Amazon to hire 100,000 immediately
Amazon has been overwhelmed with orders, especially for consumer staples. Given the potentially long duration of the pandemic, door-to-door delivery may become vital for many who are unable or afraid to shop at stores. The company is beefing up its delivery system, including drivers and warehouse workers, and is encouraging people displaced from the restaurant industry to apply. CNBC
dis-rup-shun: Amazon is another silver lining company, one that will prosper during the global pandemic. While the global supply chain is being disrupted and is affecting Amazon, its delivery business will continue to boom and its grocery delivery business may finally get the push it needed to become a household habit. The tech giants do appear to be going the extra mile, using their strong cash positions to assist displaced employees and contribute to the great good.
Bill Gates says good bye to Microsoft
Gates, founder of Microsoft in 1975 with Paul Allen (now deceased), has retired from Microsoft’s board of directors. He has also retired from the board of Berkshire Hathaway, in order to spend more time managing the philanthropies of the Gates Foundation. Gates stated that Microsoft has never been in better hands. CNBC
dis-rup-shun: It is a heart-warming story to see Bill, who, along with a handful of visionaries including Steve Jobs, changed the world. Some of the greatest tech companies that helped change the world, including IBM, HP, EDS, Xerox, Sun Microsystems and even Cisco have lost their way and are either gone or struggling. Gates and Steve Jobs have both moved on, but the leaders that are now at the helm have found new markets and kept the market innovation at the forefront. Now that “Neutron” Jack Welch has passed away, Gates could be the next senior statesman-management sage, showing today’s leaders how to be great.
Remember movie theaters?
The theater industry just had its worst weekend at the box office in two decades. Several major releases were postponed, but theaters remained open, which may not be the case in subsequent weekends. The damage was total revenues of $55 million, an amount that is often earned by a single film in one weekend. Wired
dis-rup-shun: Not wanting to pile on the doom and gloom, we must consider that life after the pandemic will be different. Streaming movie experiences keep keeping better, with better content, better video quality, better user interfaces, and better pricing. Theaters will always be special places to go to get away, to have the one-of-a-kind popcorn buckets, and to take a date when its not yet appropriate to invite a date to your home. But will the pandemic finish off the several week exclusive window that new theaters enjoy before new releases are streamed to home TVs? If so, it will be hard to go back, and movie theaters will lose one big differentiating advantage.
Still don’t have AirPods?
If you are one of the few people who didn’t receive AirPods for the holidays, and if you are determined not to give Apple any more of your money, check out this review of the best wireless ear pods. Sennheiser, Jabra, Sony, Samsung, Anker, and others, all have a place in the top choices. CNET
dis-rup-shun: It is impressive that the consumer electronics industry keeps inventing new must have products. There are a few of us who haven’t yet decided that ear pods are “must haves,” but eventually even the laggards are buyers.