Last November, California passed Proposition 22, which made it so that companies like Uber and Lyft could classify their workers as contractors instead of employees, avoiding the obligation to give them benefits. Bloomberg has written a great report about how this type of change replacing regular employees with contractors could be coming to many other industries across the nation, which could affect millions of workers.

While the law was pushed for by ride-share companies, the article talks about the effects already being seen in other industries, like how grocery delivery workers are being fired and replaced by on-demand DoorDash workers. It also details an op-ed by an Uber investor, talking about how Prop 22 could be used to replace employees with contract workers in various industries, from nursing to agriculture.

Companies moving their workers to independent contract employment, instead of traditional employment, helps them keep their labor costs low. Contract employees arent entitled to benefits like health insurance, overtime pay, etc. The companies also dont have to pay employees for time that theyre on the clock but not carrying out their job duties if a grocery delivery employee is waiting for an order to come in, the company still has to pay for them to be there, which is not the case if that person works for DoorDash.

Weve already seen ride-share companies talking about taking Prop 22-like legislation nationwide, and Bloomberg digs into how Uber has plenty of contacts in the Biden administration.

The article also casts some doubt on the idea that unions will be able to stem the tide. It goes into the dilemma labor leaders are facing: do they work with companies to make sure contract workers are getting an okay deal, or do they work against them and possibly lose everything?

Now Uber, after successfully reshaping culture and politics to accommodate its business model, is bending unions, too. Labor groups have to take seriously the prospect that if they dont come to the table, the companies will write the laws themselves, as they did with Prop 22.

While the future may be uncertain for millions of workers, its a good idea to stay informed on what it could look like, so that workers can be prepared if and when similar legislation starts popping up around the country. The Bloomberg article is a great place to start.

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Go read this article about how Prop 22 may have opened the gates for the gig economy - The Verge

When Wendell Brooks stepped down as managing partner and head of Intel Capital last August, Anthony Lin was named to replace him on an interim basis. At the time, it wasnt clear if he would be given the role permanently, but today, six months later, the answer is known.

In a letter to the firms portfolio CEOs published on the company website, Lin mentioned, almost casually, that he had taken on the two roles on a permanent basis. Personally, I want to share that I have been appointed to managing partner and head of Intel Capital. I have been a member of the investment committee for the past several years and am humbly awed by the talent of our entrepreneurs and our team, he wrote.

Lin takes over in a time of turmoil for Intel as the company struggles to regain its place in the semiconductor business that it dominated for decades. Meanwhile, Intel itself has a new CEO with Pat Gelsinger returning in January from VMware to lead the organization.

As the corporate investment arm of Intel, it looks for companies that can help the parent company understand where to invest resources in the future. If that is its goal, perhaps it hasnt done a great job, as Intel has lost some of its edge when it comes to innovation.

Lin, who was formerly head of mergers and acquisitions and international investing at the firm, can use the power of the firms investment dollars to try to help point the parent company in the right direction and help find new ways to build innovative solutions on the Intel platform.

Lin acknowledged how challenging 2020 was for everyone, and his company was no exception, but the firm invested in 75 startups, including 35 new deals and 40 deals involving companies in which it had previously invested. It has also made a commitment to invest in companies with more diverse founders. To that end, 30% of new venture-stage dollars went to startups led by diverse leaders, according to Lin.

Whats more, the company made a five-year commitment that 15% of all its deals would go to companies with Black founders. It made some progress toward that goal, but there is still a ways to go. At the end of 2020, 9% of our new venture deals and 15% of our venture dollars committed were in companies led by Black founders. We know there is more progress to be made and we will continue to encourage, foster and invest in diverse and inclusive teams, he wrote.

Lin faces a big challenge ahead as he takes over, and he needs to use the firms investment might to help Gelsinger advance the goals of the broader firm, while making sound investments.

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Anthony Lin named permanent managing partner and head of Intel Capital - TechCrunch

Plex this week began testing TV app integration on the iPhone, iPad, and Apple TV, as spotted by MacRumors readers Casey Bailey and Will Sigmon. The feature is available in the latest beta version of the Plex app through TestFlight.

Plex is a popular media player that in recent years has introduced a growing library of free, ad-supported TV shows, movies, and other content from providers such as Warner Bros., Crackle, Lionsgate, MGM, and Legendary Entertainment. It is only this on-demand content that will be integrated in the TV app, and not a user's personal library of locally stored content, according to a Reddit user identifying as a Plex employee.

