "the death toll from COVID currently is much higher than it is in the news."

As a result of the uptick in COVID-19 deaths, relatively small hospital morgues are reaching or exceeding their capacity. When that happens, the person said, excess bodies are sent to the city's Office of the Chief Medical Examiner (OCME) temporary storage facilities.

Yet even the city is now looking to the private industry to handle a possible overflow of the deceased, though that has not yet happened, the person said.

'We have the ability to expand dramatically'

Workers construct what is believed to be a makeshift morgue behind a hospital during the outbreak of coronavirus disease (COVID-19), in the Manhattan borough of New York City on march 25, 2020. Carlo Allegri/Reuters

The situation has grown serious enough that the Department of Homeland Security has been briefed on the matter by New York City officials, who said the city may run out of capacity to store bodies next week, according to reporting by Politico published on Wednesday.

Politico, citing unnamed officials, said New York state more broadly has asked the Federal Emergency Management Agency for "emergency mortuary assistance."

Aspokesperson for FEMA independently confirmed the information with Business Insider.

"FEMA's National Response Coordination Center (NRCC) has received requests for HHS Disaster Mortuary Operational Response Teams (DMORT) from the States of Hawaii, New York, and North Carolina," the spokesperson said in an email. "These requests are currently in the review and approval process."

Aja Worthy-Davis, a spokesperson for OCME, did not immediately respond to requests for comment from Business Insider. Politico reported that Worthy-Davis said the city has "the ability to expand pretty dramatically" its mortuary services.

"If you look back at what we did during 9/11, we have the ability to create mobile stations that allow us to house bodies if we run out of space," she reportedly said.

That expanded capacity may be appearing as refrigerated tent facilities that resemble makeshift morgues, the New York Post reported Tuesday. The tents, refrigeration units, and an OCME vehicle were spotted by the outlet adjacent to Bellevue Hospital in Manhattan (though OCME is located next door to the hospital).

The mortuary services professional told Business Insider that the city definitely needs additional temporary storage to handle the increasing numbers of the dead.

"I watch these Cuomo press conferences, and he said they're opening up the Javits Center for medical care. I think that's great, but they need to open up temporary morgues to hold all of these bodies," the person said. "I don't think we need another Javits Center-size building, but some other storage facility with additional capacity."

Jake Lahut contributed reporting to this post.

Original author: Dave Mosher

A man in San Francisco delivered a roll of toilet paper to his friend via drone.A video posted to Twitter shows the drone with a toilet paper roll dangling feet below zooming toward the recipient on his apartment patio.The interaction is a lighthearted example of how hunkered-down residents are keeping essential supplies stocked under lockdown and after retailers have experienced toilet paper stock shortages.Visit Business Insider's homepage for more stories.

San Franciscans are getting creative with how they stay stocked up on supplies amid a regionwide shelter-in-place order to contain the coronavirus disease.

A video that Twitter user Ian Chan posted Wednesday shows a drone ferrying a single toilet paper roll dangling feet below toward his apartment patio. The video shows him plucking the roll and the drone zooming off. 

Chan, an ex-Twitter employee according to his Twitter account, told Business Insider that the friend who flew the roll to him is a skilled drone pilot and surprised him with the delivery, only instructing him to go to his patio. Chan also said that the two of them merely needed a break from life under lockdown in San Francisco.

The interaction is a lighthearted example of how people are keeping essential supplies stocked while living under a three-week shelter-in-place order, which directs residents to remain inside as much as possible to slow the spread of the coronavirus, which has infected more than 62,000 people and killed at least 888 in the United States, including 58 deaths in California.

Toilet paper stock in the US from suppliers like Amazon and Costco have dwindled or ran out in recent weeks as the coronavirus pandemic has caused people to hurriedly buy rolls out of panic.  Though you can order toilet paper online from retailers like Target and Staples.

The San Francisco Bay Area is currently in week two of the three-week shelter-in-place order. It ends on April 7, but as Mayor London Breed told Business Insider's Troy Wolverton, that deadline could get extended. Residents can leave their homes for essential needs, like to go shopping for groceries or toilet paper, but officials ask that people limit the number of unnecessary trips.

Original author: Katie Canales

When you buy through our links, we may earn money from our affiliate partners. Learn more.

The Cooking Channel Go app is available on mobile, Roku, Apple TV, and Fire TV devices. Apple Like its sister channel, Food Network, the Cooking Channel is home to a growing lineup of food-related shows focused on meals, recipes, and competitions.The channel is available as part of many traditional cable and satellite TV packages, as well as several live TV streaming services, including Sling TV , Hulu + Live TV, Philo TV, and more.If you have an authenticated pay-TV subscription, you can also watch the Cooking Channel through the network's website or via the Cooking Channel Go app on several streaming sticks and boxes.Here's how to stream all your favorite Cooking Channel series with a variety of digital services.

Serving as a spin-off of the popular Food Network, the Cooking Channel offers even more shows dedicated to meals, recipes, and cooking. Filled with a mixture of original programming and older episodes of Food Network favorites, the channel is a perfect fit for home cooks looking for new meal ideas to prepare in their kitchen.

The varied lineup of live and on-demand shows includes instructional programs, like "Good Eats," and popular reality shows, like "Man v. Food," ensuring that there's something to watch for all tastes. Like the Food Network, the Cooking Channel is part of the Discovery Network family of TV stations, and its programming is available through several cable, satellite, and streaming TV subscriptions.

If you'd like to watch the Cooking Channel but don't know where to start, we've detailed all of the different platforms that carry the network below.  

How do I watch the Cooking Channel?

The Cooking Channel is available as part of various cable and satellite TV packages. Live and on-demand streaming are also available with an authenticated pay-TV subscription via the channel's website or the Cooking Channel Go app. The app is supported on iPhone, Android, Android TV, Apple TV, Roku, and Fire TV devices.

