Tech:NYC Digest: January 14

Tech:NYC Digest: January 14

January 14, 2021 • Estimated Reading Time: 11 minutes

Thursday, January 14, 2020As NYC works through another surge of the coronavirus, the digest focuses on the resources that help you make decisions about your businesses and your lives as New Yorkers.Was this digest forwarded to you? Subscribe here.

The latest: President-elect Biden to announce $1.9T stimulus proposal, including more direct payments and money for vaccine distribution; NYC could face $2.5B property tax revenue decline over the next year; second round PPP to open for all lenders next Tuesday; learn how Medley is enabling virtual professional development in our latest Companies to Watch.

Confirmed Cases:

  • New York State: 1,183,608 (+13,661)

  • New York City: 500,632 (+5,359) 

  • Statewide Fatalities: 32,379 (+202)

  • NYC Positivity Rates: 

    • NYS reports: 5.8 percent (-0.1 percent)

    • NYC reports: 8.5 percent (+0.1 percent)

General Updates:

  • The number of confirmed coronavirus cases in the US has reached 23 million — or a quarter of the global case count. (MarketWatch) The number of deaths nationwide is also at its highest, with more than 4,300 reported on Tuesday. (CNN) Countries in Europe are also dealing with record fatalities, pushing some to move to even stricter lockdowns as a result. (Reuters)

  • President-elect Joe Biden is expected to propose a $1.9 trillion stimulus package. (New York Times) The plans, which he will detail later tonight, are believed to include direct payments of $2,000 for every eligible American, supplemental federal unemployment benefits, additional funding on vaccine distribution, and a broad infrastructure initiative.

    • Incoming Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer has provided his proposals as well, which ask the President-elect to pursue a package of at least $1.3 trillion. (Bloomberg) 

    • That funding is in addition to a plan to lift a FEMA cap that will allow the release of a separate pot of funds to reimburse cities and states for COVID-related expenses. According to Schumer, that move would allocate at least $2 billion for New York. (New York Daily News)

  • Some not-so-good news: NYC’s property tax revenues, heavily relied on as a stable income stream, are projected to decline by $2.5 billion next year, the largest such drop in at least three decades. (New York Times)

  • Genetic sequencing to identify new variants of the coronavirus in the US lags behind several other countries working to identify them before they spread. (Axios) The US has sequenced roughly 0.3 percent of cases in the US so far.

  • And with concern growing about the virus variants spreading, here’s a good set of reminders about how to make sure you’re being safe when you’re at the grocery store or running other essential errands. (Vox) One top tip: a tight-fitting, N95 or surgical mask is the way to go.

The latest results: After VP Pence declined to use the 25th Amendment to remove Pres. Trump from office, the House began the voting process on articles of impeachment against the president. For hours on end today, Democrat and Republican representatives traded off arguments for and against impeachment, primarily along predictable party lines, though with some notable exceptions. Did you tune in to watch or listen to the debates today?

Today’s poll: In the spring, at least 42 percent of you reported turning in to Gov. Cuomo’s COVID-19 briefings on a regular basis. Today, more than eight months later, he delivered the final part of his four-part State of the State address. This is his 11th time doing the address, and the first time it has been stretched over multiple days. Have you tuned in?

  • *|SURVEY: Yes, but just one day|*

  • *|SURVEY: Yes, more than one day|*

  • *|SURVEY: No|*

Find the poll results from all previous editions of this newsletter here.

Reopening:

  • Following a court decision in Erie County, Gov. Cuomo announced that all restaurants currently in the state’s “orange” hotspot zones can reopen for indoor dining at 50 percent capacity. (POLITICO) 

    • The change does not apply to indoor dining in NYC, which was closed back down through a separate executive order based on different risk factors. (ABC New York)

  • New clinical trial data shows that the single-dose vaccine being developed by Johnson & Johnson generated sustainable antibodies, e.g., it is effective. (CNBC) Final late-stage trial results are expected to be released later this month, but the company has reported lags in production and may not be able to manufacture the amount of doses promised in its agreement with the US government. (New York Times)

  • Beginning tomorrow, the Small Business Administration is opening the new PPP portal up to all lenders with $1 billion or less in assets for first and second-draw loans. The portal will be fully opened next Tuesday. (The Hill) Here’s what to know about how to qualify. If you’re applying in NYC, you can also find more details here.

  • The Vaccination Credential Initiative, a coalition of health and tech companies that includes Microsoft, Salesforce, and Oracle, is working to help people access their vaccination records digitally. (The Verge)

Related reading:

Working:

  • Asana published its “Anatomy of Work 2020” study, which shows that workers are spending 60 percent more time on “work about work.” Survey trends on employee burnout, sentiment around remote communication and collaboration tools, and other work management issues can be found here.

Related reading:

One Company to Watch:MEDLEY

What does your company do?

Medley co-founder and CEO Jordan Taylor: Medley provides spaces for people to learn and grow with others. Our current offering drives members’ personal and professional growth through group experiences. Upon joining Medley, members are matched with seven other individuals and a dedicated coach, and groups meet monthly over the course of the year. Membership also includes unlimited access to workshops and conversations with more topical focus.For people who are looking for the next step in their careers, 2020 presented a challenge – everything went virtual and the possibilities around networking changed drastically. How are you and the membership you’ve built so far thinking about that in this “new normal”?  JT: 2020 has been a challenging year for most. It felt like a rollercoaster. It’s forced me personally to reflect on what I value and cherish and want to create more of, especially in my relationships. While many of us are seemingly online all day, it is both harder to form new deeper relationships and have casual serendipitous meetings that you might have at a networking event. 

At Medley, we’re giving space for people to articulate their values and stories which is valuable for anyone looking for the next step in their careers. We’ve been fortunate to be able to create experiences that help people get out of their bubble and form meaningful relationships with new people, and look forward to continuing expanding the Medley community.Read the full interview here.Request: please let us know as your return-to-office policies are developed and what considerations your companies are taking for developing them. Sharing this information is helpful to companies and employees across the NYC ecosystem and can be kept anonymous.

Recruit: A tech talent and job opportunities board from Tech:NYC and AlleyCorp compiles NYC tech workers looking for new roles and NYC-based tech companies hiring open positions. To contribute to the board, click here.

Events:

  • January 15: Virtual: NYC Media Lab Celebrates Wikipedia’s 20t Birthday, with Wikimedia Foundation CEO Katherine Maher and NPR’s TED Radio Hour host Manoush Zomorodi. Hosted by NYC Media Lab. (Details)

  • January 21: Virtual: Workplace in Focus: Innovating During Crisis, with Maven CEO Katherine Ryder, Accenture Interactive CEO Brian Whipple, and more. Hosted by Bloomberg. (Details)

Check these sources for verified information from government agencies and public health authorities:

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