With files from Jori Negin-Shecter
A Fastly server error takes down huge swaths of the web, rumblings on Apple’s Electric Vehicle batteries continue to emerge, and Tech Firms are changing the way they recruit talent.
It’s all the biz/tech news that’s popular right now. Welcome to Hashtag Trending! It’s Wednesday, June 9 and I’m your host Alex Coop.
Numerous websites were unavailable on Tuesday after an apparent widespread at cloud service company Fastly. Dozens of high-traffic websites including the New York Times, CNN, Twitch and the U.K. government’s home page, could not be reached.https://t.co/3Fl9MC8nrh
— The Associated Press (@AP) June 8, 2021
On Tuesday, content-delivery network Fastly experienced what they described as a “technical issue” which led to several major websites experiencing downtime. Some of the most notable websites affected include CNN, Reddit, and Amazon, among a host of other high-traffic web pages. Fastly says the outage lasted for roughly an hour and that there’s no indication yet that any foul play was involved. Compounded with the outage, experts say the event highlights the frailty of our internet’s infrastructure due to a heavy reliance on a small number of Big Tech companies hosting IT infrastructure and other services. [The Associated Press]
EXCLUSIVE Apple in talks with CATL, BYD over battery supplies for its electric car https://t.co/P6DlBwoqpT pic.twitter.com/t1hyNK87qo
— Reuters (@Reuters) June 8, 2021
Reuters is reporting that Apple is in preliminary talks with two Chinese EV battery manufacturers, CATL and BYD, about the supply of batteries for its planned electric vehicle. According to the report, Apple is pushing the manufacturers to build factories in the United States as part of the agreement, though both manufacturers have expressed a reluctance due to political tensions and cost concerns. Apple has reportedly been working on self-driving technology and aims to have the production of its passenger vehicle ready by 2024. This news comes as the new U.S. administration ramps up its efforts to attract more electric vehicle manufacturing. President Biden’s $1.7 trillion infrastructure plan includes a $174 billion allocation towards boosting the domestic electric vehicle market. [Reuters]
Bye-bye four-year degree. Canadian companies want workers faster https://t.co/XemmgPkr7t pic.twitter.com/EJMdVF2O6Y
— Financial Post (@financialpost) June 7, 2021
And lastly, tech firms across Canada are changing the way they find and recruit talent. A story from The Financial Post detailed a lack of trained and experienced workforces, leading to a shift in attitudes in the tech sector. As more organizations struggle to fill jobs with qualified workers, the importance of a four-year university degree is currently diminishing within the field. The director of programming and employment partnerships at Elevate, an organization that supports underrepresented workers in tech, was cited by the publication, noting “by the time you finish a four-year degree, what you learn at the beginning of those four years may no longer be relevant”. The Federal Government has made an effort to support the tech sector in this move, allocating $5.8 million to help fund a pilot program that will prepare thousands from the GTA for Tech-Based Jobs. If the project goes well, Economic Development Minister Mélanie Joly suggests that the initiative could grow nationwide. [Financial Post]
That’s all the tech news that’s trending right now. Hashtag Trending is a part of the ITWC Podcast network. Add us to your Alexa Flash Briefing or your Google Home daily briefing. Make sure to sign up for our Daily IT Wire Newsletter to get all the news that matters directly in your inbox every day. Also, catch the next episode of Hashtag Tendances, our weekly Hashtag Trending episode in French, which drops every Friday at 3 pm. Thanks for listening.