[{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org\/","@type":"BlogPosting","@id":"https:\/\/www.the-future-of-commerce.com\/2020\/03\/11\/tech-companies-responding-to-coronavirus\/#BlogPosting","mainEntityOfPage":"https:\/\/www.the-future-of-commerce.com\/2020\/03\/11\/tech-companies-responding-to-coronavirus\/","headline":"In these days of pandemic, tech companies are stepping up","name":"In these days of pandemic, tech companies are stepping up","description":"In the wake of COVID-19, tech companies are stepping up, providing additional pay for employees, offering tools to ease remote working and supply chain issues for free, paying rent for small businesses, and working with global organizations to ensure information on their platforms is accurate.\u00a0","datePublished":"2020-03-11","dateModified":"2023-01-25","author":{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/www.the-future-of-commerce.com\/contributor\/tracey-wallace\/#Person","name":"Tracey Wallace","url":"https:\/\/www.the-future-of-commerce.com\/contributor\/tracey-wallace\/","identifier":367,"image":{"@type":"ImageObject","@id":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/21377d3250d3cee37a219265f855ca86717424033839661349c4b6845d2250cc?s=96&d=mm&r=g","url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/21377d3250d3cee37a219265f855ca86717424033839661349c4b6845d2250cc?s=96&d=mm&r=g","height":96,"width":96}},"publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"The Future of Commerce","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","@id":"https:\/\/www.the-future-of-commerce.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/01\/logo-foc-schema-app-1.png","url":"https:\/\/www.the-future-of-commerce.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/01\/logo-foc-schema-app-1.png","width":172,"height":60}},"image":{"@type":"ImageObject","@id":"https:\/\/www.the-future-of-commerce.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/03\/thumbnail-08337c995cf9a1b2dc76c123af8a0012.jpeg","url":"https:\/\/www.the-future-of-commerce.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/03\/thumbnail-08337c995cf9a1b2dc76c123af8a0012.jpeg","height":375,"width":1200},"url":"https:\/\/www.the-future-of-commerce.com\/2020\/03\/11\/tech-companies-responding-to-coronavirus\/","about":["COVID-19 and Business"],"wordCount":1741,"keywords":["COVID-19 | Coronavirus"],"articleBody":"By the more conservative estimates, if China and Italy are to be taken as examples, we can expect the 1,000 cases of coronavirus in the United States today to 10x in the next week, and 100x in two.Seattle has perhaps been hit the hardest, and data implies that it’s expanding to suburban areas around New York City, suggesting that changes in our lifestyles will need widespread adoption. Social distancing is the recommended route \u2013\u2013 a surefire way to slow the speed of spread.Already, in cities like Austin, Texas, with the annual SXSW conference canceled, which typically pulls in more than $350 million in local economic revenue, times are hard. The coronavirus hasn\u2019t hit the city like it has the more coastal cities, but the effect of a suddenly very real cancel culture is already resulting in lay-offs and soon, small business closures.The Trump Administration is working on a stimulus plan, a temporary elimination of payroll taxes that could cost nearly $700 billion, rivaling both the financial bailout of 2008 and the economic stimulus measure that followed. \u201cThe bill now faces bipartisan opposition, reports the New York Times, \u201cbut some version of it could be the basis for a broad agreement to provide aid.\u201dIn the meantime, large technology companies are already stepping up to provide additional pay for employees, offer their tools that help ease remote working culture for free, paying rent for struggling small businesses, and working with global organizations to ensure the information on their platforms is relevant, and accurate.Here are a few.Look for the helpers: How tech companies are responding to the coronavirusZoho, a business applications software company, is offering a remote working suite of tools for free until July 1, 2020. \u201cZoho Remotely is a suite of cloud applications that helps you communicate and collaborate with teams, keep track of work, and provide remote assistance to your customers anywhere in the world.