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This is the published version of the new Forbes Future of Work newsletter, which we launched May 19, and will be sent on Friday mornings with the latest news and insights for chief people officers and other talent leaders on disruptive work-related technologies, managing the future workforce and trends in the ongoing remote work debate. Click here to sign up!

Elon Musk attends The 2022 Met Gala Celebrating "In America: An Anthology of Fashion" at The Metropolitan Museum of Art on May 02, 2022 in New York City. (Photo by Dimitrios Kambouris/Getty Images for The Met Museum/Vogue)

Greetings from an apparent member of the laptop classbillionaire Elon Musks latest sneer at remote work, which he grumbled this week is morally wrongand welcome to the debut issue of Forbes Future of Work newsletter.

In a CNBC interview this week, speaking about service and manufacturing workers, Musk said its messed up to assume that, yes, they have to go to work, but you dont. Its not just a productivity thing, I think its morally wrong, suggesting the laptop class is living in la-la land.

That argument, while acknowledging the disparate class impact of the pandemic, ignores the morally positive benefits of remote worka smaller environmental footprint from fewer commutes, more time for working parents to spend with children and more job opportunities for those not based in larger cities. Contributor Gleb Tsipursky called out the irony this way: Remote work is not a manifestation of entitlement; rather, it is an innovative solution to an unforeseen global challenge the kind of innovation Musk champions in his ambitious ventures.

Below, I hope youll find insights on more substantive debatesand what you really need to know about where work is headed from the week that passedin our brand new newsletter. Let us know what you think!

San Francisco-based Instawork, which pairs hourly workers with companies that need to fill shifts, announced a $60 million Series D Thursday to expand its use of AI, saying it will help better identify and match workers on its mobile app and platform. Co-founder and CEO Sumir Meghani will be speaking at Forbes Future of Work Summit June 1; you can register to attend virtually here.

Layoffs may be mounting, but the unemployment rate is still at record lows, and a thought-provoking report from the Harvard Project on the Workforce spotlights the under-realized promise public workforce programs have in helping American workers, writes contributor and Jobs for the Future president and CEO Maria Flynn.

A recently-amended lawsuit filed in Philadelphias Court of Common Pleas that adds new defendants to a suit against gig economy platforms underscores how such companies can shift accountability when it comes to independent contractors, legal experts told Forbes Cyrus Farivar.

OpenAI CEO Sam Altman voiced support for more AI regulation while testifying at a historic congressional hearing Tuesday, saying intervention by governments would be critical and suggesting a Cabinet-level organization to keep up with AI development. (Worried? Randstad CEO Sander van t Noordende says these are the leadership skills that cant be replicated by AI.)

The hearing came as advancements in AI keep proliferating, with Microsoft recently expanding its Copilot AI tool to 600 customers and wanting to automate medical notes with GPT-4. Meanwhile, Google parent Alphabets stock got a rare downgrade despite the companys rollout of a host of new AI products as it tries to be both bold and responsible.

Canva Global Head of People Jennie Rogerson

Canvas Rogerson has an untraditional background, with a career in hospitality before joining design unicorn Canva as an executive assistant and quickly moving into leadership roles. I caught up with Rogerson earlier this yearhere are five takeaways from our chat, which have been edited for length and clarity.

What have been your biggest priorities as Canva has grown so quickly?

Last January, we intentionally set a philosophy called fewer hires well. We were keen on hitting profitability for our sixth year in a row [and] wanting to make sure our headcount costs were in line. But then that phrase fewer hires well cascaded into other things. Now we call it fewer things well. We're really certain of what goals we want to hit and really try and let go of the noise of the other stuff.

Have you had any job cuts? Are you planning any?

No, we've not cut jobs. We've just intentionally been really strong on how big do we want to be and what roles do we really need. No, not planning on it. Were really going as much as we can into planning versus anything near layoffs.

Whats a key focus for you as you look at the year ahead?

Pre-pandemic, technology downfallsor paper cuts, as we call themwere kind of fine. But being a globally remote team, if you stumble across under-cooked processes or technology that doesn't enable you, those paper cuts really add up over time. That's one of our key focuses this year: Looking at what are our tools that are enabling [us] to run really quickly.

How much of Canva is remote?

Were incredibly fortunate that the office is still jam-packed. Someone came in the other day as an external and said have you got an event? Oh no, it's just a Tuesday. [A spokesperson says the majority of Canva works hybrid schedules.]

With so many layoffs, do you think the social contract is shifting in what workers expect from tech companies?

When there were lots of layoffs [in the broader tech sector], what stability could we give our team? ... That's kind of the angle that I'm taking. Things will change. You've seen it in the last year. I think really being on the pulse of how people feel rather than looking externally is the way I'm riding through this next year or so. Really listening, thats my main thing.

The Office of Personnel Management, the federal agency overseeing human resources for the U.S. government, proposed a new rule last week that would prohibit the use of an applicants salary history in federal employment offers:

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Elon Musk is far from the only CEO to criticize remote work. Which other high-profile CEOs have dialed back their support for WFH?

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Elon Musk's 'Morally Wrong' Remote Work Gripe Misses Its Many ... - Forbes