Google to cut marketing budgets by as much as half, directors warned of hiring freezes (3 minute read)
Google will be reducing spending on marketing by as much as half for the second half of the year. The company has also recently announced a hiring freeze for full-time and contract employees. Alphabet CEO Sundar Pichai has previously said that Google would be pulling back on some of its investments due to the COVID-19 crisis, but did not mention drastic budget cuts or hiring freezes at the time. Google's investments will be redirected to areas such as data centers and machines, and non business essential marketing and travel.
The first modern pandemic (30 minute read)
Bill Gates discusses his views of the COVID-19 situation and how we can accelerate innovations in testing, treatments, vaccines, and policies to limit the spread of the disease and minimize the damage to economies and well-being. He reviews how the disease started and the key facts around the coronavirus, including its infection rates, our response, and information that we still need in order to fight the virus. There are many treatments and vaccines that are currently being studied, but it will take some time before any of these are available. Most countries will move into a semi-normal state within the next two months. However, things will definitely not be the same. Governments will have to find a balance when removing current restrictions.