Football fanatics were surprised by word of Duke Johnson’s retirement this week, though the 30-year-old actually played his last game back in 2022. The University of Miami alum maintains the NFL league all-time record for leading rusher (3,519 yards). He candidly reflected on his decision to walk away from the game on Instagram , writing, “8 Years 4 teams with 1 goal in mind, create a better life for my family.” “I never dreamed of being the all-time leading rusher of my dream school or being somewhere on the list of all-time players to come out of South FL,” Johnson’s announcement continued. ” I want to thank my GOD for allowing me to take this journey and end it in the same health I started it in. With that being said I’m officially retiring from the NFL . I hope I left a greater impression on y’all that’s bigger than football. To my wife and Son, all of this was for y’all. GG’s in the chat 8 Ball Out.” Read on to explore roughly how much the former Running Back made during his...

It looks like TikTok is standing firm on not going down without a fight. In April 2024, AFROTECH™ previously reported that President Joe Biden signed a law to ban TikTok if its owner, ByteDance, didn’t sell it within a year. The bill followed the House of Representatives’ introduction in March of the Protecting Americans from Foreign Adversary Controlled Applications Act , which aims to “protect the national security of the United States from the threat posed by foreign adversary controlled applications.” A main allegation that has come from U.S. government officials is that TikTok puts Americans’ personal data in danger of being exposed to the Chinese government, which catalyzed Biden’s law. However, TikTok has doubled down on stating the claim is false, saying it hosts data on U.S.-owned Oracle servers, according to CNN . “We will not stop fighting and advocating for you,” TikTok CEO Shou Zi Chew shared in a previous statement on its platform, per AP News. “We will continue to do...

It was a special day for Ronald Yancey, Georgia Institute of Technology’s first Black graduate. CNN reports Yancey presented his granddaughter Deanna Yancey with her diploma for a master’s degree in electrical and computer engineering at the school’s commencement ceremony held on Friday, May 3, 2024 . This marked a full-circle moment for several reasons. Yancey had applied to her grandfather’s alma mater to partake in their online master’s program after she received a bachelor’s degree in engineering from Penn State University in 2020. “I didn’t tell my family I was applying, so when I got in, I got to read the acceptance email to my grandfather,” Deanna said in a news release. “He was so happy. He almost started jumping; he was so excited.” Deanna’s feat was made possible because Ronald had helped to break down racial barriers at the university. He endured various hardships during his time at the school. From the start, Ronald had faced two rejections from the school, and the...

Fanbase is on a mission to get creators paid, and the company’s latest news is proof. According to information shared with AFROTECH™, the social media platform has officially reached its $10 million equity crowdfunding goal. It’s a historic feat as Fanbase Founder Isaac Hayes III is now reportedly the first Black man in history to raise this amount of money in a seed funding round on StartEngine in a Regulation Crowdfunding campaign. “We have a plan, and we’re going to be able to scale and build the business in real-time without having to stop and start and stop and start,” Hayes told Will Lucas on “Black Tech Green Money” podcast. “This is a scale-up opportunity because there are so many things that people want out of Fanbase, and I myself do not like to not be able to deliver on what I want to give to the community.” He added, “This raise is definitely putting us in a position to not only catch up to the current apps that are out there but surpass them because of my understanding...

Angel Reese is in high demand. The WNBA player, who is signed to Reebok under a multi-year endorsement deal as of October 2023, shares that she had the option to sign with other shoe brands such as Nike, a familiar pattern among various greats, including Michael Jordan, LeBron James, Serena Williams, and Kevin Durant. “I wanted be a priority ’cause I could have signed easily with Nike,” Reese says in a resurfaced video shared on X, formerly Twitter. “I could assign easily with Jordan. But like everybody doing that. I don’t like doing what everybody do. I like to do the complete opposite. I’m bringing Reebok back.” View this post on Instagram A post shared by Reebok (@reebok) As AFROTECH™ previously reported, Reese’s signing with Reebok was the company’s first major Name, Image, and Likeness (NIL) deal. In her post, Reese shares that it will open doors for her own signature shoe to be released in the near future. She also credits her relationship with Shaquille O’Neal, who serves as...

