Tech:NYC Digest: July 7

Tech:NYC Digest: July 7

July 07, 2021 • Estimated Reading Time: 10 minutes

Wednesday, July 7, 2021

In today’s digest, Eric Adams begins making plans for the general election and Gracie Mansion, the four-day workweek is gaining traction in post-pandemic office life, and the automat makes a glorious return to NYC — this time, with dumplings.

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Following a couple of weeks of chaos that brought national attention to the NYC Board of Elections, we now have a much fuller picture on the race for mayor — one that all but certifies the winner. (Politico)

The latest: Last night, the BOE released new ranked choice voting tabulations including those who voted via absentee ballot — more than 125,000 New Yorkers. Here’s what we know:

  • Brooklyn Borough President Eric Adams presumptively has won the Democratic primary for mayor with 50.5 percent of the vote, beating out ex-Sanitation Commissioner Kathryn Garcia by just one percentage point. Both Garcia and Maya Wiley, the third-place candidate, conceded the race today, locking Adams’ path to Gracie Mansion. (THE CITY)

Adams took a victory lap today, appearing for both local and national TV spots, as well as at today’s Hometown Heroes ticker-tape parade, to celebrate his victory. (New York Daily News)

  • In those interviews today, his message was the same one experts say got him over the finish line: an emphasis on crime and public safety. Adams has consistently tried to strike a twin message of "the justice we deserve and the safety we need,” and it’s one he hopes gains traction more broadly across the Democratic Party. (Axios)

There’s still a general election ahead in November, where Adams will face off against Republican nominee Curtis Sliwa, a challenge that, given the city’s voter base, Adams will win in a landslide. What happens between now and November will certainly be interesting (and probably pretty entertaining!) though.

Results including absentee ballots were also released for other races:

  • City Council Member Brad Lander has declared victory over City Council Speaker Corey Johnson in the Democratic primary for city Comptroller, leading by 24,683 votes. (New York Times)

  • City Council Member Mark Levine will be Manhattan's next Borough President; Council Member Antonio Reynoso will become Brooklyn BP; Council Member Vanessa Gibson will be Bronx BP; businessman Mark Murphy will be Staten Island BP; and Donovan Richards has claimed victory in the race for Queens BP (though the race there is still very close).

  • Women are expected to make up a majority of the City Council for the first time in the city’s history. At the end of ranked-choice tabulations, women were leading in 29 of the 51 Democratic primaries. (New York Times) 

  • And there’s no rest for the weary! The race to be the next Speaker of the City Council is also now in full swing. (Gotham Gazette)

This isn’t the end: There are about 3,700 absentee ballots that have been flagged for various issues, and those ballot holders will be allowed to correct errors — “cure” their ballots — until July 9. Final results are expected to arrive the week of July 12. (New York Post)

The pandemic underscored the damaging effects worker burnout can have on workforces — and how flexibility can mitigate it. One solution is to work fewer days, which experts are arguing could paradoxically boost productivity. (Axios)

One solution gaining more traction: a four-day workweek. Bloomberg reports there are 4.5 times as many ZipRecruiter job postings mentioning four-day workweeks now as there were in 2016.

  • Microsoft Japan adopted the structure before the pandemic in mid-2019, and it famously saw productivity jump by 40 percent.

  • Iceland has also piloted the idea, and equally found it to be successful. Without losing any productivity, a shorter week also translated into increased well-being of employees among a range of indicators. (Washington Post)

Now here in New York, Kickstarter has announced it will start implementing a four-day workweek in 2022. (CNBC) Despite the reduced hours, workers will still receive the same pay. The idea is that in those four days, there will be fewer interruptions and more focus on work.

  • CEO Aziz Hasan said: “It’s really about — if our time and attention is focused as best as it can be in those four days — can we have a more potent impact on the things that we care about from a professional standpoint, so that it opens up so much more range for us personally?”

Looking ahead to post-pandemic office culture, scores of others have taken interest in the approach as the pandemic has pushed companies to more fully address employees' mental health, stress, and burnout concerns. (Business Insider)

Related reading:

  • KILL THE 5-DAY WORKWEEK (The Atlantic)

  • Leather scents, cafes, and daily bar carts: Office tenants push for more amenities (Crain’s NY)

  • It’s on leaders to champion digital wellness in the post-pandemic (Forbes)

  • Arena Innovation, a New York City-based training startup, raised $5.2 million in seed funding. Investors include Courtside Ventures, Powerhouse Capital, and Wellness Holding. (PR Newswire)

  • Deep Instinct, the New York City-based cybersecurity startup, raised $68 million in additional Series D funding from Chrysalis Investments. (Channel Futures)

  • Glossier, a New York-based DTC consumer beauty products company, raised $80 million in Series E funding. Lone Pine Capital led, and was joined by insiders Forerunner Ventures, Index Ventures, IVP, Sequoia Capital and Thrive Capital. (Morning Brew)

  • Outbrain, a New York City-based ad recommendation company, raised $200 million in funding from The Baupost Group. (TechCrunch)

  • July 8: Virtual: How to Pitch to VCs and Angel Investors, with New York Angels founder David S. Rose, Bread and Butter Ventures head of platform Stephanie Rich, AI Ventures managing partner Callum Bir, and others. Hosted by DownToDash. Register here.

  • July 12 – 15: Virtual: Tech for Social Impact Summit, with Stitch Fix chief people and culture officer Jevan Soo Lenox, Hello Alice CEO Carolyn Rodz, and others. Hosted by PowerToFly. Register here.

  • July 13: Virtual: Redefining Industries with the Power of 5G, with Newlab 5G Studio Cohort 2 companies Easy Aerial, EVPassport, and others. Hosted by Newlab. Register here.

  • July 22: Virtual: How AI Technology Affects Hiring, with RippleMatch chief of staff Troy LeClaire, Fetcher CEO Andres Banks, and Ordergroove SVP of People Karen Weeks. Hosted by NYCETC and Hot Bread Kitchen. Register here.

Automats have long been a part of NYC’s history, and with the pandemic creating new demand for contactless dining options, they seem to be coming back! The Brooklyn Dumpling Shop (which, despite its name, has just opened in the East Village) is serving up 32 flavors of dumplings via robot-controlled lockers 24 hours a day —  flavors like French onion soup, lamb gyro, philly cheesesteak, and other nontraditional choices are all on the menu. (Time Out) 

Safe to say, we know the spot for our next Tech:NYC team lunch.

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