The Cooking Channel features several popular shows, including new episodes of "Man v. Food." Cooking Channel

Like Food Network, the Cooking Channel is also available through several live streaming services, making it easy for cord-cutters to tune in. Unlike Food Network, however, the channel is typically only included with step-up subscription plans or extra add-on packages for many platforms, including Hulu + Live TV, Fubo TV, Sling TV , Youtube TV, and AT&T TV. 

The one exception is Philo TV, which includes Cooking Channel as part of its basic $20 per month plan. If you're signing up for a live TV streaming service primarily to watch the Cooking Channel, Philo TV offers the most affordable method to gain access to the network. 

What shows can I watch on the Cooking Channel?

The Cooking Channel features a growing lineup of live and on-demand programs related to food and cooking, including several series that you won't find on the channel's sister station, Food Network. 

This collection of on-demand exclusives includes programs like "The Best Thing I Ever Ate," "Man Fire Food," "Food: Fact or Fiction," "Cheap Eats," "Bizarre Foods America," "Fire Masters," and more. In addition, "Man v. Food" recently switched from Food Network to the Cooking Channel for its currently airing eighth season. This makes the Cooking Channel the only place you can watch new episodes of the show.

There is some overlap between the Food Network and the Cooking Channel when it comes to some series, however, so you will find a few shows on both networks. For instance, a few seasons of "Good Eats," "Bizarre Foods Delicious Destinations," and "Carnival Eats" can be watched through both apps. 

 

Original author: Steven Cohen

The San Francisco Bay Area's estimated 6.7 million residents have been ordered to remain at home as much as possible until April 7 to contain the coronavirus disease.Known as a shelter-in-place order, the directive has shuttered businesses, offices, and has caused the city's daily rhythm to come to a screeching halt.I live in San Francisco and am in the middle of the three-week order.Visit Business Insider's homepage for more stories.

I had a routine prior to March 9. 

I woke up at 6 a.m. for a brisk walk to work through the still-sleeping city into the office near the Financial District of San Francisco. I had my route nailed down perfectly, up one street and down another to spot the cats in the bay windows of their owners' apartments. One had flattened ears, the other would meow at me. I was always glum when I walked by and they weren't there.

That came to halt, as it needed to, in early March, as the coronavirus disease began to pose a bigger threat to San Francisco. On March 5, the first two confirmed cases were found, with authorities warning that the disease was likely already being transmitted in the city. Now there are 178.

The coronavirus pandemic has perforated the lives of millions, either directly or indirectly, as it has spread across the globe. The number of confirmed cases sits at 458,000. Some know people who have it, or have a friend of a friend who does. Regardless, we all feel the effects of the measures being taken to quell the spread of the virus.

On February 25, Mayor London Breed declared a state of emergency in San Francisco, my home of two years. Since then, offices have steadily shuttered one by one. The big names of the tech city — Twitter, Google, LinkedIn — began implementing work-from-home orders. Employees increasingly began adapting to carving out workspaces in their homes. Then the city took it a step further.

The estimated 6.7 million residents in the San Francisco Bay Area were ordered to shelter in place, or to stay at home, in an effort to create space amongst the region's occupants and decrease the risk of spreading the virus, which is transmissible by respiratory droplets.

The order lasts until April 7 but could get extended, San Francisco Mayor London Breed told my colleague, Troy Wolverton, last Thursday.

It's Wednesday, and we are on Day 9. Here's what my first week was like.

Original author: Katie Canales

The best battery packs help us get through the busiest of days, providing portable power for our smartphones, tablets, and even laptops.With a large capacity, fast charging capability, and a reasonable price, the Elecjet PowerPie is our pick for the best battery pack you can buy in 2020.

As wonderful and multi-functional as our smartphones are, they often run out of power at inconvenient moments. The last thing you want when you're trying to call a car at the end of the night is a dead phone. The best battery packs are the perfect back up. They come in all shapes and sizes, with different features and capabilities, and many of them can charge up tablets and even laptops now, as well as phones. 

Stick a battery pack in your bag or pocket, and you can rest assured a dead battery won't leave you high and dry. But, how do you pick the right battery pack for you? There's a bewildering array of options on the market. I've tested more than 100 of the best battery packs — and the worst — over the last few years, so I can recommend the right pick for different scenarios. 

The best battery pack for you depends on the device you want to charge, how much you want to spend, and what kind of capacity you need. We're about to outline the cream of the crop, but we've also listed what else we considered and would still recommend. Before we dig into the list, let's look at some important considerations to help you choose.

How to choose a battery pack 

The last few years has seen some major advances in battery pack technology. Capacities have grown, charging speeds have increased, and battery packs are more portable than ever. But, there are still a few questions to ask before you shop for a new battery pack.

What device or devices do you want to charge?

You can get battery packs now that will happily charge a smartphone, tablet, or even a laptop, but you need to check compatibility before you buy.

What kind of charging cable do you need?

Some battery packs have USB-C ports, some have USB-A, and some have built-in cables. They don't always come with cables in the box. If you want to charge an iPhone, you may need a USB-C to Lightning cable or a USB-A to Lightning cable. Most Android phones, and many tablets and laptops now, will require a USB-C cable. Think about what type of cable you need, and make sure any cable you buy is capable of the charging speed you're looking for.

What is the top speed your device can charge at?

Manufacturers are constantly figuring out ways to increase the top charging speed for phones and other devices. At the time of writing, the top wired charging rate for iPhones, for example, is 18W. Some manufacturers, such as OnePlus or Huawei, offer much faster charging rates, but require the use of proprietary charging technology. Many battery packs are capable of fast charging now, but check to make sure they are capable of fast charging your particular device before you buy.

What capacity do you need?

Battery packs are more portable than ever, but they will generally be larger as the charging capacity inside increases. It's also important to note that you will never get the full stated capacity when you use a battery pack. Most manufacturers offer an estimate on how many times a battery pack will charge up a specific device, like an iPhone. 

How long does the battery pack take to charge up?