\u201dThis content is hosted by a third party ( twitter.com ).To view the content, either update your cookie preferences or view it in a new browser window.Cookie PreferencesNew WindowMicrosoft announced that it will pay full-time hourly wages to employees in Northern California and the Puget Sound region (i.e. Seattle, which has been one of the hardest hit cities), even if employee work hours are reduced due to the coronavirus.Facebook, Google, Apple, Twitter, Uber, Twitter, Square and Expedia have since announced they will do the same. \u201cWe have reduced need in those regions for the on-site presence of many of the hourly workers who are vital to our daily operations, such as individuals who work for our vendors and staff our cafes, drive our shuttles and support our on-site tech and audio-visual needs,\u201d said Microsoft president Brad Smith. \u201cWe recognize the hardship that lost work can mean for hourly employees. As a result, we\u2019ve decided that Microsoft will continue to pay all our vendor hourly service providers their regular pay during this period of reduced service needs.\u201dThis content is hosted by a third party ( twitter.com ).To view the content, either update your cookie preferences or view it in a new browser window.Cookie PreferencesNew WindowBoth Microsoft and Google have made their video conferencing tools, Microsoft Teams and Google Hangouts Meet, respectively, free for the next six months. This includes no limits on the number of users allowed on each call. Logmein, Cisco, and Zoom have offered similar options. This content is hosted by a third party ( twitter.com ).To view the content, either update your cookie preferences or view it in a new browser window.Cookie PreferencesNew WindowAmazon will be subsidizing rent for the small businesses running out of the tech giant\u2019s Seattle-area locations. \u201cWe will continue to pay all hourly employees that support our campus in Seattle and Bellevue \u2013 from food service, to security guards to janitorial staff \u2013 during the time our employees are asked to work from home,\u201d an Amazon spokesperson said. \u201cIn addition, we will subsidize one month of rent for the local small businesses that operate inside our owned buildings to help support them during this period.\u201dAmazon also announced a $5,000,000 relief fund for Seattle-area small businesses affected by the coronavirus outbreak. Microsoft contributing another $1,000,000 to this fund.This content is hosted by a third party ( twitter.com ).To view the content, either update your cookie preferences or view it in a new browser window.Cookie PreferencesNew WindowFacebook is providing unlimited free ad credits to the World Health Organization, and directly all platform searches for the coronavirus or COVID-19 to the WHO website and information to provide accurate and up-to-date news on the subject. The goal is to stop fear-mongering, fake news, prevention ads, and more. \u201cWe’re also focused on stopping hoaxes and harmful misinformation. It’s important that everyone has a place to share their experiences and talk about the outbreak, but as our community standards make clear, it’s not okay to share something that puts people in danger,\u201d writes co-founder and CEO Mark Zuckerburg on Facebook. \u201cSo we’re removing false claims and conspiracy theories that have been flagged by leading global health organizations. We’re also blocking people from running ads that try to exploit the situation — for example, claiming that their product can cure the disease.\u201dThis content is hosted by a third party ( twitter.com ).To view the content, either update your cookie preferences or view it in a new browser window.Cookie PreferencesNew WindowGoogle followed suit, and announced a new 24-hour incident response team dedicated to coronavirus. The company has committed to scrubbing misinformation from Search and YouTube while promoting accurate information from health agencies. CEO Sundar Pichai reportedly told employees in a memo that this is a pivotal moment for the company, Bloomberg reported. “You’ve heard me talk about helpfulness in the context of moments big and small. This is one of those big moments,” Pichai wrote.SAP is opening their Ariba Network for free and trying to help businesses avoid massive disruption in their supply chain. On the network, any buyer can post their immediate sourcing needs, and any supplier can respond to show they can deliver. It is free to post, free to respond, and open to everyone. \u201cWith 4 million suppliers in over 190 countries, representing $3.2 trillion in annual commerce, Ariba Network connects the global business community to help you identify risk, adjust on the fly, and ensure continuity no matter what comes next.