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Y Combinator basic income test makes up for jobs lost to tech
Whether it's rational or not, there's a fear that the technology industry is stealing jobs, leaving people without a way to make a living. Startup accelerator Y Combinator thinks it might have a solution, however: give people a basic income. It's devising an experiment that tentatively gives 100 Oakland families a minimum wage as a way to compensate for tech-driven obsolescence. The 6- to 12-month dry run will offer $1,000 to $2,000 per month to people of various economic backgrounds (not just the unemployed) to see how it influences everything from education to recreation. Ideally, this baseline would both soften the blow of working less and give you a better chance at training for (or creating) a new career.
Pebble cuts 25 percent of its staff (update: clarification)
It's not easy being an indie smartwatch maker in a sea of tech giants. Pebble CEO Eric Migicovsky has revealed to Tech Insider that his company is cutting 40 jobs, or 25 percent of its workforce, this week. Simply put, the "money is pretty tight" -- while Pebble has raised $26 million over the past eight months, the investment cash isn't as forthcoming as it has been in the past. Migicovsky is quick to stress that Pebble is in it "for the long haul," though, and has an idea of where wearable tech is going within 5 to 10 years.
It looks like Google wants to make its own VR hardware
Google is going all-in on virtual reality hardware, if a few recent job postings are anything to go by. Road to VR spotted a handful of consumer-focused VR jobs up for grabs at Google, including a Hardware Engineering Technical Lead Manager, Consumer Hardware and a PCB Layout Engineer, Consumer Hardware. Both of these titles at one point ended with "Virtual Reality," though Google has since replaced that phrase with the more vague, "Consumer Hardware."
Robots could replace 5 million jobs by 2020, report claims
It's no secret that robots are replacing humans in factories, and both the retail and service industries are set to take a hit, too. Just how bad will things get? Well, the World Economic Forum says its research indicates that over 5 million jobs will be lost to automation by 2020. The WEF claims white-collar workers -- administrative and office jobs -- are at the highest risk of being replaced.
LinkedIn's revamped job listings are all about you
LinkedIn is revamping its job listings pages with new sections geared towards giving you more information on whether a position is right for you. Rather than simply listing a job description and similar postings, the new pages are personalized based on your LinkedIn profile.
Twitter is cutting up to 336 jobs to 'streamline' its workforce
Those rumors of new Twitter CEO Jack Dorsey cutting jobs were unfortunately true. The social network has announced that it's axing up to 336 jobs, or about 8 percent of its total headcount. Dorsey argues that the move is necessary for a "streamlined" roadmap where Twitter focuses on fewer but bigger features, such as Moments. Most of the cuts will affect the engineering division, he says, since the company believes that a "smaller and nimbler" coding group would be more effective.
Twitter's returning CEO is reportedly planning layoffs
Twitter's 'new' permanent CEO only took the reins five days ago, but he already appears bent on cleaning house. Sources for both the New York Times and Recode understand that Jack Dorsey is planning layoffs that could start as soon as October 13th. While it's unclear how many people will lose their jobs, Recode understands that this is part of an attempt to streamline an engineering team that has become "bloated." Tipsters had already claimed that Twitter was freezing the expansion of its San Francisco headquarters, but Dorsey would be taking that cost-cutting to a new level.
WageSpot app wants you to see the salaries of everyone around
If you're on the hunt for a job, chances are good that getting a decent raise is part of your plan. Or at the very least, it's worth doing some research to figure out what others doing similar work are getting paid, so you can make sure you're getting what you're worth. There are a host of services for doing such research, particularly Glassdoor, but a new company called WageSpot thinks it can do an even better job of bringing its users smart salary data. The main focus for the WageSpot Android and iOS app that launches today is location-based salary data -- not only can you see what other engineers are making, you'll be able to see what ones in your city are making, and you can zoom in down to the individual level and literally see how much others near you are paid.
LinkedIn's Lookup app finds co-workers with the right skills
LinkedIn doesn't just want to help you find a job or a new hire -- it thinks it can contribute even after you're gainfully employed. The company's new LinkedIn Lookup app for iPhones (there's no mention of Android yet) helps you find and contact co-workers using criteria ranging from names to skill sets. That could be particularly handy if you're trying to find someone outside your department with the right experience, or if you're just curious about that new CEO. Think of Lookup as a lightweight, inter-office social network. It won't replace Facebook or group chat systems like Slack, but it could be the easiest way to introduce yourself to your fellow staffers.
HTC cuts 15 percent of workforce amid weak sales
As expected, smartphone maker HTC has announced more layoffs, and the cuts are brutal. The company will let 15 percent of its workforce go (over 2,000 employees), due in large part to falling revenues and profits. Last week the company reported shaky financial results, which it chalked up to worse-than-expect sales of its HTC One M9 flagship. It's also facing an ever-tightening smartphone market and more competition, especially from Chinese companies like Xiaomi and Huawei. The layoffs are part of a company-wide realignment, and CEO Cher Wang -- who took the reigns from Peter Chou in March -- tried to put a positive spin on it.
Intel says its employee diversity efforts are paying off
Intel vowed to increase the diversity of its workforce earlier this year, and there are signs that it's already making good on that promise. The chip designer has published a mid-year diversity report which shows that it's not only hiring more women and minorities, but that the overall representation is improving. About 43.3 of its new American hires this year are from these underrepresented groups (higher than the 40 percent goal for 2015), and their ratios are higher both among executives and the rank-and-file. At first glance, strategies such as referral bonuses, pay equity audits and support groups are paying off.
