
Yelp cancels internship program due to Covid-19 outbreak - gtmtg
https://techcrunch.com/2020/03/18/yelp-cancels-internship-program-due-to-covid-19-outbreak/
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froindt
This is terrible timing for the class of 2020 and 2021. Classes are online or
canceled, many are paying rent on apartments they aren't living in (staying
with parents after spring break), losing income from their university
town/campus jobs since campuses are shutdown, and many companies are on hiring
freezes while things shake out.

I know internships were the difference between me taking out loans and
graduating debt free. I also converted my last internship into a full-time
offer. I feel for anyone directly affected by this.

I wonder if 5 years from now we'll see the classes of '20 and '21
significantly hindered in their workforce progression and pay as was seen of
the 2008 era?

~~~
lopmotr
But isn't Yelp that company that extorts businesses into buying their
advertising and punishes them with bad reviews if they don't? Any student
would might have contributed to that racket deserves to miss out.

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natrik
[https://www.yelp.com/extortion](https://www.yelp.com/extortion)

Lot of misinformation out there.

~~~
wobbly_bush
If Yelp really did it, a page on Yelp's website wouldn't be a credible source.

~~~
jdm2212
FWIW Yelp's page specifically says "but don't just take our word for it" and
links to independent reporting: [http://www.buzzfeed.com/sandraeallen/is-yelp-
evil-or-just-mi...](http://www.buzzfeed.com/sandraeallen/is-yelp-evil-or-just-
misunderstood)

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throwqwerty
this thing is causing me a lot of anxiety lately. i finally landed a FB summer
internship in menlo park and now i can't tell if it'll actually happen.
recruiter is saying everything is still on track but i'm sure there's no way
they can predict whether that'll change soon.

i know google is doing virtual onboarding and wfh for incoming interns
according to the whether the team that hosts is still game. does anyone have
any idea about FB?

~~~
runawaybottle
Yelp is very much tied to the Restaurant industry. It may be an outlier with
respect to this pandemic. Of all the tech dominos to fall, Yelp and Groupon
(trading around 50 cents today) sound like the first to be hit.

~~~
throwqwerty
i'm sure FB isn't going to fail but i am wondering if it logistically won't be
possible. i mean menlo park is under shelter-in-place and if you asked me a
couple of weeks ago i would not have imagined an intern class could be
productive on WFH.

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dilyevsky
Shelter in place is until april 7. They can maybe extend it a little longer
but not by much because otherwise half of people end up being exempt due to
homelessness

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mkinsella
I highly doubt the shelter-in-place order will be lifted before mid-May.

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dilyevsky
I kid ofc what’s actually going to happen is

a. Everyone will start ignoring it

b. Actual bread riots

c. All of the above

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agakshat
This is a kneejerk reaction from Yelp that will hurt their hiring efforts in
the future as they cease to be a reliable option for good candidates. It would
not have been difficult for them to ask the interns to work remotely, maybe
even reduce stipends if they’re hurting for cash. But canceling internships at
this point deeply hurts these candidates’ prospects. Anyone job hunting and in
a position to pick and choose should withdraw their job applications from Yelp
and let them know why.

~~~
austhrow743
The businesses that make up Yelp's customer base are crumbling by the day.
They're a "help you find restaurants and bars" app in a time when governments
are either telling their citizens to not go to restaurants and bars, or just
straight up forcibly closing them. I don't see how you can call this a
kneejerk reaction, like _at all_. A virus caused recession is the world thing
that could have happened to Yelp economy wise. Withdraw applications and let
them know why? Lol. They aren't going to notice. Those applications aren't
happening. If people with applications haven't been told that yet it's only
because HR is either too busy getting the mass layoffs in order or job hunting
themselves.

