This article is from the source 'nytimes' and was first published or seen on . It last changed over 40 days ago and won't be checked again for changes.
You can find the current article at its original source at https://www.nytimes.com/2020/04/29/technology/facebook-earnings-advertising-virus.html
The article has changed 15 times. There is an RSS feed of changes available.
| Version 12 | Version 13 |
|---|---|
| Facebook Points to ‘Signs of Stability’ as Ad Declines Flatten | Facebook Points to ‘Signs of Stability’ as Ad Declines Flatten |
| (6 days later) | |
| SAN FRANCISCO — Facebook cautioned Wall Street on Wednesday that it could face intensifying difficulties in its advertising business from the coronavirus pandemic, but also indicated that the toll would not be deep. | SAN FRANCISCO — Facebook cautioned Wall Street on Wednesday that it could face intensifying difficulties in its advertising business from the coronavirus pandemic, but also indicated that the toll would not be deep. |
| The company, which reported rising revenue and profit for the first three months of the year, said that it experienced a significant reduction in advertising in the last three weeks of March and that its business would continue to be affected by “issues beyond our control.” It added that it would not give forecasts about future financial results because of the coronavirus impact. | The company, which reported rising revenue and profit for the first three months of the year, said that it experienced a significant reduction in advertising in the last three weeks of March and that its business would continue to be affected by “issues beyond our control.” It added that it would not give forecasts about future financial results because of the coronavirus impact. |
| But the ad declines flattened in April, Facebook said, adding that it had “seen signs of stability” and that “advertising revenue has been approximately flat compared to the same period a year ago.” | But the ad declines flattened in April, Facebook said, adding that it had “seen signs of stability” and that “advertising revenue has been approximately flat compared to the same period a year ago.” |
| Coupled with relatively robust financial results from Google’s parent company, Alphabet, on Tuesday and from Microsoft on Wednesday, Facebook and other tech giants appear to be limiting the pain from the pandemic as people flock to their digital services while in lockdown. | Coupled with relatively robust financial results from Google’s parent company, Alphabet, on Tuesday and from Microsoft on Wednesday, Facebook and other tech giants appear to be limiting the pain from the pandemic as people flock to their digital services while in lockdown. |
| Mark Zuckerberg, Facebook’s founder and chief executive, has said use of the company’s video and voice calling services doubled or more over the past six weeks. Engineers are working around the clock just to “keep the lights on,” he has said. | Mark Zuckerberg, Facebook’s founder and chief executive, has said use of the company’s video and voice calling services doubled or more over the past six weeks. Engineers are working around the clock just to “keep the lights on,” he has said. |
| More than three billion people now use one of the company’s apps every month, Facebook said, up from 2.7 billion people a year earlier. Engagement has surged, though the social network said it expected some of the increase to subside as shelter-in-place orders are lifted. | More than three billion people now use one of the company’s apps every month, Facebook said, up from 2.7 billion people a year earlier. Engagement has surged, though the social network said it expected some of the increase to subside as shelter-in-place orders are lifted. |
| “Like Google, Facebook has an opportunity to emerge from the coronavirus crisis as a stronger player,” said Martin Garner, an internet analyst at CCS Insight, a marketing intelligence firm. “One key impact of the virus will be to accelerate companies’ use of digital services in everything from advertising to collaboration.” | “Like Google, Facebook has an opportunity to emerge from the coronavirus crisis as a stronger player,” said Martin Garner, an internet analyst at CCS Insight, a marketing intelligence firm. “One key impact of the virus will be to accelerate companies’ use of digital services in everything from advertising to collaboration.” |
| For the first quarter, Facebook said its revenue rose 18 percent to $17.74 billion from a year earlier, while profit more than doubled to $4.9 billion, far surpassing Wall Street estimates. A year ago, Facebook’s profits were hurt when it took a $3 billion charge to pay a privacy settlement with the Federal Trade Commission. | For the first quarter, Facebook said its revenue rose 18 percent to $17.74 billion from a year earlier, while profit more than doubled to $4.9 billion, far surpassing Wall Street estimates. A year ago, Facebook’s profits were hurt when it took a $3 billion charge to pay a privacy settlement with the Federal Trade Commission. |