\u201dhttps:\/\/twitter.com\/SAPAriba\/status\/1237459579832881154?s=20AirBnB has introduced a more flexible cancellation policy through June 1, 2020, allowing guests to cancel plans without the 14% guest service fee for doing so. \u201cYou might be eligible for a 100% refund via its \u2018extenuating circumstances\u2019 claim \u2014 regardless of the host\u2019s cancellation policy \u2014 if you\u2019re traveling from or to an area that has been \u201cseverely impacted\u201d by the novel coronavirus outbreak.\u201dThis content is hosted by a third party ( twitter.com ).To view the content, either update your cookie preferences or view it in a new browser window.Cookie PreferencesNew WindowApple and Google are trying to make it tough for misinformation to make its way to you through any apps they offer. A search for \u201ccoronavirus\u201d under apps in the Google Play store yields zero results. And four developers have told CNBC that Apple rejected their apps that would have shown where confirmed cases of the coronavirus are in the world. The developers said Apple will only accept coronavirus-related apps if they come from a recognized health, educational or government institution.TripIt is making their premium service, TripIt Pro available for free to all travelers. TripIt processes hundreds of thousands of travel itineraries for people around the globe, monitoring their flights and alerting them about changes or delays. Individual travelers will be able to benefit from the proactive monitoring and alerts that TripIt Pro provides, including: Flight Status: Receive real-time flight alerts, such as delays and gate changes, Alternate Flights: Find additional flight options when you need them, Fare Tracker: Get notified if your airfare drops after you book, and Inner Circle: Keep your family and friends updated on your travel plans.This content is hosted by a third party ( twitter.com ).To view the content, either update your cookie preferences or view it in a new browser window.Cookie PreferencesNew WindowThe Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation will also deliver an additional $5 million to public health agencies in the greater Seattle area to help bolster their response, on top of the $100 million it set aside in early February for international COVID-19 efforts. \u201cEarly detection plays an essential role in helping public health authorities identify and treat people with COVID-19, take steps to safely isolate them and reduce transmission within the community,\u201d said Gates Foundation CEO Mark Suzman.This content is hosted by a third party ( twitter.com ).To view the content, either update your cookie preferences or view it in a new browser window.Cookie PreferencesNew WindowZoom is addressing the school closures head-on, and is offering their software free of charge to schools K-12.This content is hosted by a third party ( twitter.com ).To view the content, either update your cookie preferences or view it in a new browser window.Cookie PreferencesNew WindowWith their eye on the future of what’s to come – recognizing that employees may be struggling as companies move to adapt to remote work, Qualtrics has opened up their tool Remote Work Plus to help determine how prepared organizations are for remote working and to keep a real-time eye on how employees are faring in this environment that’s new to many people.This content is hosted by a third party ( twitter.com ).To view the content, either update your cookie preferences or view it in a new browser window.Cookie PreferencesNew WindowWe\u2019ll do what we can to keep this list updated with all the efforts technology companies are making to help keep business and the economy running while this epidemic spreads around the world. If you see something that should be added, please let us know.In the meantime, use these free tools and services:Practice social distancing.Wash your hands.Wear a mask.Get vaccinated.And take advantage of free enterprise-level video conferencing and suites of tools that help teams work remotely, even if they aren\u2019t used to flexing that muscle.Check in on your customers today. They\u2019ll appreciate it tomorrow. Learn more HERE."},{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org\/","@type":"BreadcrumbList","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"2020","item":"https:\/\/www.the-future-of-commerce.com\/2020\/#breadcrumbitem"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"03","item":"https:\/\/www.the-future-of-commerce.com\/2020\/\/03\/#breadcrumbitem"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":3,"name":"11","item":"https:\/\/www.the-future-of-commerce.com\/2020\/\/03\/\/11\/#breadcrumbitem"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":4,"name":"In these days of pandemic, tech companies are stepping up","item":"https:\/\/www.the-future-of-commerce.com\/2020\/03\/11\/tech-companies-responding-to-coronavirus\/#breadcrumbitem"}]}]