theverge--2020-06-02--Blackout Tuesday posts are drowning out vital information shared under the BLM hashtag

As part of a Blackout Tuesday protest originally organized by workers in the music industry , users on social media , particularly Instagram , are sharing images of black squares in solidarity with black victims of police violence .
But many are tagging their posts with the hashtags # BlackLivesMatter and # BLM , obscuring a channel that ’ s being used to share vital information about protests , organization donations , and document police violence .
The singer Kehlani and rapper Chuck Inglish were among those to call out the problem , retweeting a video of an Instagram feed @ @ @ @ @ @ @ BLM hashtag .
As the video ’ s original poster noted : “ once you click on the blm hashtag you ’ re directed to an overflow of black images , instead of other more useful content people could look at for information.
” Another user said sharing black screens under the hashtags was “ counter-productive ...
Amplify black voices WITHOUT silencing the movement.
” Other social media users urged anyone posting a black screen as part of the protest to simply remove the # BLM and # BlackLivesMatter hashtags from their posts @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the # BlackLivesMatter hashtag on Instagram , ” wrote Twitter user Anthony James Williams .
“ It is intentionally and unintentionally hiding critical information we are using on the ground and online ... Tell me how this helps Black folk .
It doesn ’ t , and it in fact makes things a lot worse .
Tell your friends and fam to stop.
” What ’ s being called the Blackout Tuesday ( it ’ s also being called “ Black Out Tuesday ” ) protest was originally organized by two black women @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Thomas , senior director of marketing at Atlantic Records , and Brianna Agyemang , a former Atlantic executive who is now senior artist campaign manager at Platoon .
Using the hashtag # TheShowMustBePaused , Thomas and Agyemang called for members of the music industry to “ take a beat for an honest reflective , and productive conversation about what actions we need to collectively take to support the black community.
” “ The music industry is a multi-billion dollar industry .
An industry that has profited predominately from Black Art , ” write @ @ @ @ @ @ @ mission is to hold the industry at large , including major corporations + their partners who benefit from the efforts , struggles and success of Black people accountable.
” Many record labels , radio stations , and musicians have since shared posts on social media under the # TheShowMustBePaused hashtag and expressed solidarity with the black community .
Some record labels have promised not to release new music this week .
It ’ s not clear when the social media protests became labeled as Blackout Tuesday or when sharing a black screen became @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Agyemang stressed in their posts that they weren ’ t organizing a “ 24-hour initiative.
” Said the pair : “ We are and will be in this fight for the long haul.
” Black Lives Matter itself dates back to 2013 , as a response to the acquittal of George Zimmerman for the killing of 17-year-old Trayvon Martin .
Hashtags associated with the movement are used for a range of purposes , from posts in solidarity to activists sharing information about attending protests to the documentation of police brutality .
As protests @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to the police killing of George Floyd , social media has provided an essential channel for both organizing demonstrations and sharing footage of police violence .

As part of a Blackout Tuesday protest originally organized by workers in the music industry, users on social media, particularly Instagram, are sharing images of black squares in solidarity with black victims of police violence. But many are tagging their posts with the hashtags #BlackLivesMatter and #BLM, obscuring a channel that’s being used to share vital information about protests, organization donations, and document police violence.
The singer Kehlani and rapper Chuck Inglish were among those to call out the problem, retweeting a video of an Instagram feed of black images shared under the #BLM hashtag.
As the video’s original poster noted: “once you click on the blm hashtag you’re directed to an overflow of black images, instead of other more useful content people could look at for information.” Another user said sharing black screens under the hashtags was “counter-productive ... Amplify black voices WITHOUT silencing the movement.”
Other social media users urged anyone posting a black screen as part of the protest to simply remove the #BLM and #BlackLivesMatter hashtags from their posts.
“Stop posting black squares under the #BlackLivesMatter hashtag on Instagram,” wrote Twitter user Anthony James Williams. “It is intentionally and unintentionally hiding critical information we are using on the ground and online ... Tell me how this helps Black folk. It doesn’t, and it in fact makes things a lot worse. Tell your friends and fam to stop.”
What’s being called the Blackout Tuesday (it’s also being called “Black Out Tuesday”) protest was originally organized by two black women working in the music industry: Jamila Thomas, senior director of marketing at Atlantic Records, and Brianna Agyemang, a former Atlantic executive who is now senior artist campaign manager at Platoon.
Using the hashtag #TheShowMustBePaused, Thomas and Agyemang called for members of the music industry to “take a beat for an honest reflective, and productive conversation about what actions we need to collectively take to support the black community.”
“The music industry is a multi-billion dollar industry. An industry that has profited predominately from Black Art,” write the pair at TheShowMustBePaused.com. “Our mission is to hold the industry at large, including major corporations + their partners who benefit from the efforts, struggles and success of Black people accountable.”
Many record labels, radio stations, and musicians have since shared posts on social media under the #TheShowMustBePaused hashtag and expressed solidarity with the black community. Some record labels have promised not to release new music this week.
It’s not clear when the social media protests became labeled as Blackout Tuesday or when sharing a black screen became a sign of participation. Thomas and Agyemang stressed in their posts that they weren’t organizing a “24-hour initiative.” Said the pair: “We are and will be in this fight for the long haul.”
Black Lives Matter itself dates back to 2013, as a response to the acquittal of George Zimmerman for the killing of 17-year-old Trayvon Martin. Hashtags associated with the movement are used for a range of purposes, from posts in solidarity to activists sharing information about attending protests to the documentation of police brutality.


theverge--2020-06-02--Android 11’s first beta lands early for some Pixel owners

Some Google Pixel owners have received the Android 11 Beta early , revealing yet more details about this year ’ s version of Android .
In a tweet , Mishaal Rahman from XDA Developers said that two Pixel 4 XL users reported having received the update , revealing new details about Android 11 features like the power button menu , three new icon shapes , and auto-generated app suggestions in the home screen dock .
Google planned to announce the Android 11 beta on June 3rd but decided to delay the launch .
“ Now is not the time to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ linking it directly to national protests about police violence that have since gone global .
The company is yet to set a new date for the announcement , so it ’ s unclear when this beta software may be more widely available .
The beta software shows off a number of features that are under development for Android 11 .
There ’ s a new option for developers to move their app ’ s media controls from the notifications panel into the Quick Settings menu , freeing up space for other notifications .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ of the minimized menu , and 9to5Google notes that it expands across the top of the screen when the menu is fully opened .
The Pixel Launcher has also been updated as part of the beta , allowing Google ’ s software to automatically populate the bottom row of the Pixel ’ s home screen with app suggestions .
These suggestions previously sat at the top of the app drawer , but now you can have them directly on your home screen .
App icons are generally getting a bit of a face @ @ @ @ @ @ @ offering more customizability .
These features build on a host of other functionality that we ’ ve learned about over the past few months of developer releases .
There ’ s a new settings menu for the previously-revealed chat “ bubbles , ” which let you keep conversations accessible via a floating bubble on your screen , and another menu shows how you ’ ll be able to customize the payment options and smart home shortcuts in the revamped power button menu .

Some Google Pixel owners have received the Android 11 Beta early, revealing yet more details about this year’s version of Android. In a tweet, Mishaal Rahman from XDA Developers said that two Pixel 4 XL users reported having received the update, revealing new details about Android 11 features like the power button menu, three new icon shapes, and auto-generated app suggestions in the home screen dock.
Google planned to announce the Android 11 beta on June 3rd but decided to delay the launch. “Now is not the time to celebrate,” the company said without linking it directly to national protests about police violence that have since gone global. The company is yet to set a new date for the announcement, so it’s unclear when this beta software may be more widely available.
The beta software shows off a number of features that are under development for Android 11. There’s a new option for developers to move their app’s media controls from the notifications panel into the Quick Settings menu, freeing up space for other notifications. The playback options appear to the left of the minimized menu, and 9to5Google notes that it expands across the top of the screen when the menu is fully opened.
The Pixel Launcher has also been updated as part of the beta, allowing Google’s software to automatically populate the bottom row of the Pixel’s home screen with app suggestions. These suggestions previously sat at the top of the app drawer, but now you can have them directly on your home screen. App icons are generally getting a bit of a face lift, with three new icon shapes offering more customizability.
These features build on a host of other functionality that we’ve learned about over the past few months of developer releases. There’s a new settings menu for the previously-revealed chat “bubbles,” which let you keep conversations accessible via a floating bubble on your screen, and another menu shows how you’ll be able to customize the payment options and smart home shortcuts in the revamped power button menu.


theverge--2020-06-01--In leaked audio, Zuckerberg expressed ‘disgust’ with Trump’s posts