Issa Rae has expanded her business empire with yet another venture that caters to creatives. Business Insider reports that the media mogul has launched Ensemble, a company that works to connect brands with Black and brown creators. Moreover, the ultimate mission is to be a part of closing the creator pay gap between creators of color and their white counterparts. Funded by Rae, the company is already working with 50 creators such as comedian Mark Phillips, who is co-founder of the popular social media collective RDCWorld. What’s more, several major brands have joined Ensemble’s roster, such as Pepsi, Chili’s, and Popeyes. “We want Ensemble to be seen as a general market company,” said Montrel McKay, president of development and production at Hoorae Media , Rae’s media and entertainment company. “We want to go after media budgets. We don’t want to go after small allocations that are for diversity buys. That’s why it’s important to work with Pepsi out of the gate — we want to show the...

Snoop Dogg was one of Reddit’s earliest investors. The social news website and forum was created in 2005 by Steve Huffman and Alexis Ohanian while they were college students at the University of Virginia. Their idea was supported through startup incubator Y Combinator, which gave them access to $12,000 in funding for their vision to build “the front page of the Internet,” The Street reports. The company would grow as users were able to create a slew of subreddits that encompass a range of topics. Six years from Reddit’s inception, it became a major player in the social media sphere, boasting 35 million visitors and 2.8 billion pageviews, Ohanian wrote in Fast Company. In 2014, the company attracted the support of Snoop Dogg, who participated in a $50 million seed round led by Sam Altman, now OpenAI co-founder and CEO. “I worked my way in. You understand me? I didn’t mean to tell everybody, but I’m a part of Reddit too,” Snoop Dogg said in a 2017 interview for “GGN News.” The...

If you’ve been tuned into the news lately, you’re likely familiar with the term ‘noncompete agreement.’ Despite the term being used a lot in modern discourse, you may not have a full functioning knowledge of what a noncompete actually is. The Federal Trade Commission recently issued a rule banning noncompete clauses for a wide array of business ventures , estimated to impact over 30 million people. The ruling will render existing noncompetes relatively unenforceable, and prohibit major companies from issuing new ones, even for their high-ranking execs . Luckily, if you haven’t signed one of these yourself in recent years, you likely don’t need to worry about them. Of course, it’s still good to be in the know, so you know your rights when beginning a new job, or executing a contract with another business. So, what is a noncompete? Does it impact your profession? And what are the pros and cons? Continue reading below to have all these questions and more answered, as we dive into the...

LeAnna Roberts is the embodiment of academic excellence! The 17-year-old received her master’s degree in business administration with a healthcare management concentration, from the University of Alabama on May 4, 2024, in Tuscaloosa, AL, WBRC-6 reports. “Looking back, four years ago when I started high school, I would have never have imagined. This was never a plan that I had or something that I had in the cards for myself,” she told the outlet. Two years prior, Roberts had earned an associate’s degree in science from Shelton State Community College while she simultaneously graduated from Central High School in Tuscaloosa. “When I started my 9th grade year, I knew I wanted a challenge, and I began to take dual enrollment courses at Shelton State Community College,” Roberts said, per WBRC-6. Roberts would then head to the University of Alabama as a junior at 16 years old, earning a bachelor’s degree in biology. Reflecting on her academic success, Roberts credits her parents for...

Savannah State University’s class of 2024 have received a favorable start in their next chapter. According to her Instagram, while serving as commencement speaker, Slutty Vegan and Bar Vegan Founder Pinky Cole Hayes shared the news that $8.9 million would be gifted to the Georgia Historically Black College and University (HBCU) graduates in partnership with Operation Hope and One Million Black Businesses (1MBB). “We are excited about this fantastic opportunity for our students and grateful to Mrs. Cole Hayes for leading this investment opportunity,” Savannah State University Interim President Cynthia Robinson Alexander, said, according to VegOut. The investment will support an “Entrepreneurial Starter Pack,” which will gift students with mentorship from 1MBB, educational resources, a free three-month subscription to Shopify, and an eight-week small business training course that will encompass business plan development and financial management, VegOut notes. “I am passionate about...