It's not unusual for battery packs, even battery packs that are capable of fast charging other devices, to take a long time to charge up themselves. The best battery packs will recharge quickly, but you will likely need to use a fast charger and the right cable to get the top speeds.

Here are the best battery packs:

Original author: Simon Hill

Some of Amazon's customer support call centers are dealing with temporary closures to comply with work-from-home restrictions around the world amid the coronavirus outbreak.That's leading to unusually long hold times and a rise in customer complaints.Amazon's spokesperson told Business Insider that there have been "temporary adjustments to our support options" due to the changes caused by the coronavirus.The coronavirus is prompting more companies to adopt automated customer service software.Visit Business Insider's homepage for more stories.

A number of Amazon call centers around the world have experienced some form of shutdowns in recent weeks as governments around the world put restrictions on coming into work to slow the spread of the coronavirus, Business Insider has learned. 

The change has caused unusually long hold times for Amazon customers looking to speak with a service agent, and a growing chorus of complaints as they couldn't get problems solved by automated solutions.

Most closures are temporary, and changing by the day, as rules around work restrictions are shifting constantly depending on the region. Some of the call center agents are working from home now, but they haven't been able to meet the surge in call volume, as Amazon is seeing a huge increase in orders during the pandemic.

In an email to Business Insider, Amazon's representative said there have been "temporary adjustments to our support options" because of the government-mandated work restrictions related to the coronavirus. The person said customers can go to Amazon's help page to get more support.

"We are working hard to provide support to customers while also helping to ensure the safety of Customer Service Associates, including complying with government regulations and social distancing requirements related to COVID-19," the statement said. "This has resulted in temporary adjustments to our support options."

The change comes at a time when the work-from-home mandate is issued in a growing number of US states and countries around the world following the coronavirus outbreak. Just this week, Amazon's home state of Washington issued a strict "stay-at-home" order, while India, where a large customer service workforce is based, has started a nationwide three-week coronavirus lockdown.

But it also shows how Amazon was caught off-guard by the pandemic and unprepared for the potential work disruptions. Besides the customer service issues, Amazon is also dealing with a supply chain lockdown, long shipment delays, and a variety of worker safety issues as coronavirus spreads across the country.

Amazon customers are not happy about the lack of response. On social media, it's easy to spot complaints by Amazon shoppers saying there's effectively "zero" customer support in some parts of the world.

"Amazon the company I have relied upon for years cannot handle a crisis," one person wrote on Twitter. "I understand a slowdown, but ZERO customer service is unacceptable."

Another person tweeted, "Wow, Amazon isn't taking customer service calls right now. No work-at-home call center agents? Really?"

Some customers said they were able to reach the customer agent by phone, but wasn't too happy about the experience.

Amazon isn't the only company experiencing this problem. Companies most affected by the coronavirus, like airlines, are also dealing with long hold times, driving more of them to adopt automated customer service solutions, according to a report by VentureBeat. 

For example, LivePerson, a software company that makes an automated messaging platform for customers like Virgin Atlantic, saw its overall conversation volume increase 20% over the past month. Airlines and hotels saw the biggest jumps, with an uptick of 96% and 130%, respectively, the report said.

The adoption of automated customer service is only expected to increase, according to research firm Gartner. It says up to 25% of online transactions will be supported by virtual assistants in 2022, up from the current 2% level.

"A competitive landscape of virtual assistant (VA) providers has emerged, offering platforms that target different VA use cases, applications and industry verticals," Gartner said in a report.

Still, for Amazon customers that need more hands-on support, the choice seems limited for now. Amazon's help account on Twitter apologized to some customers for not being available by phone. Instead, it recommended customers to use social media channels or find answers at Amazon's FAQ page.

Original author: Eugene Kim

On Tuesday, O'Reilly Media, which is known for its software conferences and learning content, laid off 75 employees.O'Reilly Media announced publicly that it's canceling all its future in-person conferences and shutting down its events business.Employees outside the events business, including editors, engineers, and vice presidents, were also laid off, and they were left with a week of health insurance amid the coronavirus pandemic.Visit Business Insider's homepage for more stories.

O'Reilly Media, which is known for its software conferences and how-to manuals for computer programming, laid off 75 people on Tuesday. 

O'Reilly Media hosts conferences such as the Open Source Software Conference and the Strata Data and AI Conference. It also publishes online courses and books on programming skills like Python and Linux. These books each feature a woodcut animal on the cover. It has over 5,000 companies and 2.5 million users on its learning platform.

In a blog post on Tuesday, O'Reilly Media announced it was cancelling all its future in-person conferences and shutting down that portion of its business. It also said that employees who ran its in-person events business would be leaving the company.

In addition to employees in its events business, O'Reilly Media also laid off other employees across the company, including editors and engineers, as well as four vice presidents and one senior vice president, Business Insider has learned. Prior to layoffs, the company had about 500 employees.

"This week O'Reilly made the incredibly difficult decision to permanently close our in-person conference business," O'Reilly Media president Laura Baldwin said in a statement to Business Insider. "The ongoing disruption caused by COVID-19 has forced us to make tough choices about our event business. This means we had to lay off 75 employees, primarily from the conferences team."

While its Strata California and Strata London events were canceled due to concerns about coronavirus, former employees said that O'Reilly's events business had already been struggling prior to the outbreak. They also said the company didn't make targets last year. 

"They were on a desperate race to keep conferences a viable thing," a former employee said. "A lot of our work over the last four months or six months was to completely support conferences."

Baldwin said that its conference plans for this year were "full steam ahead" before coronavirus hit, and it had launched a new conference called Infrastructure and Ops that was originally planned for June.

"Without understanding when this global health emergency may come to an end, we can't plan for or execute on a business that will be forever changed as a result of this crisis," Baldwin said in a statement.

Former employees said they were notified of the layoffs via email, followed by conference calls. They said they're left with one week of health insurance and two months of COBRA, and most of them received two months of severance.

"It seems a little cruel to be let go with one week of health coverage in the middle of a pandemic," another former employee said. 

