Zillow’s coronavirus playbook | OfferUp raíses $120M

Steve Ballmer buys the Forum | Package safety | COVID-19 live blog ADVERTISEMENT [GeekWire]( TODAY'S TOP STORIES Hello, GeekWire readers. Hope you’re hanging in there. [Here’s a dachshund jumping into bed](. And some soothing cello from [Yo-Yo Ma]( and [Seattle’s Nathan Chan](. To the headlines… Before we jump into the latest COVID-19 news, this morning brought a blockbuster deal involving one of the region's biggest startups: OfferUp, the Bellevue, Wash.-based peer-to-peer mobile marketplace, raised $120 million in new funding and announced a deal to acquire rival Letgo. The company said buying activity for products used at home has increased significantly. [Read the story](. Zillow's playbook: Zillow Group CEO Rich Barton (above) laid out [how the Seattle real estate giant plans to weather the storm]( amid the COVID-19 crisis. The company will slash expenses by 25% this year; freeze hiring; cut nearly all marketing spend; and suspend home-buying. In assessing the situation, Barton referenced one of Warren Buffett's favorite refrains, “You only find out who is swimming naked when the tide goes out.” [Read the full report.]( Funding help in Seattle: The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation [will give $3.7 million]( to a public health agency; several local foundations; homeless service providers; and more groups in response to the outbreak. The latest COVID-19 news: Microsoft, Facebook, and other tech companies are hosting a hackathon with the WHO … Amazon workers test positive in six U.S. warehouses … and a vaccine could be available by the end of 2021. [Read all the latest COVID-19 developments at our live blog]( Bill Gates: “There really is no middle ground. It’s very tough to say to people, ‘Hey, keep going to restaurants, go buy new houses, ignore that pile of bodies over in the corner...” [Read more from Gates and watch his interview with TED](. Feeding people and supporting businesses: Olga Sagan, owner of Piroshky Piroshky bakery in Seattle's Pike Place Market, built an online platform for restaurants to receive orders directly. [Read about her creation]( and what other startups are doing to keep workers employed and get food to people sheltered in place. Package safety: Should you be worried about transmitting COVID-19 from packages that arrive from online retailers such as Amazon? [Here’s what the experts say](. How are you doing? That's what researchers at the University of Washington want to know, for a study that's aimed at tracking how people in King County are coping with the coronavirus outbreak. [Here’s how to participate](. Steve Ballmer buys the Forum: The Los Angeles Clippers chairman [paid $400 million in cash to buy the arena]( ending speculation of moving the NBA franchise to Seattle. Thanks for reading, and see all our stories below. — GeekWire managing editor Taylor Soper, taylor@geekwire.com. 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LATEST HEADLINES [Boeing and airline stocks soar higher, thanks to billions of dollars in promised aid]( [OfferUp raises $120M, will acquire rival Letgo; OLX Group to own 40% of combined entity]( [Hyperproof raises nearly $3M to help companies maintain data and privacy compliance as remote work and telehealth soar]( [Gates Foundation will provide $3.7M in grants for Seattle-area COVID-19 response]( [Rich Barton lays out Zillow’s coronavirus playbook: Freeze hiring; cut expenses; pause home-buying]( SPONSORED: GEEK HOME OF THE DAY [Pristine and Private Home on Mercer Island]( [Steve Ballmer pays $400M to buy the Forum for Clippers, closing door on possible move to Seattle]( [Package safety: COVID-19 is ‘stable’ on cardboard for 24 hours, but risk of transmission is low]( [Seattle bakery owner launches restaurant delivery platform as other services pivot during crisis]( GEEKWORK: TODAY'S TECH JOBS - [ALLEN INSTITUTE FOR ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE (AI2): Technical Co-Founder // CTO (Stealth Startup)]( - [Rad Power Bikes: Executive Assistant]( - [ALLEN INSTITUTE FOR ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE (AI2): Deep Learning Engineer // Co-Founder]( - [Copper: Sr. Product Designer for well funded startup]( - [Stripe: Support Specialist]( - [PATH: Senior Engagement Associate, Center of Digital and Data Excellence (9791)]( - [ALLEN INSTITUTE FOR ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE (AI2): CTO-in-Residence // Co-Founder]( [FIND MORE JOBS ON GEEKWORK]( [HIRING? 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