"This feature will only work with our free on demand movies and TV shows," the employee said. "We'd love to integrate personal media as well but that's not technically possible for a couple reasons. To make this work we provide Apple with a list of content we have available for streaming. As detailed in our privacy policy, we don't know what content our users have in their personal media libraries."

Update: This article has been updated with clarification from a Plex employee that TV app integration will be limited to Plex's free, ad-supported video content from partners like Warner Bros., Crackle, and Lionsgate.

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Plex Testing TV App Integration Across iPhone, iPad, and Apple TV - MacRumors

Google is reorganizing its responsible AI teams in the wake of Timnit Gebrus firing. The ethical AI team will now roll up to Marian Croak, a prominent Black executive in the engineering department. Croak will also oversee employees focused on engineering fairness products, according to Bloomberg. She will report to Jeff Dean, who leads the companys AI efforts.

The ethical AI team was not aware of the reorganization until news broke Wednesday night.

In a blog post confirming Croaks appointment, Google said the executive will be leading a new center of expertise on responsible AI within Google Research.

The change is an attempt to stabilize the department, which has been in turmoil for months, Bloomberg reports. In December, Timnit Gebru, co-lead of the ethical AI team, announced shed been abruptly fired. The following month, the company began investigating her counterpart Margaret Mitchell, who had been using a script to go through her emails to look for examples of discrimination against Gebru. Mitchell now says shes been locked out of her corporate accounts for more than five weeks.

Prior to her dismissal, Gebru had been trying to publish a paper on the dangers of large language processing models. Megan Kacholia, vice president of Google Research, asked her to retract the paper. Gebru pushed back, saying the company needed to be more transparent about the publication process. Shortly afterward, she was fired.

The ethical AI team published a six-page letter in the wake of Gebrus termination, calling on Kacholia to be replaced. We have lost confidence in Megan Kacholia and we call for her to be removed from our reporting chain, the letter read.

Now, the team may be getting its wish. As part of the reorganization, Kacholia will no longer lead the ethical AI researchers, according to Bloomberg. Its not clear what this means for Margaret Mitchell, who is still being investigated by the company.

Google did not immediately respond to a request for comment from The Verge.

Update February 18th, 1:38PM EST: This article has been updated to include a blog post from Google.

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Google is restructuring its AI teams after Timnit Gebrus firing - The Verge

Apple today informed developers that "health pass" apps can only be submitted by developers that are working with recognized public health authorities.

Apple says that to make sure these apps are responsibly handling sensitive data and providing reliable functionality, they're being limited to developers work with test kit manufacturers, laboratories, and healthcare providers.

With the recent release of COVID-19 vaccines, we've seen an increase in apps that generate health passes used to enter buildings and access in-person services based on testing and vaccination records. To ensure these apps responsibly handle sensitive data and provide reliable functionality, they must be submitted by developers working with entities recognized by public health authorities, such as test kit manufacturers, laboratories, or healthcare providers. As with other apps related to COVID-19, we also accept apps submitted directly by government, medical, and other credentialed institutions.

Apple has been restricting COVID 19-related apps since March. Apps providing data on COVID must be submitted by developers working with recognized entities such as government organizations, health-focused NGOs, companies deeply credentialed in health issues, and medical or educational institutions. Apple does not allow COVID 19-themed entertainment or game apps, nor any other app not submitted by a qualified developer.

Note: Due to the political or social nature of the discussion regarding this topic, the discussion thread is located in our Political News forum. All forum members and site visitors are welcome to read and follow the thread, but posting is limited to forum members with at least 100 posts.

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Apple Says COVID 'Health Pass' Apps Are Limited to Developers Working With Public Health Authorities - MacRumors

Olympic minister Seiko Hashimoto is seen heading to a Cabinet meeting at the prime minister's office in Tokyo on Feb. 12, 2021. (Mainichi/Kan Takeuchi)

TOKYO -- Olympics minister Seiko Hashimoto has surfaced as a candidate to succeed Yoshiro Mori as president of the Tokyo Organising Committee of the Olympic and Paralympic Games following Mori's announcement of his resignation on Feb. 12 over sexist remarks, multiple sources have disclosed.

From the perspective of gender equality, officials had suggested a woman should be chosen as the new president of the committee. During her career as an athlete, Hashimoto, 56, took part in both the summer and winter Olympics a total of seven times in speed skating and cycling, and also previously served as vice president of the Japanese Olympic Committee.

Sources said that since it would be viewed as problematic in terms of governance for a person to serve both as a Cabinet minister and as head of the Tokyo Olympic organizing committee, if Hashimoto became the organizing committee president, it is highly likely she would leave her ministerial post.