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On Friday afternoon , Facebook made one of its most controversial content moderation decisions in company history .
After President Trump posted to Facebook some tweets that Twitter had placed behind a warning for “ glorifying violence , ” Mark Zuckerberg said that the company would allow them to stand .
“ I know many people are upset that we ’ ve left the President ’ s posts up , ” Zuckerberg said in a Facebook post , “ but @ @ @ @ @ @ @ as much expression as possible unless it will cause imminent risk of specific harms or dangers spelled out in clear policies.
” “ When the looting starts , the shooting starts , ” Trump had tweeted — quoting a former Miami police chief who , in 1967 , called for a violent crackdown on the city ’ s black community .
And just as the president suggested , a long weekend of violence followed in the United States , with police assaulting protesters and bystanders across the country in the days that followed @ @ @ @ @ @ @ post up for two reasons : one , that “ people need to know if the government is planning to deploy force.
” And two , that Trump had sort of ( maybe ? )
walked back his original post in a later one , “ saying that the original post was warning about the possibility that looting could lead to violence.
” So whether or not Trump meant to incite violence with his words , Zuckerberg argued , Facebook had good reason to let the post stand .
Shortly after sharing the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a meeting with employees to elaborate on his point of view .
In audio of the meeting that I obtained , Zuckerberg said that he had agonized over the decision .
“ How to handle this post from the president has been very tough , ” said Zuckerberg , who was joined in the discussion by his head of policy management , Monika Bickert .
“ It ’ s been something that I ’ ve been struggling with basically all day , ever since I woke up .
...
This has been personally @ @ @ @ @ @ @ his unhappiness with Trump ’ s remarks .
“ My first reaction ... was just disgust , ” he said .
“ This is not how I think we want our leaders to show up during this time .
This is a moment that calls for unity and calmness and empathy for people who are struggling.
” Ultimately , he and Bickert said , executives concluded that Trump ’ s remarks didn ’ t violate their existing policies .
But he said they would re-examine their policies around politicians discussing the use of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ he said would likely take several weeks .
“ There is a real question coming out of this , which is whether we want to evolve our policy around the discussion of state use of force , ” he told employees Friday .
“ Over the coming days , as the National Guard is now deployed , probably the largest one that I would worry about would be excessive use of police or military force .
I think there ’ s a good argument that there should be more bounds around the discussion @ @ @ @ @ @ @ on what more “ bounds ” would mean in this case , or whether he thought the policy should change to disallow posts like Trump ’ s .
In response to an employee question , Zuckerberg also said he disagreed with Twitter ’ s approach of placing violating tweets behind a warning .
“ If you really believe that a post is going to cause people to go to go do real-world violence , then that ’ s not the type of thing that I think we should have up even behind a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Some people might be comforted that Twitter took a step , even if it didn ’ t go all the way .
But I don ’ t personally agree with that step.
” Zuckerberg ’ s message to employees Friday was that even if Facebook hadn ’ t removed this Trump post , it was prepared to do so in the future if the president violated a company policy .
That satisfied some employees , but to others it smacked of appeasement .
On Thursday , their anger bubbled up in a series @ @ @ @ @ @ @ at The Verge .
And then , over the weekend , the long-standing norm that Facebook employees never criticize their employer in public seemed to shatter , tweet by tweet .
On Monday , they mounted the most significant collective worker action in the company ’ s 15-year history .
While it ’ s difficult to measure the number of people who participated in a virtual walkout , an internal group devoted to the effort had about 400 people , sources said .
“ I ’ m a FB employee that completely disagrees @ @ @ @ @ @ @ nothing about Trump ’ s recent posts , which clearly incite violence , ” tweeted Jason Stirman , who works on research and development , on Saturday .
“ I ’ m not alone inside of FB .
There isn ’ t a neutral position on racism.
” Jason Toff , a former employee of Twitter and Google who now works on experimental apps at Facebook , echoed those sentiments on Sunday .
“ I work at Facebook and I am not proud of how we ’ re showing up , ” Toff @ @ @ @ @ @ @ I ’ ve spoken to feel the same way .
We are making our voice heard.
” Within hours , there were more than a dozen such tweets from employees working across the company , all expressing disappointment with their employer ’ s decision .
And on Monday , dozens of employees staged a virtual walkout , making themselves unavailable for the day and joining in protests .
The New York Times reported that employees are working on a list of demands , and that some senior employees have threatened to resign if @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
“ As allies we must stand in the way of danger , not behind , ” tweeted Sara Zhang , a product designer at Facebook .
“ I will be participating in today ’ s virtual walkout in solidarity with the black community inside and outside FB .
# BlackLivesMatter ” By this point we have seen our share of worker actions at big tech companies .
The Google walkout over sexual harassment kicked open the doors in 2018 , and has been followed by high-profile protests at Amazon , Microsoft , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ hundreds of Facebook employees signed an open letter to Zuckerberg in October about his decision to exempt political ads from fact-checking .
But notable as that letter was , it still adopted the form that dissent has almost always taken at Facebook : vigorous internal debate .
( One source told me the internal furor over Joel Kaplan ’ s public support of controversial Supreme Court justice Brett Kavanaugh during his nomination hearings had been markedly more intense . )
What ’ s different about Monday ’ s walkout is that the protests @ @ @ @ @ @ @ on a rival social network , to boot .
For Facebook workers , the choice to discuss their concerns on Twitter was remarkably effective , for two reasons .
One , Twitter is where journalists live , and so the posts were guaranteed to generate coverage .
Two , sentiment about Facebook on Twitter is generally hostile , so current employees ’ criticisms of the company got massive distribution through retweets .
The workers ’ comments were less sweeping in their criticism than some former employees , co-founders , and top executives of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ None of these employees has yet quit , nor have they suggested , as WhatsApp co-founder Brian Acton once did , that people “ delete Facebook.
” But what they shared was a sense of shame in their employer that remains extraordinary among tech workers , even at a time when worker actions are becoming more common .
“ Facebook ’ s inaction in taking down Trump ’ s post inciting violence makes me ashamed to work here , ” tweeted Lauren Tan , an engineer .
“ I absolutely disagree with it @ @ @ @ @ @ @ my job and working alongside smart/kind people , but this isn ’ t right .
Silence is complicity.
” Another inspired aspect of the workers ’ protest was that executives had to sit back and accept it , at least in their public statements .
You can ’ t bend over backwards to allow the president ’ s posts about shooting up crowds and then tell employees they can ’ t discuss their feelings about it .
And so the official word from Facebook on all the controversy was that they should go @ @ @ @ @ @ @ pain many of our people are feeling right now , especially our Black community , ” the company told Bloomberg .
“ We encourage employees to speak openly when they disagree with leadership.
” Much of employees ’ frustration appears to be rooted in the fear that there is no line Trump could cross that would lead Facebook to enforce its policies .
Zuckerberg and Bickert spent much of the all-hands meeting on Friday pushing back on that idea — fairly , I think .
It was barely two months ago that the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of Brazil , Jair Bolsonaro , for promoting a phony coronavirus cure .
You can argue that the company is more sensitive to pressure from conservatives in the United States , and a lot of good reporting has borne that out in the past few years .
But the idea that there ’ s no line Trump can ’ t cross on Facebook doesn ’ t strike me as plausible .
Of course , we won ’ t know for sure until Facebook actually does take action against Trump .
And in the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ have signaled that for them , that red line has already been crossed .
For Zuckerberg and his policy team , Trump is a legalistic problem — a question of how certain words and phrases do or do not comport with the standards they have written .
But for the workers speaking out , Trump is a moral problem — a danger to their friends , their families , their communities , and themselves .
Facebook ’ s scale depends on courting Republicans and Democrats equally — making regular concessions to both to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ as it can be .
Zuckerberg has sought to draw a distinction between his role as CEO and his own feelings — arguing for Trump ’ s right to free expression at work while donating $ 10 million to groups working on racial justice in his personal time .
But since its founding , Facebook has been dedicated to the idea that in this life , you only get to have one real identity .
When employees logged off Monday , the company began to see the limits of having it both ways @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Zuckerberg on Monday to discuss their concerns .
Facebook is having an all-hands meeting with employees Tuesday where Zuckerberg is expected to take questions .
Walkout organizers are developing a list of demands for the company .
Today in news that could affect public perception of the big tech platforms .
Trending up : YouTube is donating $ 1 million to the Center for Policing Equity , to demonstrate “ solidarity against racism and violence.
” The company tweeted that it was pledging the funds “ in support of efforts to address social @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Verge ) Trending down : A a technical glitch on TikTok made it look like posts using the hashtags # BlackLivesMatter and # GeorgeFloyd were receiving zero views .
TikTok apologized for the error , saying “ we understand that many assumed this bug to be an intentional act to suppress the experiences and invalidate the emotions felt by the Black community.
” ( See also Digital Forensic Research Lab on this . )
TikTok says it will do more in the future to promote black creators .
Total cases in the US @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the US : At least 104,700 Total test results ( positive and negative ) in New York : 2,063,825 Total test results ( positive and negative ) in New Jersey : 746,145 Data from The New York Times .
Test data from The COVID Tracking Project .
⭐ Misinformation about the protests in Washington DC related to the police killing of George Floyd is surging across Twitter .
One of the rumors claimed authorities had somehow blocked protesters from communicating from their smartphones in order to crack down on the unrest .
Here @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Fenit Nirappil from The Washington Post : Social media is being used to galvanize protestors .
But misinformation about the unrest is also going viral on the platforms — and not just in DC .
( Sarah E. Needleman and Sebastian Herrera / The Wall Street Journal ) Authorities and law enforcement officials are helping to push a narrative that outside groups were responsible for inciting violent confrontations at the protests over the weekend .
But there ’ s little evidence for those claims .
( Brandy Zadrozny and Ben Collins / NBC @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the US have captured what may be the most comprehensive live picture of police brutality ever .
This post includes images and videos of those scenes captured across the country , which were shared widely across social sites .
( T.C .
Sottek / The Verge ) Police violence will make it harder to fight COVID-19 .
In the aftermath of the police response to protests , vulnerable communities may be even less likely to trust and cooperate with health officials .
That could make it harder to control another wave of illness @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ) The Dallas Police Department asked people to send in “ video of illegal activity ” from the Black Lives Matter protests in the city .
Instead , it received a flood of pictures and videos of K-pop artists .
( Caroline Haskins / BuzzFeed ) Apple CEO Tim Cook addressed the killing of George Floyd in a letter to employees , saying the “ painful past is still present today.
” He also said the company would be donating to the Equal Justice Initiative , a non-profit focusing on racial injustice .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ CEO Sundar Pichai emailed employees on Friday about the growing protests and unrest in the US .
The tech exec did not commit to supporting any specific government policy changes in response to the protests , unlike some other technology industry leaders .
( Rob Price / Business Insider ) Snap CEO Evan Spiegel called for the creation of an American commission to address racial injustice and comprehensive tax reform .
In a lengthy note to employees , he said he was “ heartbroken and enraged ” by racism in America .
Give @ @ @ @ @ @ @ s by far the most thoughtful of the corporate responses to this weekend ’ s violence that I ’ ve seen .
Trump ’ s executive order on social media companies could backfire .
Without certain liability protections , companies like Twitter would have to be more aggressive about policing messages that press the boundaries — including the president ’ s .
( Peter Baker and Daisuke Wakabayashi / The New York Times ) Also : Trump ’ s order could hurt online speech by pressuring social media platforms to give his content @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Jeffrey Westling / Lawfare ) President Trump ’ s decision to go after Twitter for fact-checking his tweets is part of a long tradition upheld by aggrieved internet trolls .
A power user with a passionate following is lashing out against the moderators of his favorite internet services .
The best description of the dynamic between Trump , Twitter and Facebook that I ’ ve read to date .
( Kevin Roose / The New York Times ) Senate lawmakers are unveiling a bipartisan bill to regulate contact-tracing and exposure-notification apps .
Their @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to combat the coronavirus don ’ t come at the expense of users ’ privacy .
( Tony Romm / The Washington Post ) State-based contact tracing apps could be a disaster .
With no national plan for these apps , security and interoperability issues loom large .
( Andy Greenberg / Wired ) YouTube said it made a mistake in deleting videos about the controversial drug hydroxychloroquine posted by a popular doctor .
The content appears to have been collateral damage in the company ’ s fight against COVID-19 misinformation .
( @ @ @ @ @ @ @ offers to several thousand contractors due to an advertising slump created by the coronavirus crisis .
The move affected more than 2,000 people globally who had signed offers to be a contract or temp worker .
Daisuke Wakabayashi at The New York Times has the story : Coronavirus mutual aid groups are organizing on Slack .
They ’ re distributing groceries and spare air conditioners using tools designed to turn labor into money as efficiently as possible .
( Kaitlyn Tiffany / The Atlantic ) Inside Amazon ’ s hierarchical company culture .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ called Tech Nations , which examines the world ’ s largest technology companies as if they were countries – not corporations .
Featuring one of the first interviews with recent Amazon apostate Tim Bray .
( Alexi Mostrous and James Ball / Tortoise Media ) Zoom plans to roll out strong encryption for paying its customers — but not for those with free accounts .
( Joseph Menn / Reuters ) Stuff to occupy you online during the quarantine .
Donate to a bail fund .
This comprehensive guide from Rolling Stone has @ @ @ @ @ @ @ efforts , including the George Floyd Memorial Fund in Minnesota .
Today and every day , black lives matter .
And there are some more good ideas on how to help from The Verge here .
Send us tips , comments , questions , and audio of the Facebook all-hands on Tuesday : casey @ theverge.com and zoe @ theverge.com .

