News that Mercedes-Benz vehicles will soon come loaded with Microsoft Teams fueled predictions of increased road rage and worse. Work meetings don't have a reputation for being people's favorite thing, and distracted driving is already a big enough problem.
This new form of tech integration also deepened perceptions that the workplace is invading every aspect of workers' lives, and some folks would rather drive off a cliff.
Microsoft Teaming while driving
In a press release posted on July 17, Mercedes-Benz claimed they found a way for drivers to video conference without distraction. It seems that many of their vehicles already came with a Microsoft Teams app, but the latest version promises that it's safe to use while cruising down the highway.
"It brings enhanced functionality and the ability to use the built-in vehicle camera to participate in Teams calls while the vehicle is in motion," the company claims.
"Mercedes-Benz is also working with Microsoft on bringing Microsoft 365 Copilot into the vehicle. The rollout of these productivity enhancements will start with the MB.OS-powered fourth-generation MBUX in the new CLA."
The article brags of increasing "in-car productivity," because stocks forbid we're ever not multitasking at full speed.
Drivers everywhere may have to wait years for statistics to come out to prove whether or not you can really have a work meeting at the wheel without impacting driving ability. As it is, according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, distracted drivers in the U.S. killed 3,275 people in 2023 alone.
"Somebody needs to be put in prison for this"
On July 25, the news made its way to X, where users greeted it with Office Space levels of hostility. As workplace expectations have increased while wages stagnate, sentiments have begun to turn against the constant demands of more productivity and availability.
"The world won't stop until everyone is accessible everywhere, always, no matter what you're doing," complained @Oyvind95.
"Somebody needs to be put in prison for this," declared @earlybirdsco.
Others expressed deep disappointment that, instead of flying cars, we got this.
Then there's the many responses threatening violence if they have to hear the Teams notification while stuck in traffic.
"If I get a Teams notification in my truck, I’m fucking slamming into the median and dying," said @itzHD_Freeze.
"The second I get a team notification in the car," wrote @HarrisonBerman above a photo of a vehicle flying off a cliff.
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