10 things in tech you need to know today

AP Photo/Susan Walsh

Good morning! This is the tech news you need to know this Monday.

1. Tesla CEO Elon Musk has said the firm will 'immediately' leave California after coronavirus shutdowns forced the company to close its main car factory. In a tweet Saturday morning, Tesla's chief executive said it would file a lawsuit against county officials over not being able to run its factory.
2. A documentary-style video called "Plandemic" went viral this week across YouTube, Facebook, and other social platforms. The video includes widely debunked claims about coronavirus touted online by extremists and conspiracy theorists, such as wearing masks makes people sick, social distancing makes people more susceptible to the virus, or that COVID-19 was man-made in order to profit off vaccines.
3. Uber CEO Dara Khosrowshahi says drivers should receive tiered healthcare benefits based on how many hours they work, and that the company would pay for it. Khosrowshahi made the suggestion during an interview with CNBC as Uber faces growing pressure to provide its workers with benefits.
4. Tesla has secured a $565 million loan for its factory in Shanghai where the company has halted operations. The loan, disclosed in a regulatory filing Friday, will only be used only for production-related expenses at the Shanghai plant.
5. Goldman Sachs-backed payments unicorn Flywire is cutting 12% of its workforce amid the coronavirus pandemic. Business Insider understands that 60 employees have been laid off as part of the decision, with another 3% of the workforce being moved to part-time contracts.
6. Alphabet's Sidewalk Labs has abandoned its ambitious plan for a $900 million high-tech neighborhood in Toronto, following economic uncertainty and years of controversy. The project, which had been planned since 2017, would have built an internet-connected district on Toronto's waterfront, complete with driverless cars and sensors everywhere.
7. Online used car seller Vroom has confidentially filed for an IPO, the Wall Street Journal reports. The IPO slated for June, according to people familiar with the matter.
8. Instacart's army of shoppers has exploded from 180,000 to 500,000 since the start of the pandemic — and some workers say it's making the job more difficult for everyone. Longtime shoppers told Bloomberg that Instacart's push for efficiency and a global pandemic have exacerbated already-harsh working conditions.
9. WeWork is reorganizing its community team across the US and Canada, according to a leaked internal document. Sources said WeWork has rewritten job descriptions — and people had to reapply for roles or face dismissal.
10. Elon Musk has said he thinks people won't have to talk in 10 years because they'll be able to use an alien-like mind language to communicate without words. During an interview with podcaster Joe Rogan, Musk predicted a system of symbiosis between people and Artificial Intelligence that would allow an exchange of ideas between other people without the use of words.

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