I. The CEO
On Friday afternoon, Facebook made one of its most controversial content moderation decisions in company history. After President Trump posted to Facebook some tweets that Twitter had placed behind a warning for “glorifying violence,” Mark Zuckerberg said that the company would allow them to stand.
“I know many people are upset that we’ve left the President’s posts up,” Zuckerberg said in a Facebook post, “but our position is that we should enable as much expression as possible unless it will cause imminent risk of specific harms or dangers spelled out in clear policies.”
“When the looting starts, the shooting starts,” Trump had tweeted — quoting a former Miami police chief who, in 1967, called for a violent crackdown on the city’s black community. And just as the president suggested, a long weekend of violence followed in the United States, with police assaulting protesters and bystanders across the country in the days that followed.
Zuckerberg said that Facebook left the post up for two reasons: one, that “people need to know if the government is planning to deploy force.” And two, that Trump had sort of (maybe?) walked back his original post in a later one, “saying that the original post was warning about the possibility that looting could lead to violence.” So whether or not Trump meant to incite violence with his words, Zuckerberg argued, Facebook had good reason to let the post stand.
Shortly after sharing the post with the world, Zuckerberg held a meeting with employees to elaborate on his point of view. In audio of the meeting that I obtained, Zuckerberg said that he had agonized over the decision. “How to handle this post from the president has been very tough,” said Zuckerberg, who was joined in the discussion by his head of policy management, Monika Bickert. “It’s been something that I’ve been struggling with basically all day, ever since I woke up. ... This has been personally pretty wrenching for me.”
Zuckerberg reiterated his unhappiness with Trump’s remarks. “My first reaction ... was just disgust,” he said. “This is not how I think we want our leaders to show up during this time. This is a moment that calls for unity and calmness and empathy for people who are struggling.”
Ultimately, he and Bickert said, executives concluded that Trump’s remarks didn’t violate their existing policies. But he said they would re-examine their policies around politicians discussing the use of state force on Facebook, a process he said would likely take several weeks.
“There is a real question coming out of this, which is whether we want to evolve our policy around the discussion of state use of force,” he told employees Friday. “Over the coming days, as the National Guard is now deployed, probably the largest one that I would worry about would be excessive use of police or military force. I think there’s a good argument that there should be more bounds around the discussion around that.” Zuckerberg did not elaborate on what more “bounds” would mean in this case, or whether he thought the policy should change to disallow posts like Trump’s.
In response to an employee question, Zuckerberg also said he disagreed with Twitter’s approach of placing violating tweets behind a warning. “If you really believe that a post is going to cause people to go to go do real-world violence, then that’s not the type of thing that I think we should have up even behind a warning,” he said. “Some people might be comforted that Twitter took a step, even if it didn’t go all the way. But I don’t personally agree with that step.”
Zuckerberg’s message to employees Friday was that even if Facebook hadn’t removed this Trump post, it was prepared to do so in the future if the president violated a company policy. That satisfied some employees, but to others it smacked of appeasement. On Thursday, their anger bubbled up in a series of internal threads, as I reported at The Verge.
And then, over the weekend, the long-standing norm that Facebook employees never criticize their employer in public seemed to shatter, tweet by tweet.
On Monday, they mounted the most significant collective worker action in the company’s 15-year history. While it’s difficult to measure the number of people who participated in a virtual walkout, an internal group devoted to the effort had about 400 people, sources said.
II. The walkout
“I’m a FB employee that completely disagrees with Mark’s decision to do nothing about Trump’s recent posts, which clearly incite violence,” tweeted Jason Stirman, who works on research and development, on Saturday. “I’m not alone inside of FB. There isn’t a neutral position on racism.”
Jason Toff, a former employee of Twitter and Google who now works on experimental apps at Facebook, echoed those sentiments on Sunday. “I work at Facebook and I am not proud of how we’re showing up,” Toff tweeted. “The majority of coworkers I’ve spoken to feel the same way. We are making our voice heard.”
Within hours, there were more than a dozen such tweets from employees working across the company, all expressing disappointment with their employer’s decision. And on Monday, dozens of employees staged a virtual walkout, making themselves unavailable for the day and joining in protests. The New York Times reported that employees are working on a list of demands, and that some senior employees have threatened to resign if Zuckerberg doesn’t reverse his decision.
“As allies we must stand in the way of danger, not behind,” tweeted Sara Zhang, a product designer at Facebook. “I will be participating in today’s virtual walkout in solidarity with the black community inside and outside FB. #BlackLivesMatter”
By this point we have seen our share of worker actions at big tech companies. The Google walkout over sexual harassment kicked open the doors in 2018, and has been followed by high-profile protests at Amazon, Microsoft, and Salesforce, among others. And hundreds of Facebook employees signed an open letter to Zuckerberg in October about his decision to exempt political ads from fact-checking.
But notable as that letter was, it still adopted the form that dissent has almost always taken at Facebook: vigorous internal debate. (One source told me the internal furor over Joel Kaplan’s public support of controversial Supreme Court justice Brett Kavanaugh during his nomination hearings had been markedly more intense.) What’s different about Monday’s walkout is that the protests were public first — and posted about on a rival social network, to boot. For Facebook workers, the choice to discuss their concerns on Twitter was remarkably effective, for two reasons. One, Twitter is where journalists live, and so the posts were guaranteed to generate coverage. Two, sentiment about Facebook on Twitter is generally hostile, so current employees’ criticisms of the company got massive distribution through retweets.
The workers’ comments were less sweeping in their criticism than some former employees, co-founders, and top executives of Facebook have been over the years. None of these employees has yet quit, nor have they suggested, as WhatsApp co-founder Brian Acton once did, that people “delete Facebook.” But what they shared was a sense of shame in their employer that remains extraordinary among tech workers, even at a time when worker actions are becoming more common.
“Facebook’s inaction in taking down Trump’s post inciting violence makes me ashamed to work here,” tweeted Lauren Tan, an engineer. “I absolutely disagree with it. I enjoy the technical parts of my job and working alongside smart/kind people, but this isn’t right. Silence is complicity.”
Another inspired aspect of the workers’ protest was that executives had to sit back and accept it, at least in their public statements. You can’t bend over backwards to allow the president’s posts about shooting up crowds and then tell employees they can’t discuss their feelings about it. And so the official word from Facebook on all the controversy was that they should go for it. “We recognize the pain many of our people are feeling right now, especially our Black community,” the company told Bloomberg. “We encourage employees to speak openly when they disagree with leadership.”
Much of employees’ frustration appears to be rooted in the fear that there is no line Trump could cross that would lead Facebook to enforce its policies. Zuckerberg and Bickert spent much of the all-hands meeting on Friday pushing back on that idea — fairly, I think. It was barely two months ago that the company removed a post by the president of Brazil, Jair Bolsonaro, for promoting a phony coronavirus cure. You can argue that the company is more sensitive to pressure from conservatives in the United States, and a lot of good reporting has borne that out in the past few years. But the idea that there’s no line Trump can’t cross on Facebook doesn’t strike me as plausible.
Of course, we won’t know for sure until Facebook actually does take action against Trump. And in the meantime, a large number of employees have signaled that for them, that red line has already been crossed. For Zuckerberg and his policy team, Trump is a legalistic problem — a question of how certain words and phrases do or do not comport with the standards they have written. But for the workers speaking out, Trump is a moral problem — a danger to their friends, their families, their communities, and themselves.
Facebook’s scale depends on courting Republicans and Democrats equally — making regular concessions to both to ensure that the platform is as large as it can be. Zuckerberg has sought to draw a distinction between his role as CEO and his own feelings — arguing for Trump’s right to free expression at work while donating $10 million to groups working on racial justice in his personal time.
But since its founding, Facebook has been dedicated to the idea that in this life, you only get to have one real identity. When employees logged off Monday, the company began to see the limits of having it both ways.
What’s next
Senior black executives were meeting with Zuckerberg on Monday to discuss their concerns. Facebook is having an all-hands meeting with employees Tuesday where Zuckerberg is expected to take questions. Walkout organizers are developing a list of demands for the company.
The Ratio
Today in news that could affect public perception of the big tech platforms.
🔼 Trending up: YouTube is donating $1 million to the Center for Policing Equity, to demonstrate “solidarity against racism and violence.” The company tweeted that it was pledging the funds “in support of efforts to address social injustice.” (Kim Lyons / The Verge)
Virus tracker
Total cases in the US: More than 1,807,200
Total deaths in the US: At least 104,700
Reported cases in California: 113,852
Total test results (positive and negative) in California: 1,944,848
Reported cases in New York: 376,520
Total test results (positive and negative) in New York: 2,063,825
Reported cases in New Jersey: 160,445
Total test results (positive and negative) in New Jersey: 746,145
Reported cases in Illinois: 120,588
Total test results (positive and negative) in Illinois: 898,259
Governing
⭐ Misinformation about the protests in Washington DC related to the police killing of George Floyd is surging across Twitter. One of the rumors claimed authorities had somehow blocked protesters from communicating from their smartphones in order to crack down on the unrest. Here are Craig Timberg, Elizabeth Dwoskin and Fenit Nirappil from The Washington Post:
Protests in downtown Washington and near the White House were widespread Sunday night and into Monday morning. What started as largely peaceful protests over last week’s police killing of George Floyd in Minneapolis deteriorated after dark in Washington, with rioters smashing windows, starting fires and overturning vehicles — despite an 11 p.m. curfew. But the degree of mayhem described by tweets using #DCblackout went far beyond reality. Alarming text was interspersed with shaky videos of confrontations between police and protesters, though it wasn’t clear how many of the images were from Washington, as opposed to other U.S. cities facing unrest.
Social media is being used to galvanize protestors. But misinformation about the unrest is also going viral on the platforms — and not just in DC. (Sarah E. Needleman and Sebastian Herrera / The Wall Street Journal)
Authorities and law enforcement officials are helping to push a narrative that outside groups were responsible for inciting violent confrontations at the protests over the weekend. But there’s little evidence for those claims. (Brandy Zadrozny and Ben Collins / NBC)
Over the weekend, people across the US have captured what may be the most comprehensive live picture of police brutality ever. This post includes images and videos of those scenes captured across the country, which were shared widely across social sites. (T.C. Sottek / The Verge)
Police violence will make it harder to fight COVID-19. In the aftermath of the police response to protests, vulnerable communities may be even less likely to trust and cooperate with health officials. That could make it harder to control another wave of illness. (Nicole Wetsman / The Verge)
The Dallas Police Department asked people to send in “video of illegal activity” from the Black Lives Matter protests in the city. Instead, it received a flood of pictures and videos of K-pop artists. (Caroline Haskins / BuzzFeed)
Apple CEO Tim Cook addressed the killing of George Floyd in a letter to employees, saying the “painful past is still present today.” He also said the company would be donating to the Equal Justice Initiative, a non-profit focusing on racial injustice. (Mark Gurman / Bloomberg)
Google CEO Sundar Pichai emailed employees on Friday about the growing protests and unrest in the US. The tech exec did not commit to supporting any specific government policy changes in response to the protests, unlike some other technology industry leaders. (Rob Price / Business Insider)
Snap CEO Evan Spiegel called for the creation of an American commission to address racial injustice and comprehensive tax reform. In a lengthy note to employees, he said he was “heartbroken and enraged” by racism in America. Give this one a read — it’s by far the most thoughtful of the corporate responses to this weekend’s violence that I’ve seen.
Trump’s executive order on social media companies could backfire. Without certain liability protections, companies like Twitter would have to be more aggressive about policing messages that press the boundaries — including the president’s. (Peter Baker and Daisuke Wakabayashi / The New York Times)
Also: Trump’s order could hurt online speech by pressuring social media platforms to give his content preferential treatment. (Charles Duan and Jeffrey Westling / Lawfare)
President Trump’s decision to go after Twitter for fact-checking his tweets is part of a long tradition upheld by aggrieved internet trolls. A power user with a passionate following is lashing out against the moderators of his favorite internet services. The best description of the dynamic between Trump, Twitter and Facebook that I’ve read to date. (Kevin Roose / The New York Times)
Senate lawmakers are unveiling a bipartisan bill to regulate contact-tracing and exposure-notification apps. Their goal is to ensure that apps meant to combat the coronavirus don’t come at the expense of users’ privacy. (Tony Romm / The Washington Post)
State-based contact tracing apps could be a disaster. With no national plan for these apps, security and interoperability issues loom large. (Andy Greenberg / Wired)
YouTube said it made a mistake in deleting videos about the controversial drug hydroxychloroquine posted by a popular doctor. The content appears to have been collateral damage in the company’s fight against COVID-19 misinformation. (Mark Bergen / Bloomberg)
Industry
⭐Google rescinded offers to several thousand contractors due to an advertising slump created by the coronavirus crisis. The move affected more than 2,000 people globally who had signed offers to be a contract or temp worker. Daisuke Wakabayashi at The New York Times has the story:
Many of the contract and temp candidates who had agreed to work at Google before the pandemic took hold in the United States were let go without any severance or financial compensation. This came after weeks of uncertainty as Google repeatedly postponed their start dates during which time they were not paid by Google or the staffing agencies. Some of the would-be contractors left stable, full-time jobs once they received an employment offer at Google and are now searching for work in a difficult labor market. Some, who are Americans, said the rescinded offers have complicated and, in some cases, delayed their ability to receive unemployment benefits because they left their last jobs voluntarily, according to several of the workers facing this quandary.
Coronavirus mutual aid groups are organizing on Slack. They’re distributing groceries and spare air conditioners using tools designed to turn labor into money as efficiently as possible. (Kaitlyn Tiffany / The Atlantic)
Inside Amazon’s hierarchical company culture. This investigation is part of a series called Tech Nations, which examines the world’s largest technology companies as if they were countries – not corporations. Featuring one of the first interviews with recent Amazon apostate Tim Bray. (Alexi Mostrous and James Ball / Tortoise Media)
Things to do
Stuff to occupy you online during the quarantine.
Donate to a bail fund. This comprehensive guide from Rolling Stone has a guide to supporting state and national efforts, including the George Floyd Memorial Fund in Minnesota. Today and every day, black lives matter.
And finally...
Talk to us