Last November, O'Reilly Media acquired the interactive learning software company Katacoda, and a former employee said that the company has "hired aggressively" in the past year. Baldwin said that the company's primary focus is now in online learning.

"These recent changes are not a reflection of where the company was prior to the COVID019 outbreak but a response to the economic uncertainty we are now facing as a global community that is limiting in-person gatherings," Baldwin said in a statement.

Below is Baldwin's full statement:

"This week O'Reilly made the incredibly difficult decision to permanently close our in-person conference business. The ongoing disruption caused by COVID-19 has forced us to make tough choices about our event business. This means we had to lay off 75 employees, primarily from the conferences team. While we cannot disclose the conditions of severance, all impacted employees are receiving a financial package and extended healthcare benefits as well as other considerations. These layoffs do not affect O'Reilly's Publishing or Content Marketing businesses or our Online Learning Platform business where our users will continue to have access to our interactive live online training, expert written and video content, as well as other technology and business resources."

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Original author: Rosalie Chan

JPMorgan Chase, Wells Fargo, Citi, and US Bank will issue a 90-day waiver on residential mortgage payments in California, Gov. Gavin Newsom announced on Wednesday.About 200 state charter banks and credit unions will also issue the waivers. Bank of America will do so for 30 days, the governor said. Newsom said he was working with the banks on accounting for ATM fees and overdraft charges and hoped to announce a solution soon. Visit Business Insider's homepage for more stories.

Homeowners in California who pay mortgages to JPMorgan Chase, Wells Fargo, Citi, or US Bank will receive a 90-day waiver on mortgage payments, California Gov. Gavin Newsom announced on Wednesday at a press conference. 

About 200 of the state's charter banks and credit unions will also issue waivers for 90 days, Newsom said.

Newsom said "unfortunately Bank of America did not publicly commit" to 90 days but that it would give a 30-day waiver. 

"I hope they will reconsider and join those other banks that are willing to do the right thing," Newsom said. 

A Bank of America spokesperson told Business Insider that "Bank of America is deferring mortgage payments on a monthly basis until the crisis is over." 

Newsom said California lacked outright regulatory power over the four banks and thanked them for "recognizing the sensitivity to their customers" and the impact on their credit ratings that a missed mortgage payment could have. 

The governor also said he was working with the banks to negotiate solutions for people paying bank charges like ATM and overdraft fees because of the economic fallout from the coronavirus. 

New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo said last week that he would suspend mortgage payments for people for 90 days, according to Politico, though it is unclear when or how the deferrals will go into effect. Cuomo also said credit-card and ATM fees and overdraft charges would be waived. 

Original author: Bryan Pietsch

The coronavirus outbreak that originated in China has killed more than 19,000 people worldwide and infected more than 441,000, according to recent totals.The US is now the third-hardest-hit country, and people are staying home and isolating, many under shelter-in-place orders.For people stuck inside, Amazon Prime Video has a surprisingly large catalog of workout videos.Visit Business Insider's homepage for more stories.

Getting your daily steps in is harder than ever while stuck inside social distancing due to the spread of coronavirus. Luckily, Amazon Prime has workout videos of just about every type to get you through it.

COVID-19, the coronavirus disease, originated in China, but now the majority of cases are in Europe and the US, and the US has become the third-hardest-hit country. One-third of the world is officially under some kind of lockdown now, and places across the US have ordered nonessential businesses to close. The virus also has been hard on shipping and infrastructure, with some Amazon Prime deliveries delayed up to a month, but the $119 per year subscription has some other hidden perks that might come in handy right now. 

Whether exercise is a stress-reliever, or just a distraction from the news, here's a look at the kind of workouts included with Amazon Prime.

Original author: Mary Meisenzahl

Apple is donating 10 million protective face masks to COVID-19 relief efforts in the US, Apple CEO Tim Cook said on Twitter on Wednesday.The company is also donating millions of masks to regions in Europe that have been deeply impacted by the pandemic.Cook's comments come after US Vice President Mike Pence said Apple would donate 9 million masks on Tuesday.Cook is one of several tech CEOs that has pledged to donate face masks, along with Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg and Tesla CEO Elon Musk.Visit Business Insider's homepage for more stories.

Apple is donating 10 million protective face masks to help combat the ongoing coronavirus pandemic in the United States, CEO Tim Cook said in a video posted to Twitter on Wednesday.

"These people deserve our debt of gratitude for all of the work that they're doing on the front lines," Cook said of the medical community in his video. 

Along with the announcement about Apple's contribution, Cook also urged the general public to follow the advice from health experts and stay home as much as possible. The Apple chief executive also said he's currently working from home.

 

Cook's remarks come after Vice President Mike Pence said during a press briefing on Tuesday that the tech giant would donate 9 million N95 face maks to US relief efforts.

"And I spoke today, and the president spoke last week, with Tim Cook of Apple," Pence said. "And at this moment in time Apple went to their store houses and is donating 9 million N95 masks to healthcare facilities all across the country and to the national stockpile. "

Apple is one of several technology giants donating masks as the US grapples with supply shortages as the coronavirus spreads.

Doctors in at least two hospitals in New York City, which has been a hotspot for COVID-19 infections, have been told to reuse their masks to preserve their supply, Business Insider's Jacob Shamsian reported earlier in March. In Los Angeles, some doctors are turning to seamstresses in the city's garment district for new masks.

Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg also recently said the company will be donating the 720,000 masks it had purchased as a protective measure against the California wildfires and plans to source millions more. 

Tesla and SpaceX CEO Elon Musk also recently said in an email to CleanTechnica that he'll be donating at least 250,000 N95 masks. 

N95 respirators are different than surgical face masks in that they're able to form a tight enough seal to filter out at least 95% of particles in the air, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Surgical masks, comparatively, are loose-fitting and protects the wearer from large droplets and splashes. 

