THE RACE TO RESPOND: TECH’S LEADERSHIP ON COVID-19
Next Thursday, May 7th, sf.citi is hosting The Race to Respond: Tech’s Leadership on COVID-19, in partnership with Protocol and sea.citi. We’ll feature a packed conversation with tech executives, venture capitalists, and more about tech’s rapid and ever evolving response to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Tech companies have found themselves at the epicenter of the COVID-19 response. Bringing together San Francisco and Seattle, The Race to Respond will feature an exciting lineup of executives, founders, and VCs from across the tech sector, including Slack, Postmates, and Twitter, with many more to come. Together, we’ll talk about what companies have done to adapt to the pandemic and what they have in mind for the future.
We’ll reflect on what’s worked, what’s been challenging, and what about the tech industry will never be the same. Capacity is limited, so make sure to secure your spot by registering below!
THE COVID-19 EFFECT ON SAN FRANCISCO’S OFFICE SPACE MARKET
In our latest policy piece, sf.citi explains how COVID-19 is affecting San Francisco’s office space market and what that means for the rest of the City.
Prior to COVID-19, San Francisco’s office space industry appeared unshakeable. It was considered one of the hottest commercial real estate markets in the country and even the world, with sky-high office space prices rivaling those of metropolitan powerhouses like Tokyo, Beijing, Hong Kong, London, and New Delhi. San Francisco’s booming office space market also reflected the health of local businesses and poured vital revenue into the City’s economy.
Then COVID-19 struck, forcing cities across the world to shut down. In a matter of weeks, San Francisco’s office occupancy rates dropped from 90 percent to 10 percent. And as San Francisco’s office space market suffers, so does the City as a whole. The City relies on revenue from several taxes related to office space—property taxes, transfer taxes, commercial rent taxes, and affordable housing linkage fees—all of which are likely to take a hit from COVID-19. On top of that, with many employees working from home, COVID-19 has called into question the necessity of large and expensive office spaces.
One thing is for certain: whenever we return to the office, it will look vastly different than before COVID-19. Learn more in our policy piece below.
Read More About COVID-19 & the SF Office Space Market
OFFICE SPACE DEEP DIVE WITH SF PLANNING DIRECTOR RICH HILLIS
On May 13, join sf.citi Executive Director, Jennifer Stojkovic, and Director of San Francisco’s Planning Department, Rich Hillis, for an in-depth discussion on what to expect for the future of San Francisco’s offices.
After you’ve read our piece about COVID-19 and San Francisco’s office space market, we encourage you to come prepared with questions for our conversation with San Francisco Planning Director, Rich Hillis, on May 13. We’ll dive deeper into how COVID-19 has taken a toll on the City’s office space market and how the office space market supports San Francisco’s overall economic health. We’ll also explore how COVID-19 could mark the beginning of a new way to work—one that relies less on office space altogether—by taking a look at different work-from-home policies and plans from San Francisco tech companies. Make sure to RSVP below.
sf.citi’s discussion with Rich Hillis is one in a series of virtual events sf.citi is hosting to explore the effects of COVID-19 on San Francisco’s future. Earlier this month, we chatted with San Francisco City Controller, Ben Rosenfield, to learn about the consequences of COVID-19 on the City’s budget. You can watch (or rewatch) that conversation here.
Register for Our COVID-19 Office Space Discussion
COVID-19 CAREER ADVICE AND HIRING TRENDS
sf.citi hosted our first entirely online edition of Breaking Into Tech, where we learned about hiring trends during COVID-19 and held virtual speed mentoring sessions with top employers in the City.
Breaking Into Tech Week began on April 28 with a discussion on how COVID-19 has altered the job landscape and what job seekers should know. Lisa Quiroz-Countryman, CEO of JVS, started off the conversation by emphasizing the importance of networking and job readiness, especially in these unprecedented circumstances. From Efrem Bycer of LinkedIn, we discovered which remote roles are most in demand, while Rachel Yaeger of Zendesk offered expert tips for nailing a video interview (hint: video interviews may become the norm even after COVID-19 ends). Ketan Anjaria of HireClub, meanwhile, told us about skills that are especially important for remote work.
We then held four speed networking sessions on April 29-30 to connect current and aspiring tech workers. As in years past, these speed networking activities proved enriching for mentors and job seekers alike and included participation from member companies like LinkedIn, Airbnb, Okta, Postmates, Cruise, and many more. You can watch the entire panel discussion and read a few gems of career wisdom in our event recap below.
Read More About Breaking Into Tech WeekDID YOU KNOW?
San Francisco-based product and engineering lead Clara Ko developed a website to track COVID-19 hospital occupancy in California. Hers is one of the latest tech tools developed here in Silicon Valley to help track the spread of COVID19. Find out how your county health care system is holding up against COVID-19 here.
BUZZ | #MEMBERNEWS
- NHS doctors are using Microsoft Teams to get Coronavirus test results straight to their phones (Microsoft)
- Cruise’s Self-Driving Cars Typically Transport Employees; Now They’re Delivering Meals To Those in Need (Forbes)
- Okta Appoints Technology and Financial Services Veteran David Bradbury as Chief Security Officer (Okta)
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