Tamayo Marukawa, who previously served as Olympics minister from 2016 to 2017, has been eyed as a possible candidate to replace Hashimoto in the Cabinet.

(Japanese original by Yuta Kobayashi and Akira Matsumoto, Sports News Department)

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Olympics minister Hashimoto eyed as replacement for outgoing Tokyo 2020 president Mori - The Mainichi - The Mainichi

Its official - Minister for the Environment David Parker confirmed yesterday that the Resource Management Act (RMA) will be repealed and replaced with three new laws during the current parliamentary term. The three new Acts will be:

Minister Parker has stated that The new laws will improve the natural environment, enable more development within environmental limits, provide an effective role for Mori, and improve housing supply and affordability. There is a clear focus on housing problems. The Cabinet Paper states that New Zealands housing is now amongst the least affordable in the OECD.

Minister Parker proposes to base the reform on the Resource Management Review Panels (also known as the Randerson Report) recommendations which were released in June 2020, with refinement in some places. Importantly, it is proposed that the Review Panels purpose and supporting provisions of the NBA are adopted.

It is proposed to advance the NBA first through a special process due to the significance of the reform. An exposure draft, which will contain the main structure and proposed headings of the full NBA, would be the subject of a select committee inquiry before legislation is formally introduced to the house. The exposure draft is expected to be released in mid-2021 for consultation, before it is introduced to the House at the end of this year. Minister Parker intends the NBA to be passed by late 2022. The SPA and CAA will be developed alongside the NBA but will not go through the same special process as the NBA.

Due to the scale and pace of the policy decision making required, Minister Parker is recommending that Cabinet establish a Ministerial Oversight Group with delegated decision-making powers to advance the exposure draft NBA, including policy details and consultation material.

The Government is working with a collective of pan-Mori entities on key elements of the NBA, and further engagement with the newly formed Mori collective is proposed after development of the exposure draft NBA. The Mori Collective was formed in late 2020 with the purpose of engaging with the Crown on Mori rights and interests in freshwater and resource management reform.

Minister Parker seeks agreement to three initial in-principle policy decisions needed to proceed quickly (noting these can be revisited later as result of engagement and the select committee inquiry):

It comes as no surprise that reform of the RMA is being progressed this parliamentary term. The Government seems to be up for the challenge and is planning to put a lot of effort and resources into it. The exposure draft approach is not widely used, but is entirely appropriate here, where draft legislation will benefit from testing at an early stage, and where the impacts of new legislation will be wide-reaching and enduring. This is legislation which many aspects of the community will have a view on.

There is widespread agreement amongst resource management practitioners, and much of the public, that a simpler resource management regime is needed. However, there will not be widespread agreement when it comes to balancing the interests of different stakeholders. Reform of New Zealands environment and planning law is a once-in-a generation opportunity to set ourselves up for future success. Now is the time for critics of the RMA to suggest solutions which will benefit us all, and the generations who will come after us.

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RIP RMA - The Resource Management Act (RMA) will be repealed and replaced with three new laws during the current parliamentary term. - JD Supra

Delays expected by Ironton bridge

RUSSELL, Ky. Traffic impacts at the Russell viaduct will vary over the next two weeks as steel work continues on the Kentucky Transportation Cabinets KY 244 bridge replacement project in Russell, Kentucky.

On Thursday and Friday, steelworkers will offload and place girders on newly-built bridge piers adjacent to the existing KY 244 viaduct. The work will require lane closures with flagged traffic or temporary traffic stops on KY 244 several times a day between 8 a.m.5 p.m.

Next week, steel work and traffic impacts will take place on Tuesday, Feb. 16, with the same periods of flagged and stopped traffic.

Contractors will coordinate daily traffic changes, and when necessary flaggers will be positioned on KY 244 in Russell and at the U.S. 23/KY 244/Ironton-Russell bridge intersection to direct traffic.

Because significant delays are possible on the heavily-traveled highways as many as 20,000 vehicles a day use them motorists are advised to seek alternate routes when possible into and out of downtown Russell during construction times. Work dates and traffic impacts could change depending upon weather.

Motorists should note that the current construction work zone also includes U.S. 23 between the Ironton-Russell bridge and the downtown Russell underpass. A right lane is closed on southbound U.S. 23; and Kenwood Drive (KY 750) is closed at the U.S. 23 intersection.

