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May 1, 2020

Welcome to this edition of The Reader, your weekly roundup of Fortune stories and insights you need to know.

Businesses have adjusted to the "new normal"—some better than others. The shale industry has taken a devastating hit but renewables are coming out ahead. 'Parks and Recreation' remotely produced a special. Banks were prepared to dole out loans but the process has been chaotic.

We're adjusting too. Zoom executives are learning how to work from home (so many meetings), stir-crazy New Yorkers are calling 311, and luxury fashion shopping habits are shifting.

Please consider becoming a Premium member of Fortune. You’ll not only get to read all of our award-winning reporting and enjoy other benefits of membership, but you’ll also be supporting independent, authoritative journalism during an era when we need it most.

I hope you have a safe and healthy week.

Clifton Leaf

Editor-in-chief, Fortune

Courtesy of Zoom Video Communications

MUST READ

Work-from-home tips from the executive team that brought you Zoom

Even Zoom’s own workforce was not accustomed to working remotely. But its executives shared with Fortune some tried-and-tested tips for making the transition as seamless as possible. (Hint: fewer meetings, more virtual happy hours.)

APRIL 26 2020

MUST WATCH

How banks prepared for the financial impact of coronavirus

The banks were the problem in 2008. Now the banks are part of the solution because the government has chosen to make all of these loans through the banks.

APRIL 23, 2020

Here's a peek of Fortune Analytics, our exclusive newsletter for Premium subscribers that brings you weekly business insights based on our own data.

This week, we surveyed 4,717 U.S. adults on when they want businesses to reopen. A few things we found noteworthy:

A lot of us are going to need a haircut soon, but the public is willing to wait longer before places like salons reopen. Just 19% say nail, hair, and massage businesses should reopen immediately.

Only 9% want bars back. And the least amount (7%) of survey respondents want large gatherings, like sports and concert venues, back.

But a good chunk would welcome dental offices (41%), doctor offices (45%), and parks (30%) to reopen. Storefronts, too (30%).

To get the full briefing on rebooting the economy, consider becoming a Fortune Premium subscriber. You'll also get access to all of our stories on the web and in print.

Your support makes our journalism possible. Thank you.

How the ‘Parks and Recreation’ coronavirus episode came together

Rigs containing a tripod, an iPhone, a light, and microphone—all wiped down, of course—were either shipped to or dropped off at cast members’ homes.

BY RADHIKA MARYA

APRIL 28, 2020

OIL

The fall of fracking—and the future of oil

The devastating hit to the U.S. shale industry and its aftershocks will decisively reshape the market and guide the course of future prices.

BY SHAWN TULLY

APRIL 30, 2020

LOANS

Inside the chaotic rollout of the PPP loan plan

It was “more than 14 years’ worth of loans in less than 14 days,” U.S. Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin and SBA Administrator Jovita Carranza say.

BY ANNE SRADERS

APRIL 29, 2020

More essential reads

From the archives

“Tonight, President Obama is scheduled to unveil the government’s latest plan to address the country’s labor crisis. Unemployment is at 9.1%. However, that number only scratches the surface of the magnitude of the problem. There are over 25 million Americans unemployed, underemployed or only marginally attached to the workforce. Factor in the average size of a U.S. household and that’s as many as 20% of Americans whose lives are being dramatically impacted by this stagnation.”

—How to solve the other unemployment crisis by LinkedIn CEO Jeff Weiner, September 2011