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If you’ve ever hesitated at checkout, wondering whether you need that grocery haul, electronics upgrade, or self-care splurge—you’re not alone. And Klarna, the AI-powered payments and commerce platform, is betting big on that exact moment of hesitation. Klarna has joined forces with DoorDash and Walmart to give shoppers flexible pay options. These strategic partnerships don’t just mark a shift in how we handle money at checkout—they reflect a deeper story about consumer habits, trust, and the evolving economy in 2025. Klarna And DoorDash Team Up According to an announcement from Klarna, DoorDash customers in the U.S. will soon see Klarna listed as a payment option when ordering from the app or website. This will make it even easier to snag groceries, electronics, beauty items, and even the DashPass Annual Plan without having to pay the full amount upfront. The options? Pretty straightforward and stress-relieving: Pay in full at checkout Pay in 4 equal, interest-free installments Pay...
If you’ve ever casually flipped through the television channels in search of something to watch, you probably already have a cursory knowledge of Tyler Perry’s massive TV empire . The writer, director, producer and actor has spent the last two decades absolutely dominating the film and television world, with such acclaimed projects as “Why Did I Get Married,” “I Can Do Bad All By Myself” and more recently, “Beauty In Black.” Perry has brokered exclusive deals with entertainment giants including Netflix and Amazon Prime Video, and has even opened a massive studio facility in Atlanta, which spans over 330 acres. The New Orleans native has also spoken at length about his mission to support Black actors, writers and filmmakers through his expanding empire, even serving as a mentor to 50 Cent . Since Tyler Perry has become such an enormous part of the Hollywood system, it only makes sense that fans far and wide have started searching for ways to get involved. Luckily, we’ve got the...
A lawsuit stating Google favored white and Asian workers has been settled. According to CNN, Ana Cantu, a former Google employee who identifies as Mexican and racially Indigenous, brought forward a lawsuit that claimed the tech giant offered lower salaries and job levels to those of Hispanic, Latino, Native American, Indigenous, American Indian, Native Hawaiian, Pacific Islander and Alaska Native employees at Google. It was filed in 2021. In the lawsuit, Cantu said that during her seven-year tenure working in Google’s people operations and cloud departments, she was not given a promotion or salary increase. She alleged that white and Asian workers with the same work performance were promoted and received raises, while other workers who complained about the treatment had these opportunities withheld. Cantu left the company in September 2021, claiming Google did not adhere to the California Equal Pay Act. Additionally, leaked documents showed about 6,632 diverse employees reported...
Tyler Perry has provided great financial relief for 85-year-old Anniece Tisdale. According to WSMV-4, Tisdale hired an unlicensed contractor to renovate her East Nashville, TN, home to accommodate her disability and growing family. However, the project took a turn for the worse when the contractor abandoned it altogether after not meeting completion expectations. Tisdale was then left with a home unsafe to live in and thousands of dollars lost. After an interview with the local news station, Tisdale was asked by Sherri Shepherd to appear on her “Sherri” talk show, and was joined by her daughter, Yolanda, who revealed that at least $180,000 had been invested into the home renovation project. Yolanda and her husband both took out personal loans and pooled from savings and credit cards to gather the funds. Yolanda also helped to refinance her mom’s mortgage to pay for the $200,000 in renovations. “We signed the contract in January. We were supposed to be f inished March 31. It was a...
Billionaires have long found ways to minimize their tax burdens, using loopholes and financial strategies that allow them to pay far less percentage-wise than everyday Americans. While many assume the ultra-wealthy contribute significantly to the nation’s tax revenue, the reality is that their effective tax rates — what they pay relative to their total wealth — are far lower than those of middle-class and working-class individuals. Their methods to shield their fortunes are legal, yet they contribute to widening economic inequality and an ever-growing fiscal deficit. The disparity between billionaire and working-class tax rates was highlighted in a live chat hosted by The Washington Post. Journalist Jeff Stein responded to a user asking about billionaires paying their fair share in taxes. He pointed out that while billionaires pay large sums in taxes, their effective tax rate remains much lower than that of the average American. He explained that one key reason is the ability of...
