Culture

Joe Biden's video chat screens are a work-from-home nightmare

All your base are belong to Biden.

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Today marks the first full week of President Biden's term in office, and... hey, did you feel a weight lift from your shoulders after reading those words? Because we just did. Anyway, despite that unequivocally good news, his administration is still inheriting a metric shitload (the precise, scientific measurement) of problems from that last guy, President What's-His-Name.

One of said issues is the pesky, biblical-sized pandemic currently ravaging the globe, which understandably makes in-person planning a massive organizational challenge. The first photos from Biden's socially distanced, digital meetings are rolling in, and woo boy, does it trump (Trump! That was his name) any of our Zoom sessions.

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Teleconferencing the Presidential transition team — That, friends, is what we in the business call "Video Chat Hell." As first detailed late last year by Government Executive, Biden's transition team faces unprecedented challenges in assembling the political transition-of-power, a maddening endeavor even without something like the COVID-19 pandemic. "Imagine a start-up company that must hire 4,000 people, including 1,200 who must be shepherded through the gantlet of Senate confirmation. It’s a project that, even in normal times, no modern presidential transition team has come close to finishing by Inauguration Day," explains GovExec.

The new Matrix reboot looks sick.Twitter / @McMillen

We find ourselves troubleshooting Zoom meetings involving just five people, so we can't imagine the issues that crop up with fifty attendees. Also, unlike the White House, we don't really need to worry about Russian hackers stealing our deep-dark secrets (we think). Or porn-bombing. But yes, as already noted on Twitter, Joe Biden does appear to have ascended to the rank of "Metal Gear Solid final boss battle." That, or he's been The Architect this whole time.