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America’s tech companies could do more to inform Americans about the coronavirus and help people and businesses struggling. But they’ve also been decisive trendsetters to keep their employees and the rest of us safer from the virus.

Last year, some high-profile tech companies were relatively early and continued to close their corporate offices when coronavirus outbreaks began in the United States. pay many hourly workers those who cannot do their work remotely. These actions from companies including Microsoft, Salesforce, Facebook, Google, Apple and Twitter possibly helped save lives in the Bay Area and perhaps beyond.

Now many of the same tech companies – schools and universities, health institutions and some government Employers in the United States – started to announce vaccination guidelines for staff, restart obligation to wear a mask, delayed reopening of offices or on-site workplace vaccinations to help slow the latest wave of infections.

America’s tech companies, which deserve criticism for their abuse of power, should also take credit for using their power to take decisive action against virus risks.

These steps helped make it reasonable for other organizations to follow. And in some cases, tech companies acted more quickly in response to health threats and communicated about them more effectively than federal or local government leaders.

I understand that readers may disagree on whether employers should require vaccinations or other health measures. I also understand that tech companies have many advantages over other types of employers, including workers who can do their jobs largely outside of the office. Companies that manufacture cars or airplanes, serve food, or run hospitals don’t have that luxury.

Tech companies based in left-leaning areas of the United States, including the Bay Area and Seattle, are less likely to face backlash from staff or local politicians for requiring a vaccine. have infinite dollars it also gives tech companies the ability to do what they believe is best.

But other wealthy companies have often been invisible in guiding how big employers should help the country’s pandemic response.

Tech companies cannot and should not replace effective government. NS private sector and US government cooperation He was instrumental in the development and distribution of highly effective vaccines and the actions of the federal government. Significantly reduced poverty in America in time of crisis.

It’s fair to worry that tech superpowers and other private companies have too much influence. But in this case, tech companies are flexing their power to make us all a little safer.

Before you go …

• A MeToo account in video games: Many employees of the video game company Activision Blizzard, protest what they say is routine workplace harassment and unfair pay for women. The video game industry has traditionally ignored allegations of sexism and mistreatment of women, my colleagues Kellen Browning and Mike Isaac write, but now “a critical mass of the industry’s own workers indicate that they will no longer tolerate such behavior.”

  Related: Women at Google complained of abuse from their bosses. Received mental health counselingand in at least one case the company requested access to an employee’s patient records, Alisha Haridasani Gupta and Ruchika Tulshyan report.

• America’s drivers are unaware guinea pigs: Greg Bensinger, editorial board member of The New York Times writes: Tesla puts everyone at risk exaggerating the capabilities of driver assistance technologies in the company’s vehicles.

• We can’t just blame internet companies: Her the mistake of exaggerating the impact of online misinformation on anti-vaccine beliefs In the United States, says a Wired writer. There is also a risk that the public and the news media will use “false information” as an overly broad term for posts that are not objectively inaccurate but contain carefully selected statistics or misleading interpretations of facts.

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