Tech
In US, teleworkers don’t want to turn back
For Curtis Sparrer, a work-from-home evangelist, an office is nothing less than a “corporate jail.”
Five years after the Covid-19 pandemic sent workers scrambling for home, laptops under their arm, Sparrer methodically challenges the arguments made by corporate America as it pushes for a full-time return to office.
The issue has even become increasingly political.
The incoming Trump administration, through the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) led by Elon Musk and Vivek Ramaswamy, plans to eliminate all remote work for federal employees.
“When you have a physical office, there is an implicit lack of trust. You need to see people there physically to make sure they’re doing their work,” the PR boss told AFP from his San Francisco apartment, overlooking the city’s iconic rooftops.
In the wake of the work-from-home revolution, hybrid work became the norm in the United States, with few exceptions such as Goldman Sachs and Tesla, which quickly mandated full-time office attendance.
Now, several major companies are abandoning the compromise approach.
Amazon recently required engineers and administrative staff to return five days a week. According to a survey conducted by the Blind professional social network last September, more than 90 percent of employees are unhappy with this decision.
On Reddit, users report having turned down interviews to work for the e-commerce and cloud giant because of the policy.
Some speculate it’s a veiled downsizing strategy, though they believe the company founded by Jeff Bezos risks losing its top talent.
Chewing food
JPMorgan Chase’s March announcement ending telework met similar resistance.
Employees posted so many comments about concerns — from commuting costs to child care — on an internal platform that the bank shut down that section, according to The Wall Street Journal.
JPMorgan CFO Jeremy Barnum addressed the issue during a press call, and acknowledged the risk of losing valuable employees, saying: “We are very much not hoping for attrition as a function of return to office.”
“I’m disappointed that Amazon and others dragged people back to the office when we’ve been making so much progress in making work-from-home a national norm,” Sparrer laments.
When founding Bospar in January 2015, Sparrer deliberately chose not to rent office space, both to save money and to recruit talent beyond San Francisco and New York. Ten years later, he stands by that decision.
Office environments inherently create inequality, he said.
“Someone gets the corner office with windows while another gets a cubicle, creating friction,” he explained.
“There’s also a higher likelihood of sexual harassment, illness spreading, and daily annoyances from office gossip to hearing colleagues chew their food.”
Sparrer particularly emphasized telecommuting’s environmental benefits, noting that most Americans drive to work in gas-guzzling cars.
“The typical office building is a polluting nightmare,” he said. His company’s research suggests that remote workers are more likely to cook at home instead of ordering delivery and to recycle their waste.
‘When, where or how’
According to the “Flex Index” study by IT solutions company Scoop, by the end of 2024, about one-third of US companies required full-time office presence, 38 percent maintained a hybrid approach, and less than 30 percent offered complete employee choice.
DrFirst employee Heather Happe sits at her desk next to her cat Duncan at her home in Frederick, Maryland — she is a 14-year veteran of the company. Photo: Agnes BUN / AFP Source: AFP
Health care software provider DrFirst exemplifies the successful transition to remote work.
The company, which previously maintained three offices in Arizona and Maryland, shifted its 400 employees to permanent telework in 2023 based on employee feedback.
“Over 85 percent of our people reported that working remotely improved their overall well-being, whether mental or physical health, and reduced stress,” said Mathew Carrico, the company’s vice president of human resources.
“Productivity remained high.”
To maintain company culture, DrFirst established online social groups, regular check-ins, and a performance system based on quarterly objectives.
“We don’t dictate when, where, or how people work — that’s where trust comes in,” Carrico explained. “But we maintain accountability through results, just as we would in an office.”
Heather Happe, a 14-year DrFirst veteran, appreciates escaping rush-hour traffic.
“There’s that slippery slope of knowing when to stop working, but you learn to set boundaries,” she said.
“I can spend more time with my son, pets, and plants!”
A jury in Los Angeles has ruled that tech giants YouTube and Meta are liable for negligence in a closely watched case involving a young woman who said she became addicted to their platforms from childhood.
The panel awarded the plaintiff $3 million in compensatory damages, assigning 70 percent of the liability to Meta. Jurors also determined that both companies could face additional punitive damages, with a decision on that yet to be made.
The lawsuit, filed in 2023, alleged that platforms such as Instagram were deliberately designed to create addictive user experiences, particularly for young audiences. According to court filings, the plaintiff began using YouTube at age six and Instagram at nine.
