Page 2 - aruba-today-20200111

A2 UP FRONT
Saturday 11 January 2020

Robots out of work as automated

businesses close in Bay Area

SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — It ting 172 jobs in Mountain Henry Hu, said the down-
has been a bad week for View and eliminating an- town cafes helped devel-
robots in the San Francisco other 80 jobs at its facility in op the newest machine
Bay Area. San Francisco. Zume Chief being used at shops at San
A Silicon Valley company Executive Alex Garden Francisco International Air-
that used robots to make made the announcement port and Mineta San Jose
its pizzas closed this week, in an email to employees International Airport, the
and three coffee shops in Wednesday, the Mercury San Francisco Chronicle re-
downtown San Francisco News in San Jose reported. ported.
that used robots as baristas The Mountain View startup, When Cafe X launched
In this Aug. 29, 2016, file photo, a robot places a pizza into an also shuttered. which first began deliver- in 2017, its robotic baristas
oven at Zume Pizza in Mountain View, Calif. Zume Pizza said it is cut- ing pizzas in 2016, said it joined robots that made
Associated Press
intends to focus on its food smoothies and hamburg-
packaging and delivery ers or mixed and dispensed
systems. Garden said for- salads and quinoa bowls.
mer employees will be able Cafe X will continue to
to apply for the 100 new have competition in the
positions Zume expects to automated coffee market.
have in its packaging busi- Briggo Coffee Haus has a
ness. robotic barista that can
In San Francisco, Cafe X make 100 drinks per hour
closed three of its coffee at San Francisco airport's
shops in the financial dis- Terminal 3, the Chronicle
trict. The startup's founder, reported. q