The coronavirus pandemic that spread globally in the early months of the year has quickly dragged the economy down and forced millions of people to suffer.
The international health crisis also revealed how different we are from one another with the surge of arguments between politicians and regular citizens. The virus has infected more than 60 million people worldwide and has severely impacted the economy, causing more than 22 million people to lose their jobs in March and April.
The restrictions placed on communities also changed how people lived their days, which used to involve going out, working, and spending time with friends or colleagues. Now, stay-at-home orders have been implemented to curb the spread of the virus and separated families during the holidays.
The tech industry has been filled with dark and sometimes tragic events that show just how much technology influences people around the world. There have been plenty of coronavirus and non-coronavirus-related mishaps this year, and the following are just some of them that are related to the tech industry.
1. Electric car mishaps
Nikola Corporation, a company that has continued to offer several zero-emission vehicle concepts since 2016, falsely advertised its hydrogen-electric truck to look like it could go really fast by sending it downhill and a touch of editing magic. Later, financial analysis firm and Nikola’s short-seller, Hindenburg, claimed that the company’s truck startup was a fraud, forcing Executive Chairman Trevor Milton to resign.
Amid an investigation by the Securities and Exchange Commission and the Justice Department, Nikola was able to complete its first prototype of the truck called the Tre early this month.
Conversely, China recently recalled all Tesla cars of Model S and Model X that were imported from the country to the United States last month. The order was a result of a reported issue with the vehicles’ suspension system.
2. Apple
Recently, Apple decided to sell its mobile phone products without a power adapter and EarPods that began with the iPhone 12 series. The company said the decision was made to help its products be more environmentally friendly and urged customers to use old adapters and EarPods from previous purchases.
3. Spread of misinformation
Across all social media platforms, a lot of people have been sharing inaccurate or biased information after being locked inside their homes. Despite the companies doing their best to curb the spread of false news, a few gained traction and spread like wildfire, including Bill Gates is responsible for the COVID-19 virus, a private Facebook group “Justice for George Floyd” was actually a racist dialogue, and people linking 5G to the spread of the coronavirus.
4. TikTok
U.S. President Donald Trump previously criticized TikTok due to its Chinese ownership and claimed that the video app posed a great security risk to the country. The Republican then signed an executive order giving TikTok the option to choose between having U.S. ownership or shutting down altogether.
Several companies stepped up and offered TikTok assistance, but Trump seemed to have forgotten the issue as the national elections approached. However, the Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States (CFIUS) extended the company’s deadline to December 4, putting the fate of TikTok up in the air once again.
5. Zoom
Video conferencing became the new mode of communication when the coronavirus pandemic forced people to stay and work at home. Zoom was at the forefront of the opportunity and provided an excellent service to its customers.
However, the company faced severely lacking security issues, which led to a number of vulnerable calls being flooded with inappropriate content or hate speech, said CNET.