During the trial, a therapist who treated the woman testified that prolonged social media exposure contributed to significant mental health challenges, including social phobia and body image issues.
Both companies have rejected the verdict. Meta argued that teen mental health is influenced by multiple factors and cannot be attributed to a single platform. YouTube, meanwhile, maintained that its service is not inherently addictive.
Legal experts expect both companies to appeal the decision, setting the stage for a potentially influential battle over the responsibility of tech platforms in safeguarding young users.
Google is acquiring energy infrastructure company ‘Intersect’ for $4.75 billion (approximately 7 trillion Korean won) to secure the power needed for its AI (artificial intelligence) data centers. The move aims to address the power issue, the biggest hurdle in expanding data centers. Google, which developed the ‘Gemini’ AI, is a so-called ‘AI full-stack’ company equipped with all AI-related technologies and services, including AI chips and cloud (virtual servers). The strategy is to directly manage the energy infrastructure needed to actually operate AI as well.
Reuters reported on the 22nd (local time) that Google is acquiring Intersect for $4.75 billion in cash. Google already holds a minority stake in Intersect, and through this acquisition, it will also secure the gigawatt (GW)-level energy and data center projects that Intersect is developing and constructing. Intersect is expected to be responsible for building Google’s data center power infrastructure in the U.S., based on its technology linking power generation facilities and power grids.
Sundar Pichai, CEO of Google and Alphabet, said, “Intersect will enable us to build power infrastructure more quickly and flexibly in line with the increasing demand for AI data centers,” adding, “It will also be an important partner in strengthening America’s energy innovation and technological leadership.”
Bloomberg reported that Intersect’s energy assets currently in operation or under construction in the U.S. amount to $15 billion (approximately 22.2 trillion Korean won).
◇Google increasing energy investments
Google has recently been increasing its investments in the energy sector. Although the company possesses AI chips (TPUs), Gemini, and search and cloud services, stable energy supply is essential to support these businesses.
To this end, Google is also investing in nuclear power technology. In October of last year, it signed a long-term cooperation agreement with small modular reactor (SMR) startup ‘Kairos Power’ to secure up to 500 MW (megawatts) of power. It is noted as the first case among big tech companies to publicly declare securing SMR-based power. Additionally, in August, Google and Kairos Power announced plans to build the next-generation SMR ‘Hermes 2’ in Oak Ridge, Tennessee. The goal is to commence operation in 2030.
Google is also restarting previously shut-down nuclear power plants to secure energy. In October, it announced that it will collaborate with ‘NextEra Energy’ to restart the Duane Arnold Nuclear Generating Station in Iowa, which was closed in 2020. The target restart period is between 2028 and 2029.
Google is also investing in renewable energy such as geothermal power. Since 2023, it has been supplying power to data centers through geothermal power generation with ‘Fervo Energy’ in Nevada, U.S.
Google is also actively investing in next-generation energy technologies that are not yet commercialized. In 2022, it made a large-scale investment in ‘TAE Technologies,’ which possesses nuclear fusion technology. Nuclear fusion power generation is a technology that applies the principle of energy creation in the sun, combining atomic nuclei to produce energy. It is called the ‘dream energy’ because it has abundant fuel resources, emits no carbon, and, unlike conventional nuclear power plants, does not produce high-level nuclear waste. However, it is assessed that more time is needed for commercialization due to technical challenges. Recently, TAE Technologies has accelerated the commercialization of fusion energy by merging with Trump Media Group (TMTG).
Tech
“I Lost $1.2 Million To Hackers On One Of My Apps. I Caught One Of The Hackers, And Instead Of Handing Him Over To The Police, I Employed Him To Work For Me.”- BLord
Anambra Born tech entrepreneur and businessman Linus Williams, popularly known as BLord, has shared an unusual story about how he handled a major cyberattack on one of his applications.
According to BLord, he lost $1.2 million to hackers who infiltrated one of his digital platforms. In the course of tracking the incident, he successfully identified one of the individuals involved in the breach.
Rather than handing the suspect over to security agencies, BLord said he made a strategic decision: he employed the hacker.
He explained that the hacker’s skills, though misapplied, were exceptional and could be redirected towards strengthening his company’s cybersecurity systems.
BLord noted that the decision was driven by a desire to turn a negative experience into an opportunity for growth and to better secure his business infrastructure.
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