The one job that disappeared, Lower wages in tech and more on the future of work

What "company culture" problem?

It almost seems like Parker Conrad intended for the announcement of his new startup to be as ill-timed as possible. 

The embattled and abrasive founder and former CEO of Zenefits, Conrad said last week that he is getting back into the HR software game with Rippling. By generating documents that help small to medium-sized business onboard new employees, Rippling will compete directly with Zenefits, the startup Conrad was forced to walk away from after a multi-year company culture crisis came to an apex in early 2016.

Conrad was not only caught breaking laws to ensure Zenefits kept growing, but also condoning a company culture abrasive to women that has become next to synonymous with fast-growing Silicon Valley tech companies. Now, he is off to start his next tech venture and is having little trouble finding members of tech's elite venture capital and startup communities to back him. On the record: Initialized Capital, SV Angel and Ben Ling, a partner at Khosla Ventures, have all invested in Rippling. Off the record: Several VCs and founders told me even before Conrad had a new startup that they would invest in him without hesitation. 

As my friend and former editor Dan Primack pointed out earlier this week, you would hope that VCs and LPs would think twice before funding Conrad. You would hope. He may be brilliant, but he embodies the characteristics in a founder than everyone in Silicon Valley would publicly say that they are trying to eradicate from tech entirely. Especially in the wake of Uber's sexual harassment scandal, you would think the entire industry is on high alert for bad actors. But if that were the real goal, founders like Conrad wouldn't be given a second chance and millions of dollars with the hopes that he will sometime soon be in charge of another 6,000+ employee operation. 

Last week, The Atlantic's cover story was aptly titled, "Why Is Silicon Valley So Awful to Women?" My answer: Because investors are focused on finding founders who can create scalable businesses, not scalable cultures. Until the latter becomes a part of the discussion before VCs sign on the dotted line, nothing is going to change.

What's your take? Let me know in the comments below

155 and counting. Airbnb, Lyft and 56 other tech companies signed an amicus brief against Trump's revised travel ban, adding themselves to a growing cohort attempting to take legal action against against the president's policies. [The Verge] 

Lower wages. A separate study shows that the influx of foreign workers brought in through H-1B visa programs are suppressing wages in tech. [WSJ]

Disappearing jobs. Tech jobs are going away in 6 of the biggest 100 U.S. cities proving that while the tech industry may be growing, that growth is not spread evenly. [Marketwatch]

Just one. In the past 60 years, automation has completely eliminated only one U.S. job: Elevator operators. [Quartz]

Google goes to Idaho? A few hundred tech workers protested last week in Palo Alto to encourage their employers to invest in diverse tech talent outside of San Francisco and New York. [Recode]

10-year high. The percentage of workers testing positive for drugs just hit its highest levels in a decade. [Marketwatch]

No one's job is safe. In the age of automation, revamping our education system isn't enough to keep workers safe: Employees must continue to reskill and retrain themselves throughout their careers. [Udemy's Dennis Yang] 

Amazon's to blame? Cashiers make up the second-largest profession in the U.S. and if Amazon has its way, the gig will no longer exist. What's the solution? Start your own company. [Patrick Rauland]

Freelancing is the answer. We should give freelancers the same benefits as full-time employees to encourage a more flexible work environment that increases productivity. [Gigster's Roger Dickey]

It's not that hard. One third of startup hires come from referral programs, so if you want more diverse employees, check-in with the diverse talent you already brought through the door. [Drafted's Vinayak Ranade]

Embrace the madness. Yes, March Madness is a productivity killer in the workplace, but managers shouldn't confuse “productivity” with perpetual work and let their employees enjoy the tournament. [David Crenshaw] 

Former President Obama may have UNC going all the way in the NCAA tournament, but, to my delight, IBM's Watson chose Duke. I don't think Watson needs any defense, but here's what the researcher from IBM said on LinkedIn in response to his article announcing the pick: