Twitter announced Tuesday, May 12, that it will allow some employees to continue working remotely — even after the coronavirus pandemic has ended.
“If our employees are in a role and situation that enables them to work from home and they want to continue to do so forever, we will make that happen,” Twitter exec Jennifer Christie wrote in a blog post.
Christie said the social media company’s offices wouldn’t likely open until September and, even then, only on a “careful, intentional, office by office and gradual” basis.
Employees required to fix hardware and servers will be required to come into the office, according to an email CEO Jack Dorsey sent to employees earlier today first reported by Buzzfeed. Twitter did not immediately respond to a request for comment on which positions would be required to work or how many employees the new policy could affect.
The company had allowed employees to work from home in early March, ahead of when many official lockdowns went into effect. But, the plan to work in this “distributed” format was in the works ahead of the pandemic as well.
It’s inevitable that at least a few companies will let their employees work from home well past the conclusion of coronavirus pandemic and the social media platform has become the first.
The company is also canceling all in-person events for 2020 and severely restricting business travel until its offices are re-opened.
Twitter is also offering its employees $1,000 each to purchase supplies and equipment to work remotely. It isn’t clear yet whether those who choose to remain remote permanently will continue to get the subsidy.
Instagram is testing a new format for long-form videos called Features. It allows select creators to upload horizontal videos running up to 90 minutes long. Instagram has already tested the new format with creators in Brazil, and now, it's expanding to tens of thousands of creators across the US.
How will Instagram's new Features format work?
Instagram is making its way to yet another screen, and this time, Apple TV is getting a taste of the Reels rabbit hole. The company has launched a dedicated Instagram app for Apple TV, bringing Reels, longer videos, and live shows to the big screen. So, if watching one quick clip on a phone somehow turns into an hour of scrolling, there's now a much larger screen for that.
Instagram brings Reels and more to Apple TV
I have lost count of how many times I have gone to bed thinking I will finally sleep on time, only to somehow end up scrolling Instagram or X again. A few minutes turn into an hour, then another, and before I notice, it is 2 or 3 a.m. The next morning, I am usually annoyed with myself because I could have just slept and felt considerably better for the day ahead.
It is also a surprisingly hard habit to beat. Knowing you should put the phone down does not always help once it is already in your hand. Brick Night is a new gadget built around that exact problem. Instead of relying on you to remember to turn on an app blocker, it automatically restricts selected apps and websites when your phone enters your chosen sleep space during the hours you set.