theverge--2020-06-02--Sega is making a Game Gear Micro

Sega is making a Game Gear Micro

Sega is celebrating its 60th anniversary this year with another retro console , and it looks like it might be @ @ @ @ @ Game Gear Micro is a revival of Sega ’ s 8-bit handheld system that tried @ @ @ @ @ overcome Nintendo ’ s Game Boy .
More news is set to drop later today @ @ @ @ @ Famitsu .
The promo shots show that the system will unsurprisingly run at least one @ @ @ @ @ ! )
Game Gear Sonic the Hedgehog titles .
An image initially hidden in the @ @ @ @ @ also revealed that the system will come in four colors — black , blue , @ @ @ @ @ and be released in Japan on October 6th this year for 4,980 yen , or @ @ @ @ @ ’ ll update this story when we have more information .

Sega is celebrating its 60th anniversary this year with another retro console, and it looks like it might be the tiniest yet. The Game Gear Micro is a revival of Sega’s 8-bit handheld system that tried (and failed) to overcome Nintendo’s Game Boy.
More news is set to drop later today via Japanese gaming news outlet Famitsu. The promo shots show that the system will unsurprisingly run at least one of the (pretty good!) Game Gear Sonic the Hedgehog titles.
An image initially hidden in the Game Gear Micro landing page also revealed that the system will come in four colors — black, blue, yellow, and red — and be released in Japan on October 6th this year for 4,980 yen, or about $50.


theverge--2020-06-02--iCloud outage took down some macOS and iOS software and web apps

Apple ’ s iCloud service experienced an outage on Tuesday evening , causing errors with account sign-in , iCloud Mail @ @ @ @ @ iCloud.com .
The issues began shortly after 7PM ET , when user-reported issues began pouring @ @ @ @ @ Twitter .
Apple acknowledged the issue on its system status website , as well on @ @ @ @ @ .
Many users started seeing similar error messages , including one that says , “ @ @ @ @ @ does not exist.
” MacRumors reported that some other Apple services , like Apple Pay @ @ @ @ @ web-based app-specific password generator , were also experiencing issues , although Apple never acknowledged as @ @ @ @ @ page .
As of 8:30PM ET , Apple ’ s system status page says the @ @ @ @ @ resolved .
But the company ’ s support account on Twitter is still replying to @ @ @ @ @ the company is actively investigating .
Update June 2nd , 8:40PM ET : Added that @ @ @ @ @ page says the issues with iCloud are now resolved .