| Facebook recently warned that the increased usage of its services in the coronavirus outbreak might not lead to increased revenue since the company does not make money off many of its video and voice calling services. | Facebook recently warned that the increased usage of its services in the coronavirus outbreak might not lead to increased revenue since the company does not make money off many of its video and voice calling services. |
| “This is not going to be business as usual, and the marketing industry is certainly going to see a real impact,” Sheryl Sandberg, Facebook’s chief operating officer, said in a television interview last month. “I don’t think anyone knows how big. So we’re going to watch and look.” | “This is not going to be business as usual, and the marketing industry is certainly going to see a real impact,” Sheryl Sandberg, Facebook’s chief operating officer, said in a television interview last month. “I don’t think anyone knows how big. So we’re going to watch and look.” |
| Updated July 7, 2020 | |
| The coronavirus can stay aloft for hours in tiny droplets in stagnant air, infecting people as they inhale, mounting scientific evidence suggests. This risk is highest in crowded indoor spaces with poor ventilation, and may help explain super-spreading events reported in meatpacking plants, churches and restaurants. It’s unclear how often the virus is spread via these tiny droplets, or aerosols, compared with larger droplets that are expelled when a sick person coughs or sneezes, or transmitted through contact with contaminated surfaces, said Linsey Marr, an aerosol expert at Virginia Tech. Aerosols are released even when a person without symptoms exhales, talks or sings, according to Dr. Marr and more than 200 other experts, who have outlined the evidence in an open letter to the World Health Organization. | |
| Common symptoms include fever, a dry cough, fatigue and difficulty breathing or shortness of breath. Some of these symptoms overlap with those of the flu, making detection difficult, but runny noses and stuffy sinuses are less common. The C.D.C. has also added chills, muscle pain, sore throat, headache and a new loss of the sense of taste or smell as symptoms to look out for. Most people fall ill five to seven days after exposure, but symptoms may appear in as few as two days or as many as 14 days. | Common symptoms include fever, a dry cough, fatigue and difficulty breathing or shortness of breath. Some of these symptoms overlap with those of the flu, making detection difficult, but runny noses and stuffy sinuses are less common. The C.D.C. has also added chills, muscle pain, sore throat, headache and a new loss of the sense of taste or smell as symptoms to look out for. Most people fall ill five to seven days after exposure, but symptoms may appear in as few as two days or as many as 14 days. |
| Scientists around the country have tried to identify everyday materials that do a good job of filtering microscopic particles. In recent tests, HEPA furnace filters scored high, as did vacuum cleaner bags, fabric similar to flannel pajamas and those of 600-count pillowcases. Other materials tested included layered coffee filters and scarves and bandannas. These scored lower, but still captured a small percentage of particles. | Scientists around the country have tried to identify everyday materials that do a good job of filtering microscopic particles. In recent tests, HEPA furnace filters scored high, as did vacuum cleaner bags, fabric similar to flannel pajamas and those of 600-count pillowcases. Other materials tested included layered coffee filters and scarves and bandannas. These scored lower, but still captured a small percentage of particles. |
| A commentary published this month on the website of the British Journal of Sports Medicine points out that covering your face during exercise “comes with issues of potential breathing restriction and discomfort” and requires “balancing benefits versus possible adverse events.” Masks do alter exercise, says Cedric X. Bryant, the president and chief science officer of the American Council on Exercise, a nonprofit organization that funds exercise research and certifies fitness professionals. “In my personal experience,” he says, “heart rates are higher at the same relative intensity when you wear a mask.” Some people also could experience lightheadedness during familiar workouts while masked, says Len Kravitz, a professor of exercise science at the University of New Mexico. | A commentary published this month on the website of the British Journal of Sports Medicine points out that covering your face during exercise “comes with issues of potential breathing restriction and discomfort” and requires “balancing benefits versus possible adverse events.” Masks do alter exercise, says Cedric X. Bryant, the president and chief science officer of the American Council on Exercise, a nonprofit organization that funds exercise research and certifies fitness professionals. “In my personal experience,” he says, “heart rates are higher at the same relative intensity when you wear a mask.” Some people also could experience lightheadedness during familiar workouts while masked, says Len Kravitz, a professor of exercise science at the University of New Mexico. |