Original author: Lisa Eadicicco

Tesla and SpaceX CEO Elon Musk said in a tweet on Monday that he sourced 1,255 ventilators and shipped them to Los Angeles in order to help medical facilities in the US facing shortages due to coronavirus. "China had an oversupply, so we bought 1255 FDA-approved ResMed, Philips & Medtronic ventilators on Friday night & airshipped them to LA," Musk said, confirming news that he helped deliver 1,000 ventilators to California. Experts have warned that America faces a shortage of critical supplies in the months ahead as the number of coronavirus cases continues to grow. Visit Business Insider's homepage for more stories.

Tesla and SpaceX CEO Elon Musk said in a tweet on Monday that he sourced 1,255 ventilators and shipped them to Los Angeles, as hospitals and medical facilities around the US face shortages due to the coronavirus outbreak.

California Gov. Gavin Newsom said in a press conference on Monday that Musk has delivered 1,000 ventilators to help California hospitals treat patients infected with COVID-19, the disease caused by the novel coronavirus. As of Monday evening, California had 2,203 confirmed coronavirus cases and 43 deaths. 

"I told you a few days ago that [Musk] was likely to have 1,000 ventilators this week," Newsom said. "They've arrived in Los Angeles... It was a heroic effort."

Scott Wapner, host of CNBC's Halftime Report, posted news of Newsom's announcement on Twitter.

"California Gov Newsom says @elonmusk delivered 1,000 ventilators to the state today. Just Wow," Wapner tweeted.

Several Twitter users responded to Wapner's tweet and questioned the legitimacy of Musk's efforts.

Musk responded, saying that he did, in fact, buy 1,255 ventilators from China because they "had an oversupply." 

 "If you want a free ventilator installed, please let us know!" he wrote.

"Thanks Tesla China team, China Customs Authority & LAX customs for acting so swiftly," he added in a follow-up reply.

Musk has recently discussed the possibility of producing ventilators in his Tesla factory on Twitter in the event of a shortage.

"We're working on ventilators, even though I think there will not be a shortage by the time we can make enough to matter," Musk wrote on Thursday.

Experts have warned that America faces a shortage of critical supplies in the months ahead as the number of cases continues to grow. 

Ventilators are key in treating a respiratory illness like COVID-19. A February report from the Center for Health Security at Johns Hopkins found that the US had about 170,000 ventilators, with 160,000 ventilators ready for use in hospitals along with about 8,900 held in a national reserve.

One expert estimated that about 1 million Americans may need ventilator treatment during the coronavirus outbreak, straining the country's resources even if all those cases do not overlap. Shortages of other medical gear like masks have already started to affect US hospitals.

Original author: Rosie Perper

Tesla CEO Elon Musk. Steve Nesius/Reuters

Good morning! This is the tech news you need to know this Tuesday.

Hackers tried to infiltrate the World Health Organization, the latest in a string of cyberattacks aimed at health officials during the coronavirus pandemic. WHO Chief Information Security Officer Flavio Aggio said the identity of the hackers was unclear, but the effort was unsuccessful. Tech billionaires including Tim Cook, Elon Musk, and Mark Zuckerberg promised 18 million masks to fight COVID-19. Panic buying means masks are in short supply even for hospital staff, so much so that the Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) said last week that as a last resort healthcare workers should use a bandana or scarf.Microsoft canceled its Inspire partner conference 'as an in-person event' due to coronavirus crisis. The decisions follows Microsoft's earlier cancelation of its Build developer conference, which it moved it to an online-only event.Amazon Prime deliveries are delayed for as much as a month as the company shifts to focus on coronavirus. Customers ordering items deemed "non-essential" during the ongoing coronavirus pandemic are seeing delivery dates up to a full month away.SoftBank-backed real estate brokerage Compass just slashed 15% of staff as coronavirus hits the housing market. An email to staff reviewed by Business Insider also revealed other cost cutting measures, including a 25% reduction in the executive team's salary and CEO Robert Reffkin reducing his salary to $0.Elon Musk has delivered 1,000 ventilators to help California hospitals treat COVID-19 patients, according to Gov. Gavin Newsom. Musk has repeatedly downplayed the severity of the coronavirus pandemic, but said last week that his factories would produce ventilators, "if there's a shortage."  An Amazon's Oklahoma City general manager told employees in a voicemail on March 23 that an Amazon fulfillment center worker in the city was diagnosed with coronavirus. Amazon is working with the local health department to determine what the effect may be on other employees, according to the voicemail shared with Business Insider. As startups face layoffs and cash freezes, will-writing startup Farewill is hiring extra staff to deal with an increased demand for its service. The firm finds itself in the unusual position of trying to hire 15 to 20 new staff to cope with a spike in demand, in part thanks to older customers now being unable to access high-street services.Airbnb hosts are furious that the company is sticking them with the cost of letting guests cancel due to the coronavirus crisis. Many say their business have been hit hard by the change Airbnb made; some say they can only last a few months without the money they make from Airbnb, because it represents the bulk of their income.Amazon is offering some kids movies and TV shows for free as families stay inside amid the coronavirus outbreak. Shows like "Daniel Tiger's Neighborhood" and movies like "Shrek Forever After" are now available to stream for free on Amazon's Prime Video service. 

Have an Amazon Alexa device? Now you can hear 10 Things in Tech each morning. Just search for "Business Insider" in your Alexa's flash briefing settings.

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Original author: Shona Ghosh

Microsoft is canceling its annual partner conference Inspire "as an in-person event" due to the coronavirus crisis.

"The safety of our community is a top priority," reads a post on the company's website on Monday, the day before registration was set to begin. "In light of health safety recommendations from public health authorities, we will not be holding Microsoft Inspire 2020 as an in-person event. We are exploring alternative ways to bring our partner community together to connect and learn. Stay tuned for more details to come."

Inspire was planned for July 19 to 23 in Las Vegas. Microsoft didn't say how many people it expected at the conference in 2020, but it said more than 130,000 total attendees have visited the conference in the past decade.

Microsoft earlier this month canceled its Build developer conference and moved it to an online-only event.

