How the MTA’s MetroCard vending machine became a New York design icon

In its 119-year history, the NYC subway system's straphangers went from tickets, to tokens, to mastering the swipe. In 1997 the MetroCard debuted, and 1999 saw the introduction of the MetroCard vending machine. Together they became a beloved, iconic part of New York’s visual identity. They were also the first public-facing project by Antenna Design, whose founders Masamichi Udagawa and Sigi Moeslinger have since left their distinct, thoughtful design all over New York City with projects like LinkNYC.

It's now 2023, and the MetroCard is being phased out in favor of the MTA's next-generation fare system, OMNY. Having made its debut in late 2019, OMNY trades magnetic swipes for the tap-and-go infrastructure now common across public transportation systems worldwide.

As the city prepares to say goodbye to a vending machine that has served millions, we wanted to know: How did something designed in the 1990s withstand the test of time — and New York? Watch the video below for the full story.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/how-the-mtas-metrocard-vending-machine-became-a-new-york-design-icon-143051318.html?src=rss

All the big tech layoffs of 2024

The tech industry has been reeling from the combination of a rough economy, the COVID-19 pandemic and some obvious business missteps. And while that led to job cuts in 2022, the headcount reductions unfortunately ramped up in 2023 and so far, seem to be accelerating in 2024. It can be tough to keep track of these moves, so we’ve compiled all the major layoffs in one place and will continue to update this story as the situation evolves.

February 2024

DocuSign layoffs

DocuSign slashed its headcount by six percent. Staff in the sales and marketing departments were most heavily affected. Bloomberg notes that the company had 7,336 employees at the end of 2023.

Snap layoffs

Snap is once again reducing its headcount, this time by another 10 percent, or some 540 workers. The company claimed the layoffs were required to “reduce hierarchy and promote in-person collaboration.”

Microsoft layoffs

In February Microsoft imposed layoffs at two of its gaming subsidiaries, cutting 86 jobs at Skylander studio Toys for Bob and 76 jobs at Call of Duty developer Sledgehamer Games.

Cisco layoffs

Networking giant Cisco announced it would be laying off thousands of employees as part of a larger restructuring effort. The company had a total employee count of 84,900 before these cuts. 

January 2024

Duolingo layoffs

Duolingo cut 10 percent of its contractors, and said that it is instead able to use generative AI to accomplish some of the tasks that its human workers used to perform. 

Unity layoffs

Unity laid off 1,800 people, or a quarter of its workforce. This is in addition to more than 1,110 other layoffs at the company over the past two years.

Humane AI layoffs

Humane cut 4 percent of its workforce even before its flagship product, the Ai pin, hit the market.

Twitch layoffs

Amazon-owned Twitch is laying off a sobering 35 percent of its workforce, just over 500 people. In a note to staff, CEO Dan Clancy said "our organization is still meaningfully larger than it needs to be given the size of our business."

Amazon layoffs

On the same day that Amazon-owned Twitch confirmed it would be laying off 500 workers, Variety reported that Amazon itself would lay off "several hundred" people at Prime Video and MGM Studios. Later in January, Amazon also cut 5 percent of the staff behind its Buy with Prime program.

Meta layoffs

Meta's layoffs are continuing into 2024. The company has reportedly let go 60 technical program managers at Instagram.

Google layoffs

In another round of belt tightening, Google has reportedly laid off hundreds of workers in its Assistant and hardware divisions, among other departments. Alongside the cuts, Google is said to have reorganized its Pixel, Nest and Fitbit divisions, which led to Fitbit's co-founders departing the company. Just days later, Google laid off hundreds of workers in its ads business. CEO Sundar Pichai later said in an internal memo that even more cuts would be coming throughout the year, while parent company Alphabet cut dozens of jobs from its X moonshot lab.

Discord layoffs

Discord has reportedly laid off 170 workers, or 17 percent of its workforce. In a memo first reported by The Verge, CEO Jason Citron said the company had hired too many people back in 2020.

Riot Games layoffs

Following the gaming industry's crisis level of loss in 2023, Riot Games announced that it laid off 11 percent of its workforce globally, impacting 530 people.

eBay layoffs

E-commerce giant eBay is reducing its workforce by around 1,000 roles, or roughly 9 percent of its full-time employees. The company also plans to scale back the number of contractors over the coming months.

TikTok layoffs

TikTok confirmed it let go 60 employees, mostly in its sales and advertising division.

Microsoft layoffs

Microsoft cut 1,900 jobs across Activision and Blizzard. This marks a bleak beginning to the new year for gaming, with 6,000 layoffs across the industry so far in 2024 alone.

iRobot layoffs

Roomba maker iRobot slashed 31 percent of its workforce following Amazon's decision to terminate its proposed acquisition of the company.

Block layoffs

Block reportedly laid off around 1,000 workers, with the Cash App and Square teams among those most heavily affected. CEO Jack Dorsey told staff that Block was becoming a leaner company.

PayPal layoffs

PayPal cut nine percent of its workforce — approximately 2,500 employees — despite reporting strong revenue growth in 2023. 

Polestar layoffs

The EV maker is cutting 15 percent of its global workforce, or about 450 jobs.

Sega layoffs

Sega announced plans to lay off 61 workers in March. The employees are based at two offices in Irvine, California. 

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/big-tech-layoffs-183005386.html?src=rss