| The steroid, dexamethasone, is the first treatment shown to reduce mortality in severely ill patients, according to scientists in Britain. The drug appears to reduce inflammation caused by the immune system, protecting the tissues. In the study, dexamethasone reduced deaths of patients on ventilators by one-third, and deaths of patients on oxygen by one-fifth. | The steroid, dexamethasone, is the first treatment shown to reduce mortality in severely ill patients, according to scientists in Britain. The drug appears to reduce inflammation caused by the immune system, protecting the tissues. In the study, dexamethasone reduced deaths of patients on ventilators by one-third, and deaths of patients on oxygen by one-fifth. |
| The coronavirus emergency relief package gives many American workers paid leave if they need to take time off because of the virus. It gives qualified workers two weeks of paid sick leave if they are ill, quarantined or seeking diagnosis or preventive care for coronavirus, or if they are caring for sick family members. It gives 12 weeks of paid leave to people caring for children whose schools are closed or whose child care provider is unavailable because of the coronavirus. It is the first time the United States has had widespread federally mandated paid leave, and includes people who don’t typically get such benefits, like part-time and gig economy workers. But the measure excludes at least half of private-sector workers, including those at the country’s largest employers, and gives small employers significant leeway to deny leave. | The coronavirus emergency relief package gives many American workers paid leave if they need to take time off because of the virus. It gives qualified workers two weeks of paid sick leave if they are ill, quarantined or seeking diagnosis or preventive care for coronavirus, or if they are caring for sick family members. It gives 12 weeks of paid leave to people caring for children whose schools are closed or whose child care provider is unavailable because of the coronavirus. It is the first time the United States has had widespread federally mandated paid leave, and includes people who don’t typically get such benefits, like part-time and gig economy workers. But the measure excludes at least half of private-sector workers, including those at the country’s largest employers, and gives small employers significant leeway to deny leave. |
| So far, the evidence seems to show it does. A widely cited paper published in April suggests that people are most infectious about two days before the onset of coronavirus symptoms and estimated that 44 percent of new infections were a result of transmission from people who were not yet showing symptoms. Recently, a top expert at the World Health Organization stated that transmission of the coronavirus by people who did not have symptoms was “very rare,” but she later walked back that statement. | So far, the evidence seems to show it does. A widely cited paper published in April suggests that people are most infectious about two days before the onset of coronavirus symptoms and estimated that 44 percent of new infections were a result of transmission from people who were not yet showing symptoms. Recently, a top expert at the World Health Organization stated that transmission of the coronavirus by people who did not have symptoms was “very rare,” but she later walked back that statement. |
| Touching contaminated objects and then infecting ourselves with the germs is not typically how the virus spreads. But it can happen. A number of studies of flu, rhinovirus, coronavirus and other microbes have shown that respiratory illnesses, including the new coronavirus, can spread by touching contaminated surfaces, particularly in places like day care centers, offices and hospitals. But a long chain of events has to happen for the disease to spread that way. The best way to protect yourself from coronavirus — whether it’s surface transmission or close human contact — is still social distancing, washing your hands, not touching your face and wearing masks. | Touching contaminated objects and then infecting ourselves with the germs is not typically how the virus spreads. But it can happen. A number of studies of flu, rhinovirus, coronavirus and other microbes have shown that respiratory illnesses, including the new coronavirus, can spread by touching contaminated surfaces, particularly in places like day care centers, offices and hospitals. But a long chain of events has to happen for the disease to spread that way. The best way to protect yourself from coronavirus — whether it’s surface transmission or close human contact — is still social distancing, washing your hands, not touching your face and wearing masks. |
