Matthew Finnegan
Senior Reporter
Matthew Finnegan covers Microsoft, collaboration and productivity software, AR/VR, and other enterprise IT topics. He joined IDG in January 2013 and is based in Sweden.
Q&A: How employee monitoring can sometimes do more harm than good
There may be valid reasons for monitoring workers — to improve workplace safety, for instance, or safeguard against dangerous behavior. But workplace surveillance can also become invasive and break the trust between employer and...
Banks face a WhatsApp reckoning as regulators clamp down on messaging apps
Financial institutions are being hit with millions of dollars in fines from regulators concerned about the use of messaging apps. That's forcing the financial firms to shift gears to deal with the issue.
Microsoft Teams now lets users send short video clip messages
The new asynchronous video chat tool is one of several Teams announcements from Inspire this week, including collaborative annotations and the Excel Live app in Teams meetings.
Microsoft brings social network-style ‘stories’ to work
The company offered up its take on Facebook and Instagram Stories at Inspire, as Yammer Communities becomes Viva Engage.
Hiring across borders is tough. Global HR startups aim to help
Remote work opens up a global talent pool, but it can be tricky to hire workers in other countries. A new breed of global hiring firms wants to take the pain out of the process with user-friendly cloud platforms.
Slack adds video and screenshare to Huddles audio chat
Huddles have become the fastest-adopted feature in Slack’s history, the company said, helping reduce time spent in online meetings.
Q&A: Four business leaders on their 4-day workweek pilot plans
Seventy small businesses in the UK are now trying out a four-day workweek as part of a six-month trial coordinated by the non-profit 4 Day Week Global and think tank Autonomy. Leaders at four of the firms explain what they're doing...
Microsoft promises to recognize Activision Blizzard unions
Microsoft has formalized its promise that it won’t stand in the way of unionization efforts at Activision Blizzard, announcing an agreement with the Communications Workers of America.
Apple’s Freeform adds another digital whiteboard option for remote work
Freeform is due out later this year, but its availability on Apple devices could keep it from gaining ground on various competing whiteboard apps on the market.
Four-day workweek pilot kicks off for thousands of UK workers
Amid calls around the globe for more companies to adopt a shorter workweek, 70 businesses have committed to a four-day week for staff in the largest pilot project to date.
Microsoft promises to engage with employee unions
As the labor movement gains momentum in the tech sector, Microsoft’s relaxed stance contrasts with Amazon and Apple, which have resisted unionization.
Video collaboration startup Loom announces layoffs
The asynchronous video software firm, valued at $1.5bn, has reportedly cut 34 employees, as tech startups react to wider economic uncertainty.
Slack revamps user profiles for better connections
Users of the team collaboration app can customize their profile with more personal information, which the company hopes will help connect remote teams more effectively.
Microsoft looks to make Teams screen-sharing more interactive with Live Share
The Live Share SDK, announced at Microsoft’s Build event this week, lets developers turn any third-party application into a “multiplayer” Teams app.
Software QA workers at Activision vote to unionize
Staffers at Activision subsidiary Raven Software, which helps create the “Call of Duty" video game series, approved a proposal to unionize on Monday.
Some tech firms hit the pause button on hiring
Though the job market remains tight, several large tech companies, including Salesforce, Twitter and Meta, have slowed the hiring of new staff amid rising inflation and market uncertainty; other companies have decided to cut jobs...
Airtable exec describes building a 'data hub' for the enterprise
Airtable is more than just a 'spreadsheet on steroids,' says Ilan Frank, who recently joined as head of platform after leaving Slack.
Google brings automated summaries to Workspace ‘Spaces’
Other updates to the company’s app suite announced at Google I/O include video call transcriptions, third-party app integrations for Meet, and tools to improve call quality such as “de-reverberation.”
Q&A: Why video calls can be bad for creativity
The use of videoconferencing apps grew dramatically during the COVID-19 pandemic and helped many workers stay in touch with each other and their bosses. But there may be a downside to the video revolution.