The $20.6 million Russell viaduct replacement project includes building a new KY 244 looping westward from US 23 to a new flyover bridge across U.S. 23 and the railroad tracks on the river side to touch down where the old viaduct bridge connects to Bellefonte Street in downtown Russell, Kentucky.

Construction will continue through this summer. To learn more, view flyover diagrams and get project updates, link to District 9s Russell Viaduct Project at https://transportation.ky.gov/DistrictNine or bookmark the web page at https://transportation.ky.gov/DistrictNine/Pages/RussellViaduct.aspx.

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Steel work continues on Russell Viaduct - The Tribune - Ironton Tribune

Apple has identified an issue that renders 2016 and 2017 MacBook Pro models unable to charge above 1%, saying it will replace compromised batteries for free.

Outlined in a support document on Tuesday, the problem also triggers a battery health status warning that indicates "Service Recommended." Apple says a "small number" of 2016 and 2017 MacBook Pro computers are impacted by the issue.

According to the support document, the following 13- and 15-inch MacBook Pro units are affected:

Owners experiencing the charging issue are urged to contact Apple for a free battery replacement. The company will examine incoming Macs prior to service to determine eligibility. Users can access Battery Health in System Preferences or, in macOS Catalina or earlier, by holding the Option key and clicking the battery icon in the menu bar.

Apple earlier on Tuesday issued a macOS update, macOS 11.2.1, to address the problem and prevent it from manifesting in machines that are operating normally. The company instructs owners of the above Mac models to update to macOS Big Sur 11.2.1 or later or install the macOS Catalina 10.15.7 supplemental update.

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Apple to replace batteries on 2016 and 2017 MacBook Pros unable to charge past 1% - AppleInsider

Yoshiro Mori announced on Friday his resignation as president of the Tokyo Organizing Committee of the Olympic and Paralympic Games, finally succumbing to an onslaught of criticism triggered by sexist comments he made earlier this month.

There has been much turmoil in recent weeks due to my inappropriate behavior, and for that I apologize, Mori said Friday during the opening remarks of an emergency meeting between Tokyo 2020 executive board members.

Whats most important is successfully holding the Tokyo Games in July, he said. There can be no interruptions to those efforts.

The 83-year-old former prime minister stepped down having served in the post for seven years, after being appointed president of the organizing body by then-Prime Minister Shinzo Abe.

Seiko Hashimoto, the minister in charge of the Tokyo Games and a former Olympian, has been floated as a possible replacement after Moris pick fell through.

Seiko Hashimoto, the Cabinet minister in charge of the Tokyo Games and a former Olympian, has been floated as a possible replacement to Yoshiro Mori as President of the Tokyo Organizing Committee of the Olympic and Paralympic Games. | KYODO

Tokyo 2020 CEO Toshiro Muto said during a news conference Friday evening that a gender project team as well as a selection committee to pick Moris successor will be formed, though its unclear when a selection will be made. We need to select a replacement as quickly as possible, Muto said.

The selection committee will consist of less than 10 members of the Tokyo 2020 executive board, Muto said, half of whom will be women.

Mori had tapped Saburo Kawabuchi, the 84-year-old former president of the Japan Football Association, as his replacement, but central government officials reportedly opposed the decision, arguing that Mori shouldnt be able to choose his own replacement. Just before Mori spoke publicly on Friday, Kawabuchi said he would not be assuming the position.

Mori provoked a wave of outrage at home and abroad by making a number of sexist remarks about women during a meeting on Feb. 3 with members of the Japanese Olympic Committee.

If one (female) member raises her hand to speak, all the others feel the need to speak too. Everyone ends up saying something, Mori said during the meeting. If we increase the number of female board members, we have to make sure their speaking time is restricted somewhat; they have difficulty finishing, which is annoying.

His attempted apology the following day fell short of expectations and seemed to only make things worse. Since then, more than 500 volunteers have reportedly withdrawn their participation in the games presumably due to Moris remarks and a number of corporate sponsors have voiced concern over supporting the event after so much controversy.

More than 80,000 volunteers had been selected from over 200,000 applicants to help with all manner of tasks traffic safety, crowd control, athlete support and community outreach, among others in an effort to streamline competitions and raise spirits during the games.

The resignation comes on the heels of dwindling support for Mori. According to a Kyodo News poll published Sunday, nearly 60% of respondents thought he was no longer qualified to serve as head of the organizing committee, while less than 7% said he was qualified.

Yoshiro Mori, president of the Tokyo Organizing Committee of the Olympic and Paralympic Games, announces his resignation Friday at the committee headquarters in Tokyo. | POOL / VIA REUTERS

At least three runners in the Olympic torch relay have also withdrawn.