Apple’s iCloud service experienced an outage on Tuesday evening, causing errors with account sign-in, iCloud Mail, and web apps via iCloud.com. The issues began shortly after 7PM ET, when user-reported issues began pouring in on Downdetector.com and across Twitter.
Apple acknowledged the issue on its system status website, as well on its Apple Support Twitter account. Many users started seeing similar error messages, including one that says, “The application you have selected does not exist.” MacRumors reported that some other Apple services, like Apple Pay and the company’s web-based app-specific password generator, were also experiencing issues, although Apple never acknowledged as much on its system status page.
As of 8:30PM ET, Apple’s system status page says the issues affecting iCloud have been resolved. But the company’s support account on Twitter is still replying to users experiencing issues and saying the company is actively investigating.


theverge--2020-06-02--Mark Zuckerberg defends hands-off Trump policy to employees after walkout

Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg held an extended conference with employees today , addressing accusations that Facebook allowed election misinformation and veiled promotions of violence from President Donald Trump .
While Zuckerberg said he should have offered more transparency to employees , he stood by what he called a “ pretty thorough ” evaluation of Trump ’ s posts , saying the choice to avoid labeling or removing them was difficult but correct .
According to a recording obtained by The Verge , Zuckerberg described being upset by Trump ’ s recent posts , one of which warned protesters that “ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ starts.
” But “ I knew that I needed to separate out my personal opinion ... from what our policy is and the principles of the platform we ’ re running are — knowing that the decision that we made was going to lead to a lot of people being very upset inside the company and a lot of the media criticism we ’ re going to get , ” said Zuckerberg .
“ Likely this decision has incurred a massive practical cost for the company to do what we think is the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ incurred a massive practical cost for the company to do what we think is the right step.
” Facebook has followed a different path from Twitter , which fact-checked two Trump tweets about voting and restricted the protest comments for “ glorifying violence.
” And Zuckerberg ’ s decision has proven controversial among employees , some of whom staged a virtual walkout on Monday in protest .
Echoing comments made last week , Zuckerberg said the choice upheld Facebook ’ s dedication to free expression .
“ The presumption on our service is @ @ @ @ @ @ @ what you want unless you ’ re causing a specific harm and we enumerate what the harms are and try to enforce them .
And I do think that default is right , ” he said .
Zuckerberg argued that the policies that allowed Trump ’ s post about shooting also protected content that was upsetting but valuable , like the earlier footage of George Floyd ’ s death at the hands of police officers .
“ I don ’ t know many people who think that just because that was a painful @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ’ t a good thing to allow on there , ” he said .
“ It ’ s an aspect of giving people a voice that i ’ m quite proud of.
” Some employees on the call were more ambivalent .
“ Why are the smartest people in the world focused on contorting or twisting our policies to avoid antagonizing Trump instead of driving social issue progress ?
” asked one attendee .
Another pointed out some confusion over whether Facebook ’ s head of integrity Guy Rosen was consulted .
“ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ s probably great that we ’ re not super clear on whether the VP of integrity was included on an integrity decision involving civic matters of voter suppression and societal violence , right ?
” she asked .
“ Why are the smartest people in the world focused on contorting or twisting our policies to avoid antagonizing Trump ?
” Zuckerberg did call voter misinformation a key priority for Facebook in the coming months , saying that Facebook would launch a “ voter hub ” with authoritative information similar to Facebook ’ s @ @ @ @ @ @ @ that bad actors would target specific voters with frightening information about the coronavirus .
“ It ’ s something I ’ m fairly worried about — that we ’ re going to have a somewhat targeted effort by different folks in different areas to talk about hey , there ’ s a big health risk if you go vote here , ” he said .
Zuckerberg also said that if the United States saw a “ prolonged period of civil unrest , ” the company might reexamine its policy on limiting or labeling @ @ @ @ @ @ @ We have some precedents for what that might look like , ” he said , citing how Facebook handles countries with “ ongoing violent conflict.
” And he criticized The Wall Street Journal for an article suggesting Facebook ignored research about harmful polarization on its platform .
“ That piece of journalism is one that I just strongly disagree with , ” said Zuckerberg .
“ We care about this deeply , and we ’ ll continue studying it — that doesn ’ t mean if you ’ re an individual researcher or @ @ @ @ @ @ @ every issue that you come up with or every mitigation you propose we ’ re going to conclude is the right one to do.
” Facebook is likely to face more internal questions about its fact-checking policies .
Two employees have publicly resigned over the company ’ s handling of Trump .
But Zuckerberg ended the call on an assurance that the company ’ s “ net impact ” on the world is positive .
“ I believe that we ’ ve given a lot of people a voice that they wouldn ’ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
“ I think defending the ability to do that is often controversial .
”

Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg held an extended conference with employees today, addressing accusations that Facebook allowed election misinformation and veiled promotions of violence from President Donald Trump. While Zuckerberg said he should have offered more transparency to employees, he stood by what he called a “pretty thorough” evaluation of Trump’s posts, saying the choice to avoid labeling or removing them was difficult but correct.
According to a recording obtained by The Verge, Zuckerberg described being upset by Trump’s recent posts, one of which warned protesters that “when the looting starts, the shooting starts.” But “I knew that I needed to separate out my personal opinion ... from what our policy is and the principles of the platform we’re running are — knowing that the decision that we made was going to lead to a lot of people being very upset inside the company and a lot of the media criticism we’re going to get,” said Zuckerberg. “Likely this decision has incurred a massive practical cost for the company to do what we think is the right step.”
“This decision has incurred a massive practical cost for the company to do what we think is the right step.”
Facebook has followed a different path from Twitter, which fact-checked two Trump tweets about voting and restricted the protest comments for “glorifying violence.” And Zuckerberg’s decision has proven controversial among employees, some of whom staged a virtual walkout on Monday in protest. Echoing comments made last week, Zuckerberg said the choice upheld Facebook’s dedication to free expression. “The presumption on our service is that you should be able to say what you want unless you’re causing a specific harm and we enumerate what the harms are and try to enforce them. And I do think that default is right,” he said.
Zuckerberg argued that the policies that allowed Trump’s post about shooting also protected content that was upsetting but valuable, like the earlier footage of George Floyd’s death at the hands of police officers. “I don’t know many people who think that just because that was a painful thing to see that that somehow wasn’t a good thing to allow on there,” he said. “It’s an aspect of giving people a voice that i’m quite proud of.”
Some employees on the call were more ambivalent. “Why are the smartest people in the world focused on contorting or twisting our policies to avoid antagonizing Trump instead of driving social issue progress?” asked one attendee. Another pointed out some confusion over whether Facebook’s head of integrity Guy Rosen was consulted. “I don’t think it’s probably great that we’re not super clear on whether the VP of integrity was included on an integrity decision involving civic matters of voter suppression and societal violence, right?” she asked.
“Why are the smartest people in the world focused on contorting or twisting our policies to avoid antagonizing Trump?”
Zuckerberg did call voter misinformation a key priority for Facebook in the coming months, saying that Facebook would launch a “voter hub” with authoritative information similar to Facebook’s COVID-19 one. He expressed particular concern that bad actors would target specific voters with frightening information about the coronavirus. “It’s something I’m fairly worried about — that we’re going to have a somewhat targeted effort by different folks in different areas to talk about hey, there’s a big health risk if you go vote here,” he said.
Zuckerberg also said that if the United States saw a “prolonged period of civil unrest,” the company might reexamine its policy on limiting or labeling messages that could promote violence. “We have some precedents for what that might look like,” he said, citing how Facebook handles countries with “ongoing violent conflict.”
And he criticized The Wall Street Journal for an article suggesting Facebook ignored research about harmful polarization on its platform. “That piece of journalism is one that I just strongly disagree with,” said Zuckerberg. “We care about this deeply, and we’ll continue studying it — that doesn’t mean if you’re an individual researcher or an individual engineer that every idea or every issue that you come up with or every mitigation you propose we’re going to conclude is the right one to do.”


theverge--2020-06-02--Rivian makes cuts and names new chief operating officer

Amazon-backed EV startup Rivian has laid off about 40 employees at its engineering and design center in Plymouth , Michigan , The Verge has learned .
The cuts , which the company has confirmed to The Verge , were made across departments and included engineers , recruiters , and others , according to two former employees .
The company has also made a number of new executive hires , and has replaced its first chief operating officer .
Rivian has been on a hiring spree over the last year fueled by $ 3 billion worth of investments from Amazon , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ others .
The startup currently employs a little more than 2,000 people overall , meaning the layoffs account for roughly 2 percent of its workforce .
The former employees say they believe the cuts were related to the stresses of the COVID-19 pandemic , though Rivian says they were performance-based .
“ From time to time , it ’ s important for any performance-focused and fast-growing company to streamline its organization to improve effectiveness , ” Amy Mast , Rivian ’ s public relations director , said in a statement .
“ Rivian @ @ @ @ @ @ @ on the launch of our products.
” Rivian says cuts were performance-based , but employees believe they ’ re related to COVID-19 To that point , Mast pointed to a handful of new executives Rivian recently hired .
The company has a new chief operating officer in Rod Copes , who spent 19 years at Harley-Davidson and came to Rivian from another motorcycle maker , Royal Enfield .
Rivian says that Jim Morgan , the startup ’ s original COO , will continue to advise CEO RJ Scaringe , and that he initially @ @ @ @ @ @ @ found a permanent replacement .
Rivian has also hired Matt Horton , the former chief commercial officer of electric bus maker Proterra , to help run a charging division that may be working on its own Supercharger-style network .
Noe Mejia will help run Rivian ’ s service operation after holding similar positions at Lucid Motors and Tesla .
Georgios Sarakakis , who spent more than six years at Tesla and also worked at both Apple and Waymo , is the company ’ s new vice president of reliability engineering .
Two other @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
Charly Mwangi , a former Tesla senior director of engineering , is now Rivian ’ s executive vice president of manufacturing engineering , while Cindy Nicola , Tesla ’ s former vice president of global recruiting , is now Rivian ’ s vice president of talent acquisition .
Whatever the reason for the job cuts , Rivian has felt an impact from the pandemic .
The company has delayed the release of its first two electric vehicles , the R1T pickup truck and the R1S SUV , to 2021 and only just @ @ @ @ @ @ @ its factory in Illinois .
Ford and Lincoln also canceled a luxury SUV that was supposed to be built using Rivian ’ s EV technology .
Update June 2nd , 8:08 PM ET : Rivian refers to its Plymouth , Michigan location as its “ engineering and design center , ” not its headquarters , as has been previously reported .

