Are physical office spaces dead? | Microsoft’s new WFH guidelines

High-tech military training | Seattle mayor signs minimum wage law for Uber, Lyft drivers ADVERTISEMENT [GeekWire]( SPONSOR MESSAGE: Hear from Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation Co-chair Bill Gates, Expedia CEO Peter Kern, Microsoft Chief Product Officer Panos Panay, and Dreambox Learning CEO Jessie Wooley-Wilson and other tech and business leaders at the 2020 GeekWire Summit, Oct. 13-29: [Learn more and register before early bird rates end.]( TODAY'S TOP STORIES It’s Friday! You’ve almost made it through another week and [you deserve a good chuckle](. Have a wonderful weekend, everybody. On to our headlines... Are you loving remote work? Or are you itching to get back to the office? Some believe that “HQ’s are finished,” while others aren’t convinced that physical offices are dead. The future of commercial real estate is up in the air as the pandemic forces companies to rethink where and how employees work. [See the latest Seattle-area trends with our full report](. Above, a rendering of one of Amazon's new buildings in Bellevue, Wash. (Vulcan Image) Microsoft’s WFH guidelines: On a related note, Microsoft has issued new “hybrid workplace” guidance that lays out more flexible remote work options for employees. Managers will have the ability to approve permanent remote work where it makes sense and employees will be able to relocate elsewhere in the country — at their own expense and for varying compensation.[Read the story](. Layoffs at Chef after acquisition: Business application platform Progress [is making an unspecified number of job cuts at Chef]( after completing its previously announced $220 million acquisition of the Seattle-based enterprise automation technology company. In an interview with GeekWire, Progress CEO Yogesh Gupta said the Bedford, Mass.-based company remains committed to Chef’s vision, product roadmap and open-source projects. High-tech military training: Joint Base Lewis-McChord in Washington state is [participating in a $600 million Pentagon program]( to test the use of 5G connectivity for high-tech applications, including the use of augmented and virtual reality for mission planning, training and operations. Seattle mayor signs minimum wage law for Uber and Lyft drivers: The bill is [designed to ensure drivers earn the city’s $16.39 per hour minimum wage](. The city expects that 84% of drivers will see earnings go up, with an average wage increase of about 30%. Uber and Lyft have long opposed Seattle’s legislation. This is the latest in a series of city ordinances targeting the gig economy. Thanks for reading, and see all of our latest headlines below. -- GeekWire managing editor Taylor Soper, taylor@geekwire.com, and Geek Life reporter Kurt Schlosser, kurt@geekwire.com. SPONSOR MESSAGE [The 2020 GeekWire Summit returns October 13-29, with an immersive and content-rich agenda that you will not want to miss!]( The fully virtual 2020 GeekWire Summit will take place over three weeks, allowing attendees to digest the in-depth fireside chats, interactive panels and brainy power talks in consumable bite-sized chunks. Get your pass and access all of the great sessions, including Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation Co-chair Bill Gates, Expedia CEO Peter Kern, Microsoft Chief Product Officer Panos Panay, and Dreambox Learning CEO Jessie Wooley-Wilson; in addition to timely discussions about COVID-19 with leading health and biotechnology executives on the Regence health tech stage. This year, your GeekWire Summit pass allows you to participate in networking opportunities, discussion forums, polls and view sessions on-demand. Register for tickets, [here](. LATEST HEADLINES [Microsoft’s new ‘hybrid workplace’ policy will make working from home a permanent part of the mix]( [Death of the HQ? Pandemic hits commercial real estate, but long-term trends still open to debate]( [Joint Base Lewis-McChord will test 5G for augmented and virtual reality missions]( [Progress makes layoffs at Chef after $220M acquisition, says it remains committed to roadmap]( [GameStop and Microsoft team up to sell Xbox All Access at more than 5K GameStop retail locations]( SPONSORED: GEEK HOME OF THE DAY [Sandy Beachfront in Medina]( [Seattle mayor signs minimum wage law for Uber and Lyft drivers in first-ever virtual bill signing]( GEEKWORK: TODAY'S TECH JOBS No RSS items found. [FIND MORE JOBS ON GEEKWORK]( [HIRING? BUY A FEATURED LISTING TO APPEAR HERE]( [About GeekWire]( [Contact Us]( [Advertise]( Copyright © 2020 GeekWire LLC, All rights reserved. You are receiving this email because you opted to receive emails from GeekWire LLC.  Our mailing address is: GeekWire LLC 123 NW 36th St, Suite 203 Seattle, WA 98107  [change email frequency or address]( | [unsubscribe](