As the furor unfolded, several top government officials condemned Mori, but most stopped short of calling for his resignation.

Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga has been largely absent from the conversation, repeatedly deflecting related questions by stating that the organizing committee is an independent body responsible for its own personnel decisions.

However, not only did Chief Cabinet Secretary Katsunobu Kato and Tokyo 2020 CEO Toshiro Muto reportedly hold a secret meeting Wednesday to discuss the matter, Mori himself called a number of lawmakers in the ruling Liberal Democratic Party to inform them of his plans to step down.

Mori reportedly told Kawabuchi during a home visit Thursday that Suga thought it would be best to replace him with a woman or someone much younger, while Thomas Bach, president of the International Olympic Committee, floated the idea of appointing a woman to serve alongside Mori as co-president.

Bach said Friday that he fully respects Moris decision to step down and thanked him for his outstanding contribution to the organization of the postponed Olympic and Paralympic Games Tokyo 2020 over the course of the past years.

The IOC will continue working hand-in-hand with his successor to deliver safe and secure Olympic Games Tokyo 2020 in 2021, the IOC president said in a statement.

Corporate sponsors of the Tokyo Games began to voice concerns earlier this week that supporting the global sporting event during an ongoing global pandemic had been made even riskier due to Moris sexist remarks.

Yoshiro Mori, president of the Tokyo Organizing Committee of the Olympic and Paralympic Games, holds a news conference in Tokyo in March 2020. | REUTERS

According to the organizing committee, several sponsors raised concerns during a meeting that, with Moris comments continuing to draw criticism, advertising at the games could end up doing more harm than good to their brands. Though its unclear which companies raised the concerns, domestic sponsors include major firms such as Asahi Breweries Ltd., Canon Inc. and Mizuho Financial Group Inc.

Akio Toyoda, president of Toyota, a major domestic sponsor of the games, released a statement Wednesday in which the executive described it as very regrettable that the comments made by the leader of the organizing committee differ from the values that Toyota holds.

Corporate sponsorship accounts for more than half of the Tokyo Games expected revenue, according to the organizing committee. The cost of the games rose last year when they were postponed until this July due to the spread of the novel coronavirus. The withdrawal of corporate sponsors would compound the financial situation.

Organizers hope to put the scandal behind them by replacing Mori, but its unclear that doing so will fix the damage dealt to morale over the Tokyo Games. The global sporting event, now scheduled to kick off in July during what will likely be an ongoing pandemic, is facing ballooning costs due to countermeasures needed to protect athletes, staff and spectators from COVID-19 during the games.

The Kyodo News poll found that more than 80% of respondents believed the games should be postponed again or canceled altogether, while just 14.5% said the event should go forward as planned.

Media reports say Mori will remain on the organizing committee in an advisory role after stepping down from the post of president.

Former Japan Football Association President Saburo Kawabuchi | KYODO

Kawabuchi, who had been serving on the Tokyo Organizing Committee as mayor of the Olympic Village, has been criticized in the past for his controversial beliefs on historical revision, racist remarks toward South Koreans and connections to Japans far right.

A native of Osaka Prefecture, Kawabuchi is a staple of the Japanese footballing world. He debuted for the Japanese national team in 1958 and represented his country during the 1964 Summer Olympics in Tokyo.

Reports that Kawabuchi would replace Mori drew a swift backlash on social media, where critics voiced concern over his contentious beliefs on politics, history and race.

They also pointed out the irony of replacing an older man known for his tone-deaf remarks on gender representation with an even older man. Some also questioned Moris involvement in selecting his own predecessor, or his continued role on the organizing committee as an advisor.

As of Friday, more than 147,000 people had signed a petition calling for Moris resignation and for greater gender representation in the organizing committee.

Tennis superstar Naomi Osaka said earlier this week that Moris comments were really inappropriate. A number of Olympic and Paralympic athletes as well as foreign embassies also expressed their condemnation.

On Feb. 17, a meeting will be attended by IOC President Bach, Tokyo Games Minister Hashimoto and a representative of the Tokyo 2020 Organizing Committee.

Tokyo Gov. Yuriko Koike, who was supposed to attend, said Wednesday she would not because nothing positive will come of it.

All eyes are on the transparency of the selection process, Koike said Friday during a news conference. The result will largely impact the image Tokyo broadcasts to the rest of the world.

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Mori resigns as Tokyo 2020 hopes to move on from sexism outrage - The Japan Times