Amazon-backed EV startup Rivian has laid off about 40 employees at its engineering and design center in Plymouth, Michigan, The Verge has learned. The cuts, which the company has confirmed to The Verge, were made across departments and included engineers, recruiters, and others, according to two former employees. The company has also made a number of new executive hires, and has replaced its first chief operating officer.
Rivian has been on a hiring spree over the last year fueled by $3 billion worth of investments from Amazon, Ford, T. Rowe Price, and others. The startup currently employs a little more than 2,000 people overall, meaning the layoffs account for roughly 2 percent of its workforce. The former employees say they believe the cuts were related to the stresses of the COVID-19 pandemic, though Rivian says they were performance-based.
“From time to time, it’s important for any performance-focused and fast-growing company to streamline its organization to improve effectiveness,” Amy Mast, Rivian’s public relations director, said in a statement. “Rivian remains healthy, growing, and focused on the launch of our products.”
Rivian says cuts were performance-based, but employees believe they’re related to COVID-19
To that point, Mast pointed to a handful of new executives Rivian recently hired. The company has a new chief operating officer in Rod Copes, who spent 19 years at Harley-Davidson and came to Rivian from another motorcycle maker, Royal Enfield. Rivian says that Jim Morgan, the startup’s original COO, will continue to advise CEO RJ Scaringe, and that he initially came aboard as a placeholder until it found a permanent replacement.
(Morgan, who did not immediately respond to a request for comment to confirm that characterization, is not the first C-suite executive to leave Rivian. The company’s first chief technology officer, former Apple and Intel executive Mike Bell, left earlier this year, as The Verge first reported.)
Rivian has also hired Matt Horton, the former chief commercial officer of electric bus maker Proterra, to help run a charging division that may be working on its own Supercharger-style network. Noe Mejia will help run Rivian’s service operation after holding similar positions at Lucid Motors and Tesla. Georgios Sarakakis, who spent more than six years at Tesla and also worked at both Apple and Waymo, is the company’s new vice president of reliability engineering.
Two other Tesla veterans have been hired as well. Charly Mwangi, a former Tesla senior director of engineering, is now Rivian’s executive vice president of manufacturing engineering, while Cindy Nicola, Tesla’s former vice president of global recruiting, is now Rivian’s vice president of talent acquisition.
Whatever the reason for the job cuts, Rivian has felt an impact from the pandemic. The company has delayed the release of its first two electric vehicles, the R1T pickup truck and the R1S SUV, to 2021 and only just last week started bringing workers back to its factory in Illinois. Ford and Lincoln also canceled a luxury SUV that was supposed to be built using Rivian’s EV technology.


theverge--2020-06-02--Tesla worker tests positive for COVID-19 after New York factory reopens

A Tesla employee has tested positive for COVID-19 at the company ’ s solar panel factory in Buffalo , New York , according to an employee at the factory who spoke to The Verge on the condition of anonymity .
It ’ s the fourth known Tesla employee to test positive for the disease caused by the novel coronavirus but the first since the company reopened its US factories in May .
One employee from Panasonic , which shares space with Tesla at its New York and Nevada factories , also tested positive back in March before the shutdowns .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ on May 19th after the state gave the region the green light , according to a new letter to local officials first reported on Friday by Buffalo Business First .
But the company is not back at full production capacity and won ’ t be for a while .
In fact , Tesla told those officials that it furloughed 984 “ full-time Tesla independent contract workers ” in April because of the shutdown , and will move forward with just under 500 full-time employees there for the time being .
It ’ s @ @ @ @ @ @ @ positive , and the fifth at its US facilities The furloughs mean Tesla did not meet a key employment goal the state had tied to the initial funding of the Buffalo factory .
Tesla had told state officials that it would exceed the goal of 1,500 jobs shortly before the pandemic gripped the US , but it has now asked the state for another year to meet those hiring goals so it doesn ’ t have to pay a $ 41.2 million penalty .
( The state says that request is under review @ @ @ @ @ @ @ workers in California and Nevada after those factories reopened , so it ’ s unclear why they aren ’ t bringing back the ones in New York .
The company did not respond to multiple emails , phone calls , and texts requesting comment .
News of the new positive test was shared with some workers at the factory last week , according to the employee , who works for Panasonic Solar North America ( PSNA ) .
Tesla found out about the positive test during the week of May 18th to May @ @ @ @ @ @ @ brought its own employees back , as The Verge first reported , after shutting down operations there in March .
Tesla is not alone in encountering a new COVID-19 case after going back to work .
All three Detroit automakers have had workers test positive , as have many companies in the food industry .
Tesla furloughed nearly 1,000 contract workers at the factory While both companies are now back to work at the factory , PSNA won ’ t be there long .
The company announced in February that it was ending @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and told the 400 workers it employs there that they ’ d only have jobs until the end of May .
But thanks to the shutdown , the company will keep some employees on until the end of June to finish filling orders for the solar panel equipment it makes , before fully exiting the factory in September .
As for what ’ s happening to those jobs , PSNA employees are getting varying levels of support .
The current PSNA employee says Tesla ’ s recruiters told them they could apply to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ hopes of being reassigned to the factory .
PSNA has also held virtual information sessions for employees who are willing to relocate to Reno , Nevada , to work for the battery division that shares Tesla ’ s Gigafactory , according to an email obtained by The Verge .
“ Like many companies , they have had a slowdown in hiring but expect to be ramping up in the near future , ” a PSNA manager wrote .
“ Please join us if you are interested in staying with Panasonic and are open @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Reno/Sparks area.
” Panasonic told workers in New York they could take jobs at the Gigafactory in Nevada Tesla CEO Elon Musk fought hard to keep Tesla ’ s California factory open when the local stay-at-home order first went into effect in March , and reopened the plant in violation of that order in May , going so far as to call the orders “ fascist.
” The company continues to take steps to make sure the Fremont , California factory remains operational , too .
This week , Tesla distributed letters to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ show if they get stopped for violating the local curfew related to protests of the killing of George Floyd .
The letter , a copy of which was obtained by The Verge , says the local police department confirmed Tesla employees can “ continue to come to work at Tesla Fremont locations during curfew hours ” because they ’ re performing “ essential ” work .
But Musk and Tesla have not made similar efforts to keep the Buffalo factory open .
Tesla makes equipment for its Superchargers there , but its main @ @ @ @ @ @ @ “ Solar Roof ” tiles .
Tesla CEO Elon Musk simply said in April that the company was “ gaining momentum with Solar Roof before COVID essentially shut us down , both from the ability to install and the ability to get permits.
” Musk also said in March that Tesla might use the Buffalo factory to manufacture ventilators for COVID-19 patients during the shutdown , but the company ultimately focused on sourcing medical equipment from places like China instead .

A Tesla employee has tested positive for COVID-19 at the company’s solar panel factory in Buffalo, New York, according to an employee at the factory who spoke to The Verge on the condition of anonymity. It’s the fourth known Tesla employee to test positive for the disease caused by the novel coronavirus but the first since the company reopened its US factories in May. One employee from Panasonic, which shares space with Tesla at its New York and Nevada factories, also tested positive back in March before the shutdowns.
Tesla quietly reopened the New York facility on May 19th after the state gave the region the green light, according to a new letter to local officials first reported on Friday by Buffalo Business First. But the company is not back at full production capacity and won’t be for a while. In fact, Tesla told those officials that it furloughed 984 “full-time Tesla independent contract workers” in April because of the shutdown, and will move forward with just under 500 full-time employees there for the time being.
It’s the fourth known Tesla worker to test positive, and the fifth at its US facilities
The furloughs mean Tesla did not meet a key employment goal the state had tied to the initial funding of the Buffalo factory. Tesla had told state officials that it would exceed the goal of 1,500 jobs shortly before the pandemic gripped the US, but it has now asked the state for another year to meet those hiring goals so it doesn’t have to pay a $41.2 million penalty. (The state says that request is under review.)
Tesla has brought back furloughed workers in California and Nevada after those factories reopened, so it’s unclear why they aren’t bringing back the ones in New York. The company did not respond to multiple emails, phone calls, and texts requesting comment.
News of the new positive test was shared with some workers at the factory last week, according to the employee, who works for Panasonic Solar North America (PSNA). Tesla found out about the positive test during the week of May 18th to May 22nd — the same week that PSNA brought its own employees back, as The Verge first reported, after shutting down operations there in March.
Tesla is not alone in encountering a new COVID-19 case after going back to work. All three Detroit automakers have had workers test positive, as have many companies in the food industry.
Tesla furloughed nearly 1,000 contract workers at the factory
While both companies are now back to work at the factory, PSNA won’t be there long. The company announced in February that it was ending its involvement at the Buffalo factory, and told the 400 workers it employs there that they’d only have jobs until the end of May. But thanks to the shutdown, the company will keep some employees on until the end of June to finish filling orders for the solar panel equipment it makes, before fully exiting the factory in September.
As for what’s happening to those jobs, PSNA employees are getting varying levels of support. The current PSNA employee says Tesla’s recruiters told them they could apply to the temp agencies the company uses in hopes of being reassigned to the factory. PSNA has also held virtual information sessions for employees who are willing to relocate to Reno, Nevada, to work for the battery division that shares Tesla’s Gigafactory, according to an email obtained by The Verge.
“Like many companies, they have had a slowdown in hiring but expect to be ramping up in the near future,” a PSNA manager wrote. “Please join us if you are interested in staying with Panasonic and are open to the possibility of relocating to the Reno/Sparks area.”
Panasonic told workers in New York they could take jobs at the Gigafactory in Nevada
Tesla CEO Elon Musk fought hard to keep Tesla’s California factory open when the local stay-at-home order first went into effect in March, and reopened the plant in violation of that order in May, going so far as to call the orders “fascist.”
The company continues to take steps to make sure the Fremont, California factory remains operational, too. This week, Tesla distributed letters to employees that they’re supposed to show if they get stopped for violating the local curfew related to protests of the killing of George Floyd. The letter, a copy of which was obtained by The Verge, says the local police department confirmed Tesla employees can “continue to come to work at Tesla Fremont locations during curfew hours” because they’re performing “essential” work.
But Musk and Tesla have not made similar efforts to keep the Buffalo factory open. Tesla makes equipment for its Superchargers there, but its main products there are its solar panels and “Solar Roof” tiles. Tesla CEO Elon Musk simply said in April that the company was “gaining momentum with Solar Roof before COVID essentially shut us down, both from the ability to install and the ability to get permits.”