Microsoft last week held the company's first-ever all-remote town-hall employee meeting due to the coronavirus crisis. According to a leaked excerpt from the meeting obtained by Business Insider, CEO Satya Nadella gave a rousing speech asking employees to do their part to address the coronavirus crisis – whether or not it's in their job descriptions.

Are you a Microsoft employee? Contact this reporter via email at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it., message her on Twitter @ashannstew, or send her a secure message through Signal at 425-344-8242.

Original author: Ashley Stewart

Tesla and SpaceX CEO Elon Musk has followed through on his promise to deliver 1,000 ventilators to help California hospitals treat patients diagnosed with COVID-19, Governor Gavin Newsom said during a press conference Monday.

"I told you a few days ago that [Musk] was likely to have 1,000 ventilators this week," Newsom said, adding: "They've arrived in Los Angeles... It was a heroic effort."

Last week, after Newsom said he had spoken with a "well-known entrepreneur" about ventilators, Musk hinted that plans for production were already underway at Tesla factories, tweeting: "We're working on ventilators, even though I think there will not be a shortage by the time we can make enough to matter."

Musk has repeatedly downplayed the severity of the coronavirus pandemic, calling the panic surrounding it "dumb" and falsely claiming that children are "essentially immune" to the virus, despite evidence to the contrary. Musk also initially hedged his promise about producing ventilators just minutes after making it, speculating that there wouldn't be a shortage after all — also flying in the face of experts' predictions.

A February report from the Center for Health Security at Johns Hopkins estimated the US has about 160,000 ventilators ready for use in hospitals, with another 8,900 held in a national reserve. But one expert warned that, as the virus continues to spread across the US, one million Americans could need the life-saving devices.

In response to that potential shortage, General Motors and Ford have both said they will help produce ventilators as various sectors of the US economy reconfigure themselves to help meet the surging demand for medical supplies.

Original author: Tyler Sonnemaker

An Amazon's Oklahoma City general manager told employees in a voicemail on March 23 that an Amazon fulfillment center worker in the city was diagnosed with coronavirus.The infected associate last was at the OKC1 fulfillment center on March 18, according to the voice memo.Amazon is working with the local health department to determine what the effect may be on other employees, according to the voicemail shared with Business Insider. One supply chain professor warned in a recent interview with The Atlantic that the effect of more Amazon employees getting diagnosed with coronavirus could be "catastrophic" considering the amount of people and goods they interact with — particularly amid a historic boost in online order.Amazon did not immediately respond to a request for comment. Visit Business Insider's homepage for more stories.

An Amazon employee at one of the mega-retailer's Oklahoma City fulfillment centers was diagnosed with coronavirus, according to a voice memo shared with employees in the area and obtained by Business Insider. 

On Monday evening, the workers in Amazon's Oklahoma City region received a voicemail from the general manager, Vikrant Ahuja, in which he said that an associate at OKC1, the name of that fulfillment center, is receiving medical care for a coronavirus diagnosis.

The infected associate last was at the OKC1 fulfillment center on March 18, Ahuja said. He added that Amazon is working with the local health department to determine what the effect may be on other employees.

Amazon did not return Business Insider's multiple requests for comment. A representative from the Oklahoma City-County Health Department told Business Insider, for privacy reasons, that they do not "confirm nor deny specific details of cases of COVID-19, with the exception of notifying other persons who might be exposed to a specific confirmed case."

Thank you for your inquiry. To protect private health information, we do not confirm nor deny specific details of cases of COVID-19, with the exception of notifying other persons who might be exposed to a specific confirmed case. 

This is the second-known Amazon fulfillment worker to be diagnosed. Amazon confirmed the first case — an associate in Queens, New York — on March 18 to The Atlantic. 

Recent studies show just how damaging coronavirus can be. About 0.1% of people who get the seasonal flu die, but the coronavirus' death rate is now at about 3.4%. Even those who recover from coronavirus may have 20% to 30% less lung capacity, causing survivors to gasp for breath while walking, doctors in Hong Kong have found. 

Amid the outbreak of the novel coronavirus, which has infected 41,000 people in the US and killed more than 500, Amazon has seen online orders balloon as more Americans depend on the company for bottled water, cleaning supplies, and other essentials. Many are staying at home under government order or advisement, so they're relying on e-commerce more than ever.

In order to keep goods moving, Amazon is hiring an extra 100,000 warehouse workers and boosting pay by $2 an hour. 

The Seattle-based retail giant is also suspending shipments of all nonessential products to its warehouses as a way to deal with the increased workloads. Amazon will focus on shipping out medical supplies, household staples, and other high-demand products to its warehouses until April 5.

But the consequences of Amazon warehouse workers having the coronavirus, which can take up to two weeks to exhibit symptoms, could have a frightening chain effect on the millions of Americans who buy from Amazon yearly. 

The coronavirus could jump from a warehouse associate to a driver, who then may interact with a customer, or those employees may infect each other while at work, according to Dale Rogers, who is a professor of supply-chain management at Arizona State University. Rogers told The Atlantic's Olga Khazan that these interactions "could be catastrophic."

Original author: Rachel Premack

Amazon sent Moncler jackets that cost $600 per unit last week to VIP guests of a private event called MARS after cancelling it due to the coronavirus.MARS is separate from re:MARS, the robotic event that's open to the public.Amazon's spokesperson said the gifts were purchased well in advance of MARS's cancellation, and were meant to be given to the guests anyway, as event attendees receive a gift bag of several items every year.Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos was not personally involved in the decision to send the gift to MARS guests, the spokesperson said.The gift is unusually generous for Amazon, a company known for its frugal work culture.It's also a reminder of the two-class system — high-paid knowledge workers and low-wage blue collar workers — that Amazon's business is built upon.Visit Business Insider's homepage for more stories.

Amazon warehouse workers on the frontlines of the coronavirus crisis won a long-fought battle this month when the company agreed to provide some of them with paid time off benefits. 