| A study by European scientists is the first to document a strong statistical link between genetic variations and Covid-19, the illness caused by the coronavirus. Having Type A blood was linked to a 50 percent increase in the likelihood that a patient would need to get oxygen or to go on a ventilator, according to the new study. | A study by European scientists is the first to document a strong statistical link between genetic variations and Covid-19, the illness caused by the coronavirus. Having Type A blood was linked to a 50 percent increase in the likelihood that a patient would need to get oxygen or to go on a ventilator, according to the new study. |
| If air travel is unavoidable, there are some steps you can take to protect yourself. Most important: Wash your hands often, and stop touching your face. If possible, choose a window seat. A study from Emory University found that during flu season, the safest place to sit on a plane is by a window, as people sitting in window seats had less contact with potentially sick people. Disinfect hard surfaces. When you get to your seat and your hands are clean, use disinfecting wipes to clean the hard surfaces at your seat like the head and arm rest, the seatbelt buckle, the remote, screen, seat back pocket and the tray table. If the seat is hard and nonporous or leather or pleather, you can wipe that down, too. (Using wipes on upholstered seats could lead to a wet seat and spreading of germs rather than killing them.) | If air travel is unavoidable, there are some steps you can take to protect yourself. Most important: Wash your hands often, and stop touching your face. If possible, choose a window seat. A study from Emory University found that during flu season, the safest place to sit on a plane is by a window, as people sitting in window seats had less contact with potentially sick people. Disinfect hard surfaces. When you get to your seat and your hands are clean, use disinfecting wipes to clean the hard surfaces at your seat like the head and arm rest, the seatbelt buckle, the remote, screen, seat back pocket and the tray table. If the seat is hard and nonporous or leather or pleather, you can wipe that down, too. (Using wipes on upholstered seats could lead to a wet seat and spreading of germs rather than killing them.) |
| If you’ve been exposed to the coronavirus or think you have, and have a fever or symptoms like a cough or difficulty breathing, call a doctor. They should give you advice on whether you should be tested, how to get tested, and how to seek medical treatment without potentially infecting or exposing others. | If you’ve been exposed to the coronavirus or think you have, and have a fever or symptoms like a cough or difficulty breathing, call a doctor. They should give you advice on whether you should be tested, how to get tested, and how to seek medical treatment without potentially infecting or exposing others. |
| But the downturn has also given Facebook an opportunity to trim expenses and to deploy its resources into new products. Last week, the company introduced a new video chat product, called Rooms, that will be rolled out across Instagram, Messenger, WhatsApp and the main Facebook app. | But the downturn has also given Facebook an opportunity to trim expenses and to deploy its resources into new products. Last week, the company introduced a new video chat product, called Rooms, that will be rolled out across Instagram, Messenger, WhatsApp and the main Facebook app. |
| Facebook said its own spending was also down, largely related to slowing travel and event planning costs, which have come to a virtual standstill because of the coronavirus. The virus has also slowed hiring. All of that would keep its expenses down, Facebook said. It estimated it would save $2 billion to $4 billion in expenditures this year. | Facebook said its own spending was also down, largely related to slowing travel and event planning costs, which have come to a virtual standstill because of the coronavirus. The virus has also slowed hiring. All of that would keep its expenses down, Facebook said. It estimated it would save $2 billion to $4 billion in expenditures this year. |
| “I’ve always believed that in times of economic downturn, it’s important to keep investing,” Mr. Zuckerberg said in a conference call on Wednesday. | “I’ve always believed that in times of economic downturn, it’s important to keep investing,” Mr. Zuckerberg said in a conference call on Wednesday. |