theverge--2020-06-02--Zoom saw a huge increase in subscribers — and revenue — thanks to the pandemic

Zoom had a blockbuster quarter as its app became the hottest videoconferencing service of the pandemic .
In an earnings report today , Zoom reported making $ 328 million in revenue during its February–April quarter .
That ’ s up far more than double from the same time last year , when it made $ 122 million , and it comes in well above the $ 200 million that Zoom expected it would make when it issued guidance just a few months ago .
Zoom doesn ’ t say exactly how many people used its software over the past few @ @ @ @ @ @ @ added an “ unprecedented number of free participants , ” including more than 100,000 K-12 schools .
Zoom now has around 265,400 customers with more than 10 employees , a number that ’ s grown 354 percent , the company says , and it added 175,000 licenses for new customers .
That significant increase in usage has come with a significant increase in costs , though — expenses doubled year over year to $ 201 million .
Zoom is rapidly making changes to keep users The earnings report , Zoom ’ s first @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a deeper look at how the company performed as its video chat software become the de facto tool for work meetings and staying in touch with family and friends while much of the world is stuck at home .
Zoom previously said that usage has grown to 300 million meeting participants each day , up from just 10 million in December .
That figure has since fallen from its peak in April , Zoom CFO Kelly Steckelberg said on a call with investors , but “ certainly over the long term , we @ @ @ @ @ @ @ million number.
” At the same time , Zoom has faced incredible scrutiny of its security practices .
The company was heavily criticized for implying its video chats were fully encrypted when they were not .
Features meant for convenience also enabled harassment through Zoom bombing , while the app ’ s Mac installer was caught using a “ malware-like ” approach to speed things up .
Zoom responded by instituting a 90-day feature freeze while it overhauled the app ’ s security practices .
Several of the most egregious issues — like @ @ @ @ @ @ @ enabled people to drop in on calls uninvited — have been fixed or improved .
Other features , like actual end-to-end encryption , are being worked on .
In May , Zoom acquired the identity service startup Keybase and directed its engineers toward working on an end-to-end encryption solution .
These changes are meant to ensure that , as its usage balloons , Zoom doesn ’ t lose users over security concerns .
And so far , it seems like Zoom expects its success to continue .
Zoom predicts a huge next quarter @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
The company expects to make upward of $ 1.8 billion in revenue over the course of the year .
Zoom does , however , expect to see increased customer losses in the second half of the year simply because of how many new users it ’ s picked up .
Though Zoom is increasingly being used by consumers , and not just the enterprise and business customers it was built for , Zoom CEO Eric Yuan suggested the company has no plans to start building out a consumer-specific product beyond the free @ @ @ @ @ @ @ should have the “ same experience ” however you ’ re using it , Yuan said on the investor call .
“ Our strategy is offer one service no matter what you do , no matter which device.
” For now , Zoom ’ s top priority is just to keep its servers up , Yuan said , “ because so many people are counting on Zoom to stay connected.
” Zoom ’ s stock has tripled in value over the last several months , surging to around $ 200 before earnings today @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the beginning of the year .
The company went public in April 2019 for $ 36 per share .

Zoom had a blockbuster quarter as its app became the hottest videoconferencing service of the pandemic. In an earnings report today, Zoom reported making $328 million in revenue during its February–April quarter. That’s up far more than double from the same time last year, when it made $122 million, and it comes in well above the $200 million that Zoom expected it would make when it issued guidance just a few months ago.
Zoom doesn’t say exactly how many people used its software over the past few months, but the company claims it added an “unprecedented number of free participants,” including more than 100,000 K-12 schools. Zoom now has around 265,400 customers with more than 10 employees, a number that’s grown 354 percent, the company says, and it added 175,000 licenses for new customers. That significant increase in usage has come with a significant increase in costs, though — expenses doubled year over year to $201 million.
Zoom is rapidly making changes to keep users
The earnings report, Zoom’s first since the pandemic was declared, offers a deeper look at how the company performed as its video chat software become the de facto tool for work meetings and staying in touch with family and friends while much of the world is stuck at home. Zoom previously said that usage has grown to 300 million meeting participants each day, up from just 10 million in December. That figure has since fallen from its peak in April, Zoom CFO Kelly Steckelberg said on a call with investors, but “certainly over the long term, we expect it to grow beyond that 300 million number.”
At the same time, Zoom has faced incredible scrutiny of its security practices. The company was heavily criticized for implying its video chats were fully encrypted when they were not. Features meant for convenience also enabled harassment through Zoom bombing, while the app’s Mac installer was caught using a “malware-like” approach to speed things up.
These changes are meant to ensure that, as its usage balloons, Zoom doesn’t lose users over security concerns. And so far, it seems like Zoom expects its success to continue. Zoom predicts a huge next quarter, more than tripling its previous revenue. The company expects to make upward of $1.8 billion in revenue over the course of the year. Zoom does, however, expect to see increased customer losses in the second half of the year simply because of how many new users it’s picked up.
Though Zoom is increasingly being used by consumers, and not just the enterprise and business customers it was built for, Zoom CEO Eric Yuan suggested the company has no plans to start building out a consumer-specific product beyond the free calling experience it already offers. Zoom should have the “same experience” however you’re using it, Yuan said on the investor call. “Our strategy is offer one service no matter what you do, no matter which device.”
For now, Zoom’s top priority is just to keep its servers up, Yuan said, “because so many people are counting on Zoom to stay connected.”


theverge--2020-06-02--Trump’s Twitter order violates the First Amendment, new lawsuit claims

President Donald Trump ’ s executive order targeting social media companies faced its first legal challenge Tuesday , claiming that Trump violated the companies ’ rights to free speech .
In its lawsuit , the Center for Democracy and Technology ( CDT ) called Trump ’ s order “ retaliatory ” because it specifically attacked Twitter for using its First Amendment right to comment and moderate the president ’ s tweets .
By attacking Twitter , the organization claimed that Trump ’ s order could discourage other platforms from exercising their free speech rights to moderate the president ’ s @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the federal government .
“ The Executive Order is designed to deter social media services from fighting misinformation , voter suppression , and the stoking of violence on their platforms , ” CDT ’ s president and CEO Alexandra Givens said in a statement Tuesday .
“ The President has made clear that his goal is to use threats of retaliation and future regulation to intimidate intermediaries into changing how they moderate content , essentially ensuring that the dangers of voter suppression and disinformation will grow unchecked in an election year.
” The @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Court for the District of Columbia Tuesday and is one of the first legal actions taken against Trump ’ s executive order .
The order , signed last week , could pare back platform liability protections under Section 230 of the Communications Decency Act .
Under current law , internet companies like Twitter have broad immunity from liability for the content their users post on their platforms .
Trump signed the order last week after Twitter took a series of actions against his tweets .
On May 26th , Twitter fact-checked two tweets @ @ @ @ @ @ @ voting and voter fraud .
It was the first time the platform fact-checked the president .
On May 29th , Twitter restricted a tweet from Trump for violating its policies against glorifying violence .

President Donald Trump’s executive order targeting social media companies faced its first legal challenge Tuesday, claiming that Trump violated the companies’ rights to free speech.
In its lawsuit, the Center for Democracy and Technology (CDT) called Trump’s order “retaliatory” because it specifically attacked Twitter for using its First Amendment right to comment and moderate the president’s tweets. By attacking Twitter, the organization claimed that Trump’s order could discourage other platforms from exercising their free speech rights to moderate the president’s posts out of fear of retaliation from the federal government.
“The Executive Order is designed to deter social media services from fighting misinformation, voter suppression, and the stoking of violence on their platforms,” CDT’s president and CEO Alexandra Givens said in a statement Tuesday. “The President has made clear that his goal is to use threats of retaliation and future regulation to intimidate intermediaries into changing how they moderate content, essentially ensuring that the dangers of voter suppression and disinformation will grow unchecked in an election year.”
The lawsuit was filed in the US District Court for the District of Columbia Tuesday and is one of the first legal actions taken against Trump’s executive order. The order, signed last week, could pare back platform liability protections under Section 230 of the Communications Decency Act. Under current law, internet companies like Twitter have broad immunity from liability for the content their users post on their platforms.