Around the same time, another group of people connected to Amazon received an unexpected surprise in the mail: A stylish winter jacket from Moncler, a French luxury ski-wear brand known for jackets with price tags that can reach thousands of dollars.

The jackets were sent to VIP guests of a private Amazon event called MARS, short for Machine-Learning, Home Automation, Robotics, and Space exploration, Business Insider has learned. MARS is an invitation-only event that started in 2016, in which CEO Jeff Bezos mingles with some of the most high-profile leaders in the robotics and space industries.

"As we'll miss seeing you in person this year, sending our warmest regards. Be well! MARS 2020 Team," Amazon's team wrote in a note for the gift. 

MARS, which was scheduled to take place from March 15 to 18, was cancelled a few weeks ago because of the coronavirus outbreak.

An Amazon spokesperson told Business Insider that the jackets were purchased well in advance of the event's cancellation, as they were supposed to be given as part of the event's gift bag that goes to all MARS guests every year. Bezos was not involved in the decision to send the jackets, customized with a MARS logo, which Amazon said had a cost of $600 each.

A Moncler winter jacket (not the one that Amazon gave away as gifts). Moncler.com

The jackets were shipped on March 18 — two days after Amazon announced it was temporarily raising hourly wages for warehouse and delivery workers by $2, according to the spokesperson.

At a time when Amazon's warehouse workers are in the spotlight for working long, grueling hours in conditions some say are unsafe, the Moncler jackets are salient example of the two-class system that underpins Amazon's business empire, as well as much of today's so-called gig economy. That divide - between well-compensated "knowledge workers" and low-wage blue collar workers — is likely to come into starker relief as the coronavirus threat sends one group to work in the shelter of their homes while the other continues to report to the workplace. 

To be sure, Amazon is hardly unique in giving away special gifts and freebies to VIPs and business partners. From sports stadium box seats to branded fleece vests, giveaways are standard practice in the corporate world. Still, the Moncler jackets are a cut above the average schwag, and seem an unusually generous act of giving for Amazon, a company known for its frugal work culture.

Amazon announced the temporary raise for warehouse and delivery workers last week only after calls for better pay grew and workloads increased following the coronavirus pandemic. On Monday, it also rolled out paid time off across all warehouses following months of pressure from its employees, according to Buzzfeed. Some of Amazon's warehouses famously failed to install air-conditioners in the past until a local news investigation found workers had been falling ill.

Meanwhile, sellers that account for more than half of the products sold on Amazon's marketplace often complain about the lack of communication and clarity in policy changes. Following last week's announcement to block new shipments of non-essential products to its warehouses, sellers have expressed confusion about what products are still accepted. Even in Bezos's letter to employees on Saturday, his first public response to the coronavirus pandemic, there was no mention of the sellers.

The jackets appear to have shipped relatively quickly, despite the supply chain issues and shipment delays Amazon is experiencing due to the coronavirus. That may be because Amazon didn't ship them out of their own warehouses. One person who received the Moncler jacket told Business Insider that the gift didn't arrive in an Amazon box.

Original author: Eugene Kim

Property managers who list accommodations on Airbnb are upset that the company overrode their policies in response to the coronavirus epidemic and allowed travelers to cancel their reservations and get full refunds.They're unhappy they're having to bear the vast majority of the cost of the refunds, even though they didn't have a say in the decision.Many say their business have been hit hard by the change Airbnb made; some say they can only last a few months without the money they make from Airbnb, because it represents the bulk of their income.For many property managers, the money they make from the service goes to pay mortgages, utility bills, maintenance.Visit Business Insider's homepage for more stories.

Airbnb likely pleased lots of travelers when it announced earlier this month that it would allow customers to cancel reservations anywhere around the globe for the time being due to the coronavirus pandemic and get a full refund. 

But in making that guest-friendly move, it infuriated plenty of property managers who offer accommodations through its service.

Hosts told Business Insider their bookings have been almost entirely wiped out following the change, as travelers have cancelled reservations en masse. Many of the property managers are entrepreneurs or small business owners for whom their Airbnb rentals are their main source of income. With the move, they charge, they're having to pay the price of a policy they had no part in deciding; indeed Airbnb's change to its cancellation policy overrode their own cancellation policies, many of which were much stricter.

"This is a free travel insurance policy at our cost," said Evan Lohr, who manages three Airbnb properties in Santa Cruz, California. "It's much harder for us. It's not really equitable."

An Airbnb representative declined to offer an on-record statement. Last week, in an open letter to its hosts, Airbnb's founders said the company was working "day and night" to come up with a plan to help them.

"The last few days have been incredibly challenging and confusing for everyone," the founders said. "We are going to get through this crisis as partners," they continued, "our success is dependent on the success of you, our hosts."

Airbnb overrode hosts' cancellation policies

Airbnb acts as a kind of eBay for travel accommodations, pairing travelers with property managers offering apartments, houses, and other places to stay in particular areas. The company typically allows hosts to set their own prices and terms, including those covering cancellations.

But Airbnb's own terms include an "extenuating circumstances" clause that allows guests to cancel in certain situations — even when hosts' policies otherwise wouldn't allow it. Initially, the company allowed property managers to decide how to handle cancellations due to the coronavirus outbreak.

As the pandemic spread around the world, though, Airbnb repeatedly modified its extenuating circumstances policy, giving guests increasing latitude to cancel their reservations. A little more than a week ago, it announced that it would allow all guests to cancel reservations if they were made on or before March 14 and were for bookings that were set to begin on or before April 14.

The company was under pressure to make some kind of move to accommodate travelers. Even before the disease was officially declared a pandemic, many people were feeling that it was unwise or unsafe to travel. Since the pandemic declaration, the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has urged Americans to limit their social interactions to prevent the further spread of the disease, and a growing number of states have ordered their residents to stay at home.

The hosts who spoke with Business Insider understood the seriousness of the outbreak and the reasons why travelers were cancelling. Indeed, many of them had already started offering full refunds to guests who cancelled, despite their strict cancellation policies.

