Tech:NYC Digest: January 7

Tech:NYC Digest: January 7

January 07, 2021 • Estimated Reading Time: 8 minutes

Thursday, January 7, 2021We support democracy.We support voter and civil rights.We support human rights.We condemn any effort—violent or otherwise—to denigrate our nation’s democratic institutions.We partnered with sf.citi and sea.citi to put together a statement, which we encourage you to sign and share with your teams, encouraging them to sign on to as well. This is not a company letter, but one for individuals who work in the tech sector to reaffirm their commitment to—and belief in—democracy. Join the statement here.Was this digest forwarded to you? Subscribe here.

The latest: Congress confirms Joe Biden electoral victory following Capitol Hill riots; US marks deadliest day in the pandemic; first pop-up vaccine sites opened in NYC, hundreds to come across the five boroughs; Cuomo remains firm on vaccine timeline, will not move up 75+ category per de Blasio’s request; Goldman Sachs CEO expects full office return by year’s end.

Confirmed Cases:

  • New York State: 1,075,312 (+17,636)

  • New York City: 460,520 (+6,387) 

  • Statewide Fatalities: 31,164 (+197)

  • NYC Positivity Rates: 

    • NYS reports: 6.4 percent (no change)

    • NYC reports: 9.2 percent (-0.1 percent)

General Updates:

Yesterday was a traumatic day for the country, and there’s no doubt we’ll see more news in the coming days about the ramifications of the violence and what it could mean — particularly for New York — as we look to the next administration. Here’s a few updates worth mentioning:

  • Several New York representatives shared their experiences on what it was like to be forced to shelter in place as the mob of Trump supporters broke into the Capitol. (THE CITY)

  • After the Capitol building was resecured, Congress resumed the electoral college certification process and, shortly after 3:30am, finished confirming President-elect Joe Biden’s victory. (New York Times) As largely expected, Inauguration Day will go on as planned.

  • A moment overshadowed by the violence, Jon Ossoff was declared the winner of his Senate race in Georgia. His win plus the earlier victory of Rev. Raphael Warnock means Democrats will take control of the Senate — and that means our own home state Senator Chuck Schumer is the incoming Senate Majority Leader. (POLITICO) Of course, we think that’s a meaningful win for the future of New York.

  • The shift of composition in Washington is also very good news for Gov. Cuomo, who has been relying on a Biden presidency and a Democratic Senate to ensure New York receives more pandemic-related aid and other federal support amidst the state’s budget issues. (NY State of Politics)

  • In the last 24 hours, a growing group of New York officials, including Sen. Schumer, newly-elected Rep. Ritchie Torres, Rep. Jerry Nadler, and Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, are calling for the 25th Amendment to be invoked to remove Pres. Trump from office. (NBC News)

  • Industry groups and CEOs of some of the country’s largest employers are similarly speaking out, quickly condemning the mayhem. (New York Times)

  • And unfortunately, yesterday will also be remembered for another saddening reason: the US marked 3,915 coronavirus deaths, the highest single-day number yet. (Washington Post)

Reopening:

  • The first two of more than a hundred planned pop-up vaccination sites have opened in NYC, and more are scheduled to open this weekend. (New York Times) Mayor de Blasio also announced that five mass vaccination sites — one in each borough — will open capable of administering 100,000 vaccinations per week. (Gothamist)

  • The IRS has said that the $600 direct payments to Americans passed as part of the most recent stimulus package have to be sent by the government by Jan. 15. Some Americans likely won’t get it in time, and if it isn’t sent by then, it will have to be claimed as a rebate on 2020 tax filings. (New York Times)

  • Gov. Cuomo announced a proposal to legalize cannabis and create an adult-use cannabis program in New York State. (Gothamist) The proposal supports an equitable market structure that invests in individual entrepreneurs and communities disproportionately impacted by prohibition. As the state contends with an ongoing budget deficit due to the pandemic, this could prove a much needed new revenue stream.

  • Despite the pandemic, the MTA said it is on schedule to complete a $2.6 billion expansion to increase LIRR capacity across five branches that carry about 40 percent of the system’s weekday riders. (Wall Street Journal)

Related reading:

  • Fighting Over Closing Schools Reignites as NYC Positive Rate Tops 9 Percent (New York Times)

  • Cold Sweat: Gyms Test Winter Workouts During the Pandemic (Wall Street Journal)

Working:

  • Goldman Sachs CEO David Solomon said that, as vaccine distribution ramps up, he expects to have all of his employees back at their offices by the end of the year. (Bloomberg)

  • Snowflake CEO Frank Slootman said that the pandemic has shown the old approach to working at the office is “nonsense.” He said, post-pandemic, the office should be there for specific reasons — events, training, meetings, specifically — but not as a place to work from nine to five. (CNBC)

Related reading:

  • Why the decline of business travel matters (Axios)

  • Digital nomads show us how remote workers can find community (Quartz)

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.

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

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