WeWork is doing its best to entice people to work from its locations again with money, more Amazon workers test positive for COVID-19, and a flying UPS delivery wingcopter is turning heads on social media.
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According to an internal memo obtained and reviewed by CNBC and The New York Times, WeWork’s COO Shyam Gidumal is offering some employees in the US and Canada $100 a day or up to $500 per week to work from the company’s locations next month. The news has quickly spread on Twitter, with some people welcoming the gesture, while others question the offer in the midst of a global pandemic and the danger it potentially puts its employees in. The Times says co-working spaces like WeWork buildings are not listed as an essential class of business in New York. But WeWork argues that it provides services that are essential.
The U.S. coronavirus outbreak has spread to at least 10 Amazon warehouses, infecting workers racing to deliver massive volumes of packages for consumers stuck at home. Local reporting suggests the novel coronavirus has led to two workers testing positive in New York City, plus more in Kentucky, Florida, Texas, Michigan, California and Connecticut. The news shortly after warehouse workers voiced concerns, claiming the company wasn’t doing enough to protect them from the virus. Meanwhile, the surge in online orders has forced Amazon to hire 100,000 new workers to help keep up. The news blew up on Reddit yesterday with more than 67,000 upvotes.
And lastly, UPS is entering the air game. TechCrunch reports that the company is working with German startup Wingcopter to develop a delivery drone for its growing commercial drone delivery efforts both in the U.S. and beyond. One of the major highlights from the design is the vehicle’s ability to switch from hovering and vertical lift to a low-noise forward flight mode, which in populated areas, would be crucial. There are no details on when these vehicles, which have a range of up to 75 moles and can travel up to 150 miles per hour, will officially make deliveries, but hey, it looks like we’re slowly getting there.
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