Is it all over for San Francisco? Perhaps the most lauded of what we used to call ‘super star’ cities, SF was the place you had to go if you were to make in the world of tech startup. But the remote work revolution, absurdly high rental costs and decreasing standard of living is reversing what was once the inexorable agglomeration effect. Great listen.

Well I rarely post content from the FBI, but this update on the bureau’s website suggests the issue of remote work fraud is not a mythical problem; using Deepfake pictures, AI written profiles and then automated bots to build out LinkedIn networks, it is only a matter of time before our most used platform becomes parasitised with convincing fake accounts. We’re going to need verified ID really. H/T to brainfooder Jeroen Kneppers for the share.

This is actually a remarkable statistic - for the first time ever, applications to Remote Job postings exceed 50% of the total number of applications on LinkedIn, despite making up only 20% of the total job ad volume. Lots of reasons why this is - lower cost-of-discovery for the applicant, lower cost-of-switching should the applicant take the job and ultimately lower risk to the applicant if the job turns out to be dud. On-premise cannot compete with full remote. Have a read

Here’s an interesting idea - all jobs can be divided into 3 types and which type you do will determine how ‘remote-able’ your job might be. Excellent framework from Lynda Gratton - I think it works for most roles we can think of. We’re probably not doing it this way though, and maybe we should. Have a read

An obvious manifestation of a distributed workforce is that we will end up working with colleagues from different cultures and different communication styles. Drawing from Erin Meyer’s canonical text The Culture Map, this post from our buddies at Toptal gives some practical tips on how to talk and work with colleagues who might have very different styles of communication. It’s a great read.

Cool infographic on the history of remote work. Technology is inexorably reducing the value of physical proximity. How long before the office becomes an anachronism for the majority? For a video on how recruiters work remote, check this out.

Outstanding post by Mark Schall, who makes the critical distinction between Remote vs Distributed teams. As we discussed in Ep10 of Brainfood Live, our body of knowledge in remote work is building. You can add this post to the list. H/T` ‘foodie Pedro Oliveira for the share

Fascinating experiment by sex & relationship journalist Isabelle Kohn, who discovered virtual co-working service, Focusmate, a productivity tool for remote workers who may still want to work with others. Not sure if I could handle the voyeurism this implies, but I’ll give it a go if you will…..

Some superb upgrades on this website for the location agnostic. Packed full of information, handy tips and useful calculators that give an at-a-glance value for the peripatetic. Obviously do your own research to back up what you find, but this site is great starting point for those looking to move…have a look here.

How remote workers from around the world feel about remote work, the benefits and struggles that come along with it, and what it’s like to be a remote worker in 2019. Accessible report from Buffer on a trend which will become default - take a look here

A really useful guide from a highly qualified perspective - Steph Smith works remotely, for a company (Toptal) which has helped many other companies start in hiring remote first workers. This post delivers on it’s promise - an essential guide for workers and employers alike. Take a look here

Great read from InVision Chief People Office, Mark Frein. A ‘pure’ remote working organisation, all of InVision’s 1000+ employees work remotely. This is a balanced account on what it is like. It’s an excellent read - take a look here

Wonderful writing from Matt Haughey, now Senior Writer at Slack, on remote working. Loads of great tips here so read this for the content alone, but also spend some time to consider the writing - takes real skill to make 10 minutes worth of reading feel like a joy.

Powerful message, emphatically made. Of course, David Tate is right in his analysis. You’ve got to mean it, not just pitch it. 

GitLab are one of the new generation of ‘remote only’ tech businesses - no offices, no fixed location for anyone on staff. It’s the operating model of the near future, so great news that they are sharing the resources they use themselves on how to do remote well. This is a superb collection here. H/T 'foodie Rupert Douglas for the share

Deeper dive into the psychology of managing remote teams by the outstanding Stephanie Smith of Toptal. The body of knowledge on remote work is growing as more of us do it and this is a fine contribution - take a read here