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Good morning, Data Sheet readers. Tech writer Danielle Abril here filling in for Adam.
For the past several weeks during the coronavirus pandemic, Uber has been airing ads with a safety-first message that undermines its usual goal to increase revenue. “Thank you for not riding,” the ads say.
During a call with reporters on Wednesday, CEO Dara Khosrowshahi acknowledged the unprecedented move as the rides business has dwindled while people stay home. “It’s the first time I’ve ever run an ad asking consumers not to use my service,” he said. “But it was just the right thing to do.”
In the next few days, though, that message will shift. Uber is rolling out a new safety strategy during the “new normal,” as governments relax restrictions and people emerge from their homes.
Instead of telling riders to stay home, Uber will attempt to help riders feel comfortable about what it’s calling customers’ “second first ride,” or their re-introduction to Uber.
Starting Monday, Uber will require riders, drivers, and delivery people to wear masks, regularly wash their hands, and sanitize vehicles. It’s also asking all passengers to sit in the back seat and encouraging drivers and riders to crack open their windows for better ventilation. For drivers, it’s spending $50 million on safety supplies.
And drivers, riders, and Uber Eats restaurants can alert Uber any time a user doesn’t follow the rules, which could lead to deactivation from the service after multiple violations. Lyft implemented similar policies last week.
But what took these companies so long? The outbreak started to become widespread in the U.S. in mid-March, and it had received plenty of attention weeks prior in China then Italy and Spain.
During Wednesday’s press call, Uber did not address the delay. Rather, it explained that it had spent the last several weeks working on changes to its app to create a safe user experience and get ahold of safety supplies.
When the U.S. started to take action to slow the spread of the virus, Uber and Lyft did step in to provide rides to essential workers, help transit authorities provide subsidized rides for commuters, and help people get to doctor’s appointments. But while many drivers took precautions to protect themselves and their passengers, Uber didn’t require them to do so. Users were left to decide what was and wasn’t safe.
It’s great to see ride-hailing companies do their best to protect their customers and drivers. It would be even better if they were quicker on the draw.
Danielle Abril
This edition of Data Sheet was curated by Aaron Pressman.
NEWSWORTHY
Just gonna sit here and watch this. Locked-down people aren't just playing more video games, they're spending more time watching other people play video games, too. The audience for live streaming in April doubled overall from a year earlier, according to a report from StreamElements and Arsenal.gg. Amazon's Twitch led the pack with 1.5 trillion (!) hours watched, a 101% increase from last year. Facebook Gaming saw the biggest increase at 238%, to 291 million hours, fueled in part by the release of its own mobile app.
There's no champagne room. In a story that seems to offer a peek at organizational dysfunction, The Information reports that some leaders of Google's Pixel phone team have recently left. More disturbingly, Pixel boss Rick Osterloh told the team last fall that he didn't agree with the design decisions in the Pixel 4, notably the weak battery. Sorry, the boss was complaining about the product his own division made?
TikTok failure knock. The popular short video app has failed to live up to last year's agreement with the Federal Trade Commission to better protect the privacy of kids, according to 20 consumer groups. An age verification system isn't working and some videos that were supposed to be deleted remain available. TikTok said it was "committed to helping ensure that TikTok continues to be a safe and entertaining community for our users.”
Never mind. The case before the Supreme Court pitting Oracle against Google was thought to have major implications for the software industry. If APIs can be copyrighted, software compatibility is out the window. But signs are emerging that the high court may decide the case on narrow grounds that won't require concluding whether APIs are protected by copyright.
I could have been a contender, I could have been somebody. On Wall Street, Cisco exceeded expectations despite an 8% quarterly revenue decline to $12 billion and a forecasted sales drop for the year. Even Cisco's app unit, which includes WebEx, saw revenue drop 5%. Cisco's shares, previously down 13% this year, gained 3% in pre-market trading on Thursday. And satellite communications firm Intelsat filed for bankruptcy protection. Intelsat says it doesn't have the money on hand to meet the government's requirements for auctioning off some of its spectrum licenses for 5G. Shares of Intelsat, down 89% this year, closed at 79 cents on Wednesday.
FOOD FOR THOUGHT
Josh Ternyak is a front-end web developer and blogger based in Minneapolis. He's also 15 years old. Josh has 20 pieces of advice for other budding developers, though much of it applies to anyone who works. Take #11: Being Arrogant And A Know It All.
Not only does being arrogant make it very difficult for other people you're working with, it also makes it difficult for you. If you think you know everything, you won't actively listen to others to learn more. Put your ego aside, and be respectful and don't talk down to ANYONE.
The consequences of being arrogant are huge. Not only might you get fired, you'll also lose the respect of others. After years of me trying my hardest to get rid of this bad habit, I finally got past it. Ever since I stopped being arrogant, I learn much more than I did before, and retain what I learn.
IN CASE YOU MISSED IT
HBO Max sets release dates for second slate of original series By Aric Jenkins
Endeavor: Reports of our demise are greatly exaggerated By Andrew Nusca
Box CEO talks COVID-19, activist investors, and parenting By Jonathan Vanian
Intel pledges ambitious water-use goal by 2030: to go ‘net-positive’ By David Meyer
Tesla’s lockdown lawsuit is about much more than Tesla By David Z. Morris
Restaurant owners want and need more guidance on how to reopen from government officials By Rachel King
(Some of these stories require a subscription to access. There is a 50% discount for our loyal readers if you use this link to sign up. Thank you for supporting our journalism.)
BEFORE YOU GO
In need of a little humor at the expense of a billionaire who can afford it? The New Yorker published a spoof of Jeff Bezos' advice for getting through the pandemic. It's a gut-splitter, including this bit:
Take up a new hobby. Fly your drone into a cloud and see if you can find it again. Sue someone who doesn’t have the resources to engage. Sink a yacht just to watch how the water swirls. Tell your V.P. of distribution to kill a cow and see if he’ll actually do it. If you’re still going a little stir-crazy, why not stay in a different one of your houses every night of the week?
Aaron Pressman