But they were unhappy that Airbnb hadn't talked with them about how to handle the crisis, and that it essentially acted unilaterally.

"Basically, they just cut our hands off," said Alba Jones, who manages Airbnb properties in Berkeley, Richmond, and El Cerrito, California, and another in Puerto Vallarta, Mexico. "We had no say in the matter."

Hosts are taking a big hit from cancellations

Airbnb takes about 12% of the amount that guests pay in the form of commissions and service fees. When guests cancel, the company is refunding those fees to them. But that means that about 88% of the money that's returned to travelers is coming out of property managers' pockets.

Many property managers have policies that only offer guests a partial refund if they cancel anytime after the first few days after they make a reservation. Given that Airbnb overrode those policies, many feel the company ought to absorb more of the cost of refunding the money to guests — or pass along some of those costs to guests.

"They just left hosts completely out to dry," said Linda Misner, who rents out a house in Tampa, Fla., on Airbnb. "There should have been some compensation for hosts that lost all this business."

Airbnb reportedly has some $3 billion in the bank. But given the sheer amount of bookings made through its service, and the fact that most of the revenue from them goes to hosts, its business model means it can't really afford to reimburse hosts for any sizable portion of their lost revenue without being in danger of running out of money itself in a matter of months.

So the company is passing that cost along to hosts. And Misner and other property managers say the hit they've taken since Airbnb made its cancellation policy change has been huge.

Lohr, who gets most of his income from Airbnb rentals, said the three properties he manages were booked through March and most of April. Most of those bookings are gone now, with many guests waiting until the last minute to cancel. Many of those cancellations happened before California announced a statewide shelter-in-place order late last week.

Before the outbreak, the house listed by Misner was booked for much of the following two months, she said. In recent weeks, there have been no new bookings and nearly all of her existing reservations have cancelled following Airbnb's policy change.

Meanwhile, Keith Dorsey, who gets about 80% 0f his income from managing a handful of Airbnb properties in Atlanta with his wife, said he's lost track of the number of cancellations he's received since Airbnb changed its policy.

"To maintain my sanity, I stopped counting," Dorsey said. "It was too much."

Mortgages aren't discretionary

What's worrisome to the property managers is that while their properties are no longer generating revenue, they still have ongoing expenses — mortgages or rent payments, utilities, cleaning costs, and maintenance. Travel is frequently a discretionary expense made with disposable income, they argue, and airlines, hotels, and other travel companies typically don't give full refunds for last-minute cancellations.

By contrast, the money the hosts make off guests' discretionary income goes to pay bills that are anything but optional, they say.

"My mortgage payment is not discretionary," said Victoria Kay, who rents out a room and the basement of her Knoxville, Tenn., house on Airbnb.

Some said they could only last a few months without their Airbnb income.

Dorsey's taken advantage of programs that have allowed him to push back his car payment and the payment of another loan. He also has some savings he can tap into. Even so, 90 days is about his limit for how long he can last without his Airbnb business.

After 90 days, "I would probably be facing an eviction myself," he said.

Last week, Airbnb sent a letter to Congress urging the body to offer loans and tax relief to property managers of short-term rental properties who list on its site and others. But several of the hosts who spoke with Business Insider were unimpressed with the company's legislative push. The loans and the credits wouldn't replace their lost revenue, they said. And Airbnb's letter seemed to be an attempt by the company to try draw attention away from how it had undermined their business.

"I don't think saying you're going to ask Congress to offer you some loans is a way to appease hosts who are losing everything," Misner said.

Got a tip about Airbnb? Contact Troy Wolverton via email at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it., message him on Twitter @troywolv, or send him a secure message through Signal at 415.515.5594. You can also contact Business Insider securely via SecureDrop.

 

Original author: Troy Wolverton

SoftBank-backed real estate brokerage Compass laid off approximately 375 employees, or 15% of its staff, a source familiar with the matter confirmed to Business Insider. An email to staff reviewed by Business Insider also revealed other cost cutting measures, including a 25% reduction in the executive team's salary and CEO Robert Reffkin reducing his salary to $0. Compass was last valued at $6.4 billion, after a $370 million funding round in July 2019 led by SoftBank.Visit Business Insider's homepage for more stories.

SoftBank-backed real estate brokerage Compass just laid off approximately 375 employees or roughly 15% of its staff,  a source familiar with the matter confirmed to Business Insider. 

An email reviewed by Business Insider from co-founder and CEO Robert Reffkin detailed a range of cost-cutting measures the company took before layoffs, including Reffkin lowering his salary to $0 and the executive team lowering their salaries by 25%.

Compass was last valued at $6.4 billion, after a $370 million funding round in July 2019 led by SoftBank. The brokerage had rapidly expanded since it was founded through a strategy of acquiring other brokerages and emphasizing its technology stack. 

Coronavirus has hit the economy hard, with multiple financial institutions predicting it will cause a recession. The real estate brokerage industry is hit doubly hard by the nature of the coronavirus, which requires social distancing that makes it much harder to show, negotiate, buy and sell homes. 

Earlier today, SoftBank announced that it would sell up to $41 billion in assets to reduce debt and to buy back shares. Its stock has plummeted over 50% since mid-February. Bloomberg reported last week that SoftBank was looking to raise an additional $10 billion to cover its portfolio companies that are being battered by the coronavirus. Last week, portfolio iBuyer company Opendoor announced that it would halt any new purchases of homes.

The email noted that Compass has also reduced its Concierge program, which provided 0% interest loans to home sellers to make improvements to their home, by 80%, has paused corporate marketing, and has "halted non-essential project."

Laid off employees were offered severance and were allowed to keep their corporate laptops. Reffkin noted that he hoped to rehire some of the laid-off employees when the economy improves.

"I don't have a crystal ball, but I believe that in 100 days the real estate market will bounce back and our customers, company and country will be climbing its way out of a recession," Reffkin wrote.

Original author: Alex Nicoll