INSUBCONTINENT EXCLUSIVE:
Over the past week, one thing has become painfully clear for U.S
residents: COVID-19 is going to permeate every aspect of our lives for a long time to come
Those of us in and around tech have been noticing this for months now
First through the impact on our friends and colleagues in Asia, who have been facing fallout from the pandemic head-on for some time, and
then through the domino effect on tech conferences
First there was MWC, then Facebook F8, E3, WWDC
Yesterday, TechCrunch announced that we would be postponing a pair of our own events
It was the right thing to do, and increasingly not really a choice, to be honest, as more and more cities have banned large gatherings
Tech has been keenly aware of COVID-19 impact for a while now because being a tech company is being a global company almost by default
Now, however, the virus threat has come to nearly everyone back door
If you don&t yet know someone who has been infected with the virus, odds are good you will soon
This is our reality, for now, at least.
If there hope to be mustered from this event, it in the prospect of people helping people
Coming together, separately, at a safe social distance
The response of the current administration leaves much to be desired at the moment
As yesterday press conference involved praise of the &private sector& and a parade of high profile executives, the reality is that many of
us may have to rely on corporates and execs to help fill in the gaps of gutted government departments
There will be plenty of time to call out the inevitable opportunism of corporate America (and it looks like I&m going to have a lot more
free time on my hands in the coming months to do exactly that), but for now, let note some of the folks who are pitching in by donating
supplies or easing some of the burden on a strained and uncertain population
Alibaba co-founder Jack Ma today released a statement noting plans to donate 500,000 test kits and one million face masks
The donation follows similar ones to Japan and Europe, following the devastating impact on his own country
&Drawing from my own country experience, speedy and accurate testing and adequate personal protective equipment for medical professionals
are most effective in preventing the spread of the virus,& Ma said in a statement
&We hope that our donation can help Americans fight against the pandemic!&
Yesterday, Zoom CEO Eric Yuan announced that his video
conferencing platform would be available for free to K-12 schools in Japan, Italy and the U.S
The move comes as the service is seeing a massive spike in downloads as many businesses and schools are attempting to adapt to working and
Earlier this week, Bill Gates, who recently left his position on Microsoft board, announced the Bill - Melinda GatesFoundation was teaming
up with Wellcome and Mastercard to fund treatments to the tune of $125 million
Yesterday, Facebook announced it was committing $20 million in donations to support relief efforts
Apple announced a similar $15 million in donations, along with letting customers skip the March payment on their Apple Cards without risking
IPS like AT-T, Charter, CenturyLink, Comcast, T-Mobile, Verizon, Sprint and Cox, meanwhile, have promised not to overcharge, charge late
fees or terminate service, in an attempt to keep people connected.
Likely we&ll continue to see more such announcements in the coming weeks
and months as companies struggle with impact to their workforces and bottom lines
Some will no doubt be more crass that others, but there little doubt that such gestures will be a big part of our ability to emerge from one
of the scariest and most surreal moments in recent memory
