Communications of the ACM

Around the world, students are learning from home. For Chegg, the online learning company, that has meant unprecedented demand for its services.

Chegg got its start as a textbook rental company, but has expanded to offer services like online tutoring. And while some teachers believe it facilitates cheating, students love it. Dan Rosensweig, Chegg's chief executive, said his business had roughly doubled overnight when schools shut down, and had been growing ever since. The company's stock is up more than 40 percent this year.

At the same time that Mr. Rosensweig has worked to meet this surge in demand, he has had to figure out how to run his company remotely. Chegg, which is based in Silicon Valley and has more than 1,000 employees, had invested heavily in posh offices and enviable perks. It's unclear how many people will eventually return to the office, Mr. Rosensweig said, or what the office will be like when they do.

Mr. Rosensweig also said Chegg was rethinking how and where it makes its hires. If the majority of a tech company's employees can work remotely, what prevents them from being in Boise, Idaho, or Birmingham, Ala.? And as Mr. Rosensweig confronts these questions, he is also having to address the issues of the day, including the protests against racism and police brutality.