Hey. It’s Brady here.
Another day, another round of strikes by gig workers who pound the pavement for tech companies.
This time, it’s Foodpanda’s Thailand operation again. The company plans to slash driver remuneration per order by 30% in Chiang Mai. Reactions, as you can imagine, were loud and immediate.
My colleague Stephanie had the story. Drivers went on strike on Monday, issued demands, were ignored by the company, and then regrouped in formation outside a government building on Wednesday.
Even though this only seems like a matter about labor rights, there’s actually a lot at work here. The episode follows Foodpanda’s faux pas of calling a man in Bangkok—likely one of their riders—a “terrorist” after he was filmed taking part in protests. And, social unrest aside, maybe a reliance on steep discounts is far from ideal as a business model.
In the meantime, the essential workers who continue to bring comfort food to your doorstep are being shortchanged.
Daily Roundup
- Douyin removes 8,000 videos after the latest copyright infringement lawsuit from Tencent.
- China mulls upping digital tax rate, but tech giants may emerge unscathed.
- China’s crackdown will spur investment in green energy and deep tech, Cathay Innovation investors say.
- Pinduoduo’s first quarterly profit comes amid push to modernize agriculture in China.
- Mental wellness platform Flow closes a nine-figure funding round from angel investors.
- “AI doctor” developer Zuoshouyisheng raises USD 15.5 million in Series B.
- Indian digital ledger startup Khatabook raises USD 100 million from Tribe, Moore.
- Top chip tool maker sticks with Singapore while supply chains shift.