The Airbnb app icon is seen on an iPad screen, Saturday, May 8, 2021, in Washington. Airbnb will allow its employees to live and work almost anywhere around the world, fully embracing a remote work policy to attract staff and ensure flexibility. The San Francisco short-term-stay company said late Thursday, April 28, 2022, that under the new policy, employees can work from the office, home or during their travels to 170 countries. (AP Photo/Patrick Semansky, File)
Airbnb will allow its employees to live and work almost anywhere around the world, fully embracing a remote work policy to attract staff and ensure flexibility.
The San Francisco short-term-stay company said late Thursday that under the new policy, employees can work from the office, home or during their travels to 170 countries.
Staff will still have to meet in person for regular team meetings and events, CEO Brian Chesky said in a message to employees. Salaries won't change if employees decide to move.
Employees can spend up to three months working in each country they visit every year but they will still need a permanent address for tax and payroll reasons, which involves a "mountain of complexities," but Chesky said the company is working on an open-source solution.
The new policy will put the company in a better position to hire and retain the best people by not “limiting the talent pool to a commuting radius around our offices," Chesky said. Remote work and flexibility “will become the predominant way that we all work 10 years from now," he said.
Millions of people switched to working remotely during the pandemic to limit potential exposure to COVID-19. Companies are beginning to ask those workers to come back to the office, at least on a hybrid basis, including other tech companies such as Facebook parent Meta and Microsoft.
Low-value imports are losing their duty-free status in the U.S. this week as part of President Donald Trump's agenda for making the nation less dependent on foreign goods. A widely used customs exemption for international shipments worth $800 or less is set to end starting on Friday. Trump already ended the “de minimis” rule for inexpensive items sent from China and Hong Kong, but having to pay import taxes on small parcels from everywhere else likely will be a big change for some small businesses and online shoppers. Purchases that previously entered the U.S. without needing to clear customs will be subject to the origin country’s tariff rate, which can range from 10% to 50%.
Southwest Airlines will soon require plus-size travelers to pay for an extra seat in advance if they can't fit within the armrests of one seat. This change is part of several updates the airline is making. The new rule starts on Jan. 27, the same day Southwest begins assigning seats. Currently, plus-size passengers can pay for an extra seat in advance and later get a refund, or request a free extra seat at the airport. Under the new policy, refunds are still possible but not guaranteed. Southwest said in a statement it is updating policies to prepare for assigned seating next year.
Cracker Barrel is sticking with its new logo. For now. But the chain is also apologizing to fans who were angered when the change was announced last week.
Elon Musk on Monday targeted Apple and OpenAI in an antitrust lawsuit alleging that the iPhone maker and the ChatGPT maker are teaming up to thwart competition in artificial intelligence.
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Elon Musk’s X has reached a tentative settlement with former employees of the company then known as Twitter who’d sued for $500 million in severance pay.