Qualcomm 'realignment' includes job cuts and a possible split
The rumors of Qualcomm planning a huge reorganization were true -- and unfortunately, that means a lot of people are about to lose their jobs. The mobile chip maker has announced a "strategic realignment" plan that will see the company slash 15 percent of its full-time jobs (the company has about 30,000 total employees) as part of a bid to cut $1.4 billion in costs. It's also considering the possibility of splitting into separate businesses. That may well happen, since a hedge fund calling for the split just got spots for two of its nominees on Qualcomm's board of directors. You'll hear about the company's direction by the end of the year.
Google needs your help improving its search engine rankings
Despite the fact that Google itself created the algorithms that drive its search rankings, it would appear that the Mountain View-based company could use a bit of assistance in the SEO department. According to a recent job listing posted to its Careers portal, Google's in the market for a new SEO manager at its California headquarters. The "Program Manager, Search Engine Optimization" position is marketing-centric requiring any qualified candidate to "work with cross-functional teams across Marketing, Sales, Product Development, Engineering and more to help drive organic traffic and business growth." You'll need a BA/BS in Computer Science or Engineering, four years of website development experience, another two years of direct SEO experience and a healthy sense of irony if you want to apply.
BBC cuts 1,000 jobs to combat licence fee shortfall
For a long time, the BBC has operated knowing that licence fee funding may be taken away. With all eyes on how it spends public money, the broadcaster tightened its belt and committed to saving £1.5 billion by 2017. The problem with this, and cost-cutting exercises in general, is that they come at a cost to people working there. As part of a new round of restructuring, BBC Director General Tony Hall announced today that the Beeb will axe 1,000 employees in a bid to save an additional £50 million.
Alibaba posts job for 'open minded Lolita' encouragement specialist
Sometimes companies post stuff then react to the backlash with a "just kidding." Chinese internet company Alibaba says it was just kidding after it posted, then pulled an incredibly sexist job opportunity for a "Programmer Encouragement Specialist." The ideal candidate (translated from Chinese by Quartz) would, "effectively encourage teams of developers, bring them closer together, inspire excellent and lasting work." Then it gets bad: "recognizably good looks," and being "an open-minded Lolita like Sora Aoi" are requirements. Aoi is a Japanese porn star. After experiencing backlash from the Chinese media, Alibaba pulled the more salacious aspects of the posting and issued an apology. The new ad -- which has also been pulled -- stated that the job is now open to both men and women.
LinkedIn's latest acquisition will train you for your dream job
LinkedIn has always been helpful if you're seeking a job, but now it can train you for one too, thanks to a $1.5 billion deal to acquire Lynda.com. That site offers nearly 3,500 courses by subscription on subjects ranging from web design to leadership body language, all taught by industry experts. Citing the obvious synergy between the companies, LinkedIn said that the deal would help job-seekers "know what skills are need for available jobs in a desired city... and then be prompted to take the relevant and accredited courses to acquire this skill."
Uber wants 1 million women as drivers by 2020
To put it mildly, Uber's reputation for supporting women is less than stellar -- it's not hard to find women who refuse to be passengers, let alone drivers. However, the ridesharing service just took a significant step toward gender equality: as part of a collaboration with the United Nations, it's vowing to create 1 million jobs for women as Uber drivers by 2020. Just how it'll accomplish this isn't mentioned, but the hope is that the initiative will give women economic power they won't otherwise have. Uber is promising updates on its progress, so you'll likely know how well it's doing well before those five years are up.
Self-driving vehicles and robotic clerks could take your job in 20 years
It's no secret that computers and robots have been putting people out of work in recent years, but that trend is about to accelerate... at least, if you ask the computers themselves. A machine learning algorithm from Oxford University has sifted through US Bureau of Statistics data and believes that up to 47 percent of American jobs could be replaced by technology within the next 20 years. One of the biggest concerns is in logistics -- self-driving vehicles are advancing quickly enough that they could replace the likes of taxi drivers, truck drivers and forklift operators. Retail is also at risk, since companies can collect enough data about your shopping habits that they might predict what you want more effectively than human clerks.
Sony is reportedly cutting 1,000 jobs in its smartphone group
There's no doubt that Sony's smartphone division is struggling, and it sounds like that's about to exact a big toll on the company's workforce. Nikkei reports that Sony expects to cut 1,000 jobs in its mobile group, adding to the 1,000 layoffs it announced alongside its less-than-stellar summer earnings. All told, Sony will have slashed 30 percent of its phone team's staff by the end of its next fiscal year, in March 2016. The Japanese tech firm hasn't confirmed anything, but further cuts would make sense. Smartphones represent a big drag on Sony's finances, and its accountants are likely doing everything they can to right that sinking ship.
Apple and Google try again to avoid a trial in 'no-poaching' suit
When Adobe, Apple, Google and Intel first offered a settlement to workers to make up for shady no-poaching pacts that kept salaries down, both the court and plaintiffs balked. They thought the $324.5 million was too low given the years of allegedly lost income and the financial clout of the tech giants involved. The Silicon Valley quartet is ready to give it a second shot, though. They've reached a new settlement that they hope will pass muster and avoid a full-blown trial in April.