theverge--2020-06-02--How to easily install the Android 11 developer preview

You can try out the Android 11 developer preview software right now if you have a Pixel 2 or later , but it ’ s understandable if the idea of flashing your device to install the OS is intimidating .
It can be a tricky process , and the steps differ slightly depending on what phone you have and what kind of computer you ’ re going to use to download the software .
But now that process has been streamlined by Google .
Google recently released the Android Flash Tool , a web application that handles most of the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ are a few steps that you ’ ll need to do yourself before the new software can be installed , which we ’ ll walk you through below , but Google ’ s tool basically eliminates most of the hassle and complexity that makes it easy to mess up .
There are a few important notes to make up here at the top .
First , once you flash your phone with the developer preview , your device will get all future developer preview and beta updates over the air .
In other @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to flash your phone again when new builds of Android 11 are released .
Just head to your system settings and fetch an update .
The second note is just your standard disclaimer that you do this at your own risk .
This is unfinished software , and installing it could lead to malfunctions with your device or to software that you usually use .
And depending on settings that you adjust in the Android Flash Tool , you might have to wipe all of the data from your phone .
So , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ compatible with Android 11 ?
The Android 11 developer preview is compatible with the Pixel 2 , Pixel 2 XL , Pixel 3 , Pixel 3 XL , Pixel 3A , Pixel 3A XL , Pixel 4 , and Pixel 4 XL .
It ’ s possible that Google will broaden the list of devices supported by Android 11 in the upcoming beta , but for now , you ’ ll need one of those phones to get the software .
What browser do I need to use to flash my phone ?
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ browser that supports the WebUSB API , which is supported by Chrome as well as Microsoft Edge version 79 and later .
The Android Flash Tool works with all the major operating systems , including Linux , macOS , ChromeOS , and Windows 10 , though browser compatibility may vary depending on your OS .
Step 1 : Activate these three settings on your Android phone • Enable the Developer Options menu in your phone .
First , open the Settings app .
For phones running Android 8 ( Oreo ) , click @ @ @ @ @ @ @ has Android 7 ( Nougat ) or later , scroll down to About Phone , then find Build Number .
Tap Build Number seven times to enable Developer Options .
• Turn on USB debugging ( this lets your phone and computer communicate via USB ) within the Developer Options menu .
To do this , head to Settings > System > Advanced > Developer Options .
You ’ ll find USB debugging with just a little scrolling down .
• Enable OEM unlocking .
This option is also part of the Developer @ @ @ @ @ @ @ than where you found USB debugging .
If that option isn ’ t available for you to enable , that might be because it ’ s already enabled .
Step 2 : Connect your phone to your computer and get started • If you use Windows 10 , you ’ ll need to install this driver first for your phone to be recognized .
• Connect your phone to your computer with a USB cable .
Then head over to this page at the Android Developers portal and select the URL listed next @ @ @ @ @ @ @ within the “ Use Android Flash Tool ” section .
• On the next page , click on “ Get Started.
” The Android Flash Tool will ask for permission to access ADB keys in a pop-up window , which is necessary to install software on your phone .
You ’ ll need to tap “ OK ” to proceed with this process .
• Click “ Add new device ” at the bottom of the page .
Your device should appear in a pop-up window on your computer , so go ahead @ @ @ @ @ @ @ do that , you should now see a request on your phone that says “ Allow USB debugging ?
” You ’ ll also see a long string of numbers and letters that should match up with what your PC shows if you click the gear icon on the Android Flash Tool page .
On your phone , check the box next to “ Always allow from this computer , ” then tap Allow .
• After that , your device should show up on the Android Flash Tool as being connected .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ of your device to proceed .
• You ’ ll want to pay attention to what appears in the “ Selected build ” section of the Flash Tool ( see below ) .
Before you hit the blue “ Install ” button at the bottom of the page , I recommend tapping the pencil icon next to “ Selected build ” and checking the “ Lock Bootloader ” box .
This will lock the bootloader after this process is complete , leaving you with a more secure device than if it remained unlocked @ @ @ @ @ @ @ you to stop interacting with your phone during the rest of this process unless asked to do so , and to not unplug your device .
If you ’ re in a position to proceed , go ahead .
• One more prompt before getting started : a license agreement .
You need to agree to the terms of the Android Software Development Kit License Agreement , which you can find here .
• After you hit “ I accept , ” your phone will reboot into its bootloader screen .
If nothing @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ’ t worry .
You may also see a window pop up on your computer that says “ Reselect your device.
” In that case , leave your phone alone and select “ Reselect device ” on the computer .
According to Google , your phone might be renamed “ Android , ” though it might just be identified with the model name ( e.g .
Pixel 3 ) .
• If you haven ’ t flashed software before , Google will probably need to unlock your bootloader to proceed with the installation @ @ @ @ @ @ @ will trigger a factory reset on your phone .
If you haven ’ t backed up your data , you ’ ll lose everything .
Once you agree , you ’ ll need to allow the bootloader to unlock on your phone .
To do this , use the volume keys to navigate to the option that says “ Unlock the bootloader , ” then hit the power button once to confirm .
• After that , the Android Flash Tool will begin to download and install the software .
You can continue @ @ @ @ @ @ @ t touch your phone at this point , even though it will restart several times .
Just keep an eye on the progress using the Android Flash Tool page on your computer .
Once you ’ re all done , the phone will reboot one last time , and over on your PC you ’ ll be met with a celebratory screen .
You ’ re all done !
And thankfully , you won ’ t have to go through this process again for the next Android 11 update — easy as this @ @

Update February 18th, 2:10PM ET: Google released the first of its Android 12 developer previews, so we’ve updated the info in this post to be relevant if you want to install it on your phone. The instructional photos might include a mention of Android 11, but we’ve ensured the steps are still accurate.
You can try out the Android 12 developer preview software right now if you have a Pixel 3 or later, but it’s understandable if the idea of flashing your device to install the OS is intimidating. It can be a tricky process, and the steps differ slightly depending on what phone you have and what kind of computer you’re going to use to download the software. But Google itself makes this process much more streamlined.
Google’s Android Flash Tool is a web application that handles most of the steps of flashing for you. There are a few steps that you’ll need to do yourself before the new software can be installed, which we’ll walk you through below, but Google’s tool basically eliminates most of the hassle and complexity that makes it easy to mess up.
There are a few important notes to make up here at the top. First, once you flash your phone with the developer preview, your device will get all future developer preview and beta updates over the air. In other words, you won’t need to flash your phone again when new builds of Android 12 are released. Just head to your system settings and fetch an update.
The second note is just your standard disclaimer that you do this at your own risk. This is unfinished software, and installing it could lead to malfunctions with your device or to software that you usually use. And depending on settings that you adjust in the Android Flash Tool, you might have to wipe all of the data from your phone. So proceed with caution.
Photo by Vjeran Pavic / The Verge
Is my phone compatible with Android 12?
The Android 12 developer preview is compatible with the Pixel 3, Pixel 3 XL, Pixel 3A, Pixel 3A XL, Pixel 4, Pixel 4 XL, Pixel 4A, Pixel 4A 5G, and the Pixel 5. It’s possible that Google will broaden the list of devices supported by Android 12 in the upcoming beta, but for now, you’ll need one of those phones to get the software.
What browser do I need to use to flash my phone?
Google says that you can use any browser that supports the WebUSB API, which is supported by Chrome as well as Microsoft Edge version 79 and later. The Android Flash Tool works with all the major operating systems, including Linux, macOS, Chrome OS, and Windows 10, though browser compatibility may vary depending on your OS.
Step 1: Activate these three settings on your Android phone
Enable the Developer Options menu in your phone. First, open the Settings app. For phones running Android 8 (Oreo), click System. Otherwise, if your phone has Android 7 (Nougat) or later, scroll down to About Phone, then find Build Number. Tap Build Number seven times to enable Developer Options.
in your phone. First, open the Settings app. For phones running Android 8 (Oreo), click System. Otherwise, if your phone has Android 7 (Nougat) or later, scroll down to About Phone, then find Build Number. Tap Build Number seven times to enable Developer Options. Turn on USB debugging (this lets your phone and computer communicate via USB) within the Developer Options menu. To do this, head to Settings > System > Advanced > Developer Options. You’ll find USB debugging with just a little scrolling down.
(this lets your phone and computer communicate via USB) within the Developer Options menu. To do this, head to Settings > System > Advanced > Developer Options. You’ll find USB debugging with just a little scrolling down. Enable OEM unlocking. This option is also part of the Developer Options menu, further up the page than where you found USB debugging. If that option isn’t available for you to enable, that might be because it’s already enabled.
Photo by Vjeran Pavic / The Verge
Step 2: Connect your phone to your computer and get started
If you use Windows 10, you’ll need to install this driver first for your phone to be recognized. People using macOS or Linux don’t need a driver.
Connect your phone to your computer with a USB cable. Then visit this page to proceed.
The Android Flash Tool will ask for permission to access ADB keys in a pop-up window, which is necessary to install software on your phone. You’ll need to tap “OK” to proceed with this process.
You’ll need to hit OK to proceed with the installation.
Click “Select device.” Your device should appear in a pop-up window on your computer, so go ahead and click it.
Once you do that, you should now see a request on your phone that says “Allow USB debugging?” You’ll also see a long string of numbers and letters that should match up with what your PC shows if you click the gear icon on the Android Flash Tool page. On your phone, check the box next to “Always allow from this computer,” then tap Allow.
After that, your device should show up on the Android Flash Tool as being connected. Click on the box with the name of your device to proceed.
Once your device shows up as being connected, click into it.
You’ll want to pay attention to what appears in the “Selected build” section of the Flash Tool (see below). It should say “Android 12 Developer Preview 1.” Before you hit the blue “Install” button at the bottom of the page, I recommend tapping the pencil icon next to “Selected build” and checking the “Lock Bootloader” box. This will lock the bootloader after this process is complete, leaving you with a more secure device than if it remained unlocked.
Select the “Lock Bootloader” option, which will lock your bootloader after the software installation is complete.
The next window basically tells you to stop interacting with your phone during the rest of this process unless asked to do so and to not unplug your device. If you’re in a position to proceed, go ahead.
Make sure your data is backed up before you proceed.
One more prompt before getting started: a license agreement. You need to agree to the terms of the Android Software Development Kit License Agreement, which you can find here.
After you hit “I accept,” your phone will reboot into its bootloader screen. If nothing happens for a few seconds, don’t worry. You may also see a window pop up on your computer that says “Reselect your device.” In that case, leave your phone alone and select “Reselect device” on the computer. According to Google, your phone might be renamed “Android,” though it might just be identified with the model name (e.g., Pixel 3).
If you haven’t flashed software before, Google will probably need to unlock your bootloader to proceed with the installation. Keep in mind that doing this will trigger a factory reset on your phone. If you haven’t backed up your data, you’ll lose everything. Once you agree, you’ll need to allow the bootloader to unlock on your phone. To do this, use the volume keys to navigate to the option that says “Unlock the bootloader,” then hit the power button once to confirm.
After that, the Android Flash Tool will begin to download and install the software. You can continue to watch along, but don’t touch your phone at this point, even though it will restart several times. Just keep an eye on the progress using the Android Flash Tool page on your computer.
At this point, you can just sit and wait for the Android Flash Tool to wrap things up.
Once you’re all done, the phone will reboot one last time, and over on your PC, you’ll be met with a celebratory screen. You’re all done! And thankfully, you won’t have to go through this process again for the next Android 12 update — easy as this was. You’ll automatically receive updates to the developer preview over the air.