For tech giants like Meta, feverish pandemic growth is now followed by layoffs

Nov 7, 2022
Jobs losses at Meta and others could be an indicator of wider cuts in other industries.
Meta is reportedly planning to lay off thousands of employees this week, joining several other big companies in downsizing.
Fabrice Coffrini/AFP via Getty Images

Could getting more tech employees in classrooms help college students stick with STEM?

Oct 28, 2022
It's not common for companies to be involved with teaching freshmen-level courses. A new program in Chicago is trying it out.
Alejandro Martinez, left, and Nate Beasley listen to an M1 employee through Zoom in a class at Illinois Tech.
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Chip manufacturing jobs are coming. Are Americans ready for them?

Oct 27, 2022
Semiconductor production positions pay about $100,000 on average, and schools are rushing to offer training so people can qualify.
Mandel Ngan/AFP via Getty Images

Rising interest rates pack a punch for tech companies

Oct 24, 2022
Microsoft, Apple and Meta are reporting earnings this week. But rising interest rates are luring investors away from tech stocks.
For tech companies like Apple that promise longer-term gains to investors rather than short-term results, higher interest rates can pose a challenge.
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Microsoft layoffs may signal a broader tech downturn

Oct 18, 2022
Other tech companies are also cutting jobs and scaling back recruitment after years of rapid hiring.
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The inventors of the now-ubiquitous barcode received a patent 70 years ago

Oct 7, 2022
Inspired in part by Morse code, the barcode was originally conceived of as concentric circles.
Bernard Silver and Norman Joseph Woodland came up with the barcode concept, which got a patent a mere 70 years ago.
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The traditional business card is getting a tech makeover

Sep 14, 2022
Manually inputting contact info is becoming a thing of the past. Instead, networkers are adopting QR codes and chips.
Traditional business cards are falling by the wayside as networkers adopt digital options.
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For public good, not for profit.

Car speed limiters are gaining traction

Aug 22, 2022
Last month a new European rule went into effect mandating speed limiters on new cars. Now New York city is trying out the devices.
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Apple is the latest tech firm to cut staff. What do the layoffs tell us about the economy?

Aug 17, 2022
In some cases, it’s about responding to competition. In others, it’s a way of bracing for a possible economic downturn.
Apple recently laid off roughly 100 workers in its recruiting division, according to Bloomberg. It joins other tech companies that have decided to slow hiring.
Justin Sullivan/Getty Images

What adults are missing about teens and screens

Aug 17, 2022
In a new book, two Harvard researchers reveal the complex social issues teens grapple with in today’s digital world.
“The stories that they were telling us not only stopped us in our tracks, but they made us rethink our own assumptions," says Emily Weinstein about her and Carrie James' surveys and interviews with thousands of teens about their digital lives.
Photo by Nicolas Tucat/AFP via Getty Images