CrazyGPT? Uh, Open AI just caught GPT emulating people’s voices. Under the “Observed safety challenges, evaluations & mitigations” of its latest self-scoring report there’s an actual audio clip of it having an outburst and speaking back to the user in their own voice. Dun dun dun…

In this Open Letter:

• Productivity play: The startup helping SA clock in with selfies.

• 1st Nigerian in space, electric arrow busses & Jozi’s solar crown.

• Let’s hang out: Two awesome Open Letter events — book your seats.

• How expensive is being a parent: And the results are in.

• Startup fuel: Share this 10 times and get Pro.

TRENDING NOW

Clocking in with a Selfie

Around 211 BC, the Romans changed the world (again) by switching from paying soldiers in salt (“sal” in Latin, where the word “salary” comes from) to silver coins.

The Denarius became the backbone of Roman currency. But more importantly, it was the unit of daily wage for Roman soldiers and labourers.

This was the birth of the workday wage.

Yet as timekeeping became more mainstream, wages changed to reward set hours and certain skills differently. In the industrial age, with machines running 24/7 and massive workforces, keeping track of all that data became mission-critical.

And to this day, clocking in and out is common practice for 9+ million South Africans across industries like construction, agriculture, retail, security and restaurants. 

Yet, with the rise of gig-work and flexible employment, chances are it might become even more common in the future.

What’s currently out there?

Some companies still use mechanical sign-in, while some more modern solutions include the use of tags or biometrics.

But biometrics or even tags aren’t always practical. For one, the scanners are often fixed to factory walls and often carry a heavy price tag and upkeep costs. So what do you do when your workforce operates remotely but still needs to check in and out for work, like in the construction industry, where workers are required somewhere other than the company’s offices?

This is where local startup WorkWeek’s solution is a cost-effective alternative to traditional clocking devices or systems.

Simply submit a selfie

With one internet-enabled smartphone on-site, an entire workforce can clock in and out by simply taking a selfie. The metadata of the image submitted is then used to check location and time and match that with an active working site or project predefined by the employer. 

This allows the company to have live data of who is working and where without having to send out a biometric scanning device to the field. The system then generates reports for payroll and business performance management purposes and where applicable data for health and safety records.

Because a selfie is hard to forge, it eliminates “Buddy Clocking” — when someone clocks in for a colleague. And live wage reports in real-time help companies forecast their payroll.

They have made some solid progress with around 80 clients and 3’000 workers logging roughly 5’000 clocking events per day in a short amount of time.

With smartphones becoming more accessible, and with more startups building solutions that leverage their built-in capabilities, we’re watching this space…

But there’s more…

This industry is growing fast and there are major opportunities here. To learn more about WorkWeek, how they make money and other opportunities in this space, sign up for The Open Letter Pro. 

IN SHORT

👑 Solar Crown. Jozi’s Eastgate Mall has claimed the rooftop solar crown as its more than 13’600 solar panels make it Africa’s largest “registered” rooftop solar installation.

🚪 TikTok LayOffs. TikTok has laid off as many as 50 of its African team members from South Africa and Nigeria as part of its latest round of global layoffs.

🚍 Keep on Rolling. Golden Arrow Bus Services has signed a memorandum of cooperation with Eskom to set out terms for the introduction of 120 65-seater electric buses into the public transport sector later this year.

👩‍🚀 Nigerians in Space. Nigeria’s first space traveller will join other space travellers from India and some small island nations yet to be determined on the next Blue Origin space flight.

😎 The Stack. Founders need tools and suppliers they can trust. Check out our Founder’s Stack with tools like easy no-code websites via Webflow and services like Dommisse Attorneys who can help you get all your legal stuff sorted, fast.

CHECK THIS OUT

Scale Smart, Scale Healthy

In the high-speed world of tech startups, time is everything — which is why waiting days for a doctor’s appointment just doesn't cut it.

But founders and teams often prioritise product development over their health, which can lead to burnout and decreased productivity.

This is where Udok comes in.

It’s tech-driven healthcare that moves as fast as you do. Just log in and see the doctor in minutes from anywhere in the world.

And, like all good tech, it makes things affordable — Udok consults are up to 40% cheaper, too.

Keep yourself and your team at peak performance with Udok, now also with group health for startups.

Engage SA’s Most Vibrant Startup Community

Want to unlock valuable opportunities on tap?

Over the weekend, in our online community, we…

• Made sure everyone had a break! (y’all deserve it)

• We did all laugh at Australia’s Olympic breakdancing, though.

But we did get requests for more events, so we’re delivering…

If he’s not exiting, he’s scaling internationally… and you should definitely learn from him… This Friday (16 August) at 12:00 sharp we have an online AMA with SnapScan, JourneyApps and Offerzen co-founder Philip Joubert.

Become an Open Letter Pro member to get access.

And then tickets for our next in-person event are live!

You’re invited to the Stitch offices at 29 Solan Road in Cape Town on Tuesday 27 August where we have product-legend-of-our-time Roger Norton from OkHi and co-founder and COO of WhatsApp-enabled HR heroes Jem, Caroline van der Merwe, talking about how to build uniquely African solutions…

If you remember our event from last week, you’ll know to hurry — it sells out quite fast, so go grab your ticket here.

It’s R150 per person (the first 20 get them for R100), or you can get in for free by joining Open Letter Pro.

What You Said…

We asked how expensive it is to be a parent, and we need a couple of million R20M grants pls…

⬜️⬜️⬜️⬜️⬜️⬜️ 😎 I don’t even notice it (4%)

🟨🟨🟨⬜️⬜️⬜️ 😅 It’s not that bad (24%)

🟨🟨🟨⬜️⬜️⬜️ 🦕 They eating me out of the house (28%)

🟩🟩🟩🟩🟩🟩 💵 R1.8m to raise them? More like R20m! (44%)

Your 2 cents…

Ah yes, Chris, the 3 Bs at the heart of every good home!

Oh no, don’t say that, Vakele; most of us still have a good 10/20 years to go.