Mark Zuckerberg has revealed an upcoming Meta product. During an interview with live streamer Roberto Nickson, the Meta founder and CEO spoke about what he envisions the future will look like for the company’s Ray-Ban Meta smart glasses. According to Zuckerberg, that vision includes a new wearable technology. “I think we’ll start getting some consumer neural interfaces soon, and that’s gonna be pretty wild,” Zuckerberg told Nickson. “I’m not talking about something that jacks into your brain. I’m talking about something that you wear on your wrist that can basically read neural signals that your brain sends through your nerves to your hand to basically move it in different subtle ways that are maybe not perceptible to people around you, but we’re basically able to read those signals and be able to use that to control your glasses or other computing devices.” Along with emphasizing that the device wouldn’t be placed in the brain, Zuckerberg shared that the innovative idea is still in...

Equinox has reportedly launched the world’s most expensive gym membership. According to NBC News, the exclusive fitness chain has kickstarted a $40,000 annual program geared toward helping people improve their overall health and longevity. In partnership with lab-test startup Function Health, Optimize by Equinox, is a personalized health program curated by the company to equip participants with a variety of services, including personal training, nutrition plans, sleep coaching, and massage therapy. “It’s really a paradigm shift in how we’re able to live with vitality and avoid suffering,” Jonathan Swerdlin, co-founder of Function Health, said. “It deals with what’s above the surface, your abs and glutes, which you can see in the mirror, that are great. But it also deals with what’s below the surface and what you can’t see in the mirror. And that’s revolutionary.”   View this post on Instagram   A post shared by Equinox (@equinox) Kicking off with a range of tests, t he program is...

Reggie Bush has been all over the news in recent weeks after the Heisman Trust announced a formal reinstatement of the NFL legend ‘s long-rescinded Heisman Trophy. Bush originally earned Heisman honors in 2005 while attending USC , before having the title stripped from him in a 2010 student athlete reimbursement scandal. Now, many football fans and fellow Heisman winners alike agree that a decades-old wrong has officially been made right, with Reggie Bush expected to attend future Heisman ceremonies as an esteemed alumnus. Despite the temporary loss of his Heisman honors, Reggie Bush continued to make waves on the field with NFL teams including the Miami Dolphins , the Detroit Lions, and the San Francisco 49ers, among others. Throughout the course of his NFL career, Bush is said to have taken in over $60 million in salary alone, resulting in a net worth of $25 million in 2024, per Celebrity Net Worth . Let’s examine the life and career of Reggie Bush, and analyze the multiple...

While working in the music industry, many artists make the smart move and don’t limit themselves to only excelling in music. Will.i.am is among such musicians who are the definition of “multi-hyphenate.” As an entertainer, record producer, tech entrepreneur, and founder, the East Los Angeles, CA, native has built an extensive resume for himself. “Investor” is yet another title under his growing list of endeavors. In an interview with the “Drink Champs” podcast, Will.i.am recounted two specific investments he’s made thus far. When asked by host N.O.R.E. whether he’d choose Steve Jobs or Elon Musk — like in a game of “This or That” — Will.i.am was prompted to share how both CEOs have made an impact on his life. “I invested in Tesla in 2006 before Elon took over [the company] — around the same time,” Will.i.am explained on the podcast. He continued, “And then, I was a part of Beats. And then, Apple bought Beats from us. So you’re talking about two companies that changed my life. So, I...

The University of Pennsylvania will soon become the first Ivy League where students can work toward a master’s degree in artificial intelligence (AI). According to a news release shared by the educational institution, The University of Pennsylvania School of Engineering and Applied Science has introduced The Raj and Neera Singh Program in Artificial Intelligence: Master of Science in Engineering in AI online degree. It is the first of its kind among Ivy League universities. “The online Master of Science in Engineering (MSE) in Artificial Intelligence (AI) degree at Penn Engineering will empower students with both the practical skills and the ethical foundations to lead AI into the future,” the school news release explained. “Building on the expertise of the School’s world-class faculty, the program will equip students with the mathematical and algorithmic foundation to develop groundbreaking AI systems along with the broad perspective to deploy new technologies in an ethical and...