TikTok creator Anayka She was once severely underpaid by her agency. The beauty creator and artist from Brooklyn, NY, who has amassed 1.7 million followers on TikTok, took to the platform to discuss compensation in comparison to white counterparts such as Bran Flakezz, born Brandon Edelman. He shared that he earned $768,000 in 2024 as a content creator. He currently has 1.1 million followers on TikTok. It is widely known that Black individuals have to work ten times harder just to see half the success of their white counterparts. She reveals that while being managed at Carter Agency, which is led by Josh Popkin, she was misled about her earnings from brand deals. “The head of Carter Agency, Josh Popkin, this is what he would do. He would tell you that the brand deal was $2,000. It was actually $10,000,” she explained in a TikTok video. “He would take that $8,000, then take the 20% fee off of the $2,000. And guess what? He was targeting Black women mainly. When we all found out and...
Veolia North America, an engineering firm, has agreed to pay $53 million for its alleged role in the ongoing lead-tainted water crisis plaguing Flint, MI, since April 2014. In exchange for the settlement, Michigan has agreed to dismiss its civil lawsuit against the Boston, MA-based company, which will pay 26,000 individual Flint plaintiffs suing them in separate litigation, according to The Detroit News. “After years of drawn-out legal battles, this settlement finally closes a chapter for Flint residents,” Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel said on Feb. 21, 2025. “While no amount of money can fully repair the damage caused to the Flint community, these funds will provide additional resources to those directly impacted, especially Flint children, by this preventable crisis.” Flint’s water crisis started when the city, under state-controlled emergency management, switched its drinking water source from Detroit’s Lake Huron to the Flint River while construction was underway on the...
The Black-owned water bottle brand SUPLMNT welcomes NBA player Gary Payton II as its latest investor. The brand was founded in 2020 by South Philadelphia, PA, native Jairus Morris, who aims to improve hydration in Black and brown communities. His journey as a founder was inspired by his mother, who took on multiple jobs to support the household of five children. “I grew up in a South Philly single-mother household with four siblings. My mother was my first inspiration and motivation to want to be an entrepreneur,” he said in an interview shared on Medium. “She always tried side hustles to bring in extra income for my family; whether it was selling Mary Kay or braiding hair, she did it. Moving us out of the ghetto in South Philly to a suburb in New Jersey was the best thing she could have done. It exposed me to see that there was so much more to life outside of the hood.” As an adult, he also mentioned recognizing disparities around health and wellness, which further inspired his...
Shaquille O’Neal has built a thriving post-NBA career, leveraging his larger-than-life personality and business acumen to secure major brand partnerships, media deals, and entrepreneurial ventures. From endorsements with major corporations to investments in various industries, O’Neal has cemented himself as a powerhouse beyond the court. Now, he’s extending his presence on television — O’Neal will be staying with TNT. According to Front Office Sports, the former basketball player turned sports commentator has secured an extension with the network that will earn him $15 million annually. The future of O’Neal and his “Inside the NBA” co-hosts, Ernie Johnson and Kenny Smith, had been in question after it was announced that TNT lost its NBA media rights to Disney, NBC, and Amazon Prime Video. The three companies entered an 11-year media deal valued at $76 billion, which will take effect in the 2025-26 season, USA Today reports. “Throughout these negotiations, our primary objective has...
22-year-old Angel Reese has fulfilled her wish to retire her mother. As AFROTECH™ previously told you, the WNBA player for the Chicago Sky is vocal about how her mother, Angel Webb Reese, has influenced her journey. Beginning at 4 years old, Reese was courtside at her mother’s games. “I used to go to my mom’s games when I was younger. She used to play in a little league, and I used to always go watch her games on Sundays. That was something that was always inspiring to me,” Reese explained to Just Women’s Sports. “She’s always been independent and she molded that into me. I am who I am because of her.” Angel Webb Reese, who played basketball for the University of Maryland, Baltimore County (UMBC), was inducted into its Athletics Hall of Fame, notes Today. She also went on to have a professional career in Luxembourg. Her daughter is carrying the basketball torch while also making strides beyond the sport in business, guided by her agents, Jeanine Ogbonnaya and Gina Paradiso. As a...
Mastercard has agreed to settle a discrimination lawsuit impacting its minority employees. According to a press release, the fintech company had allegedly been underpaying its female, Black, and Hispanic employees. T he class-action lawsuit — which was filed in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York — claims 7,500 employees in job levels 4-10 across the United States dating back to September 2016 were impacted. Details in the lawsuit share that the women and people of color received less compensation for conducting equivalent work to their male and white counterparts, the New York Times reports. The major fintech company had agreed to pay a $26 million settlement prior to the lawsuits filing on Jan. 14, 2025. The settlement now awaits approval from the court. “We are very pleased to have reached this nationwide settlement with Mastercard, which we believe represents a fair compromise,” Cara E. Greene, partner at Outten & Golden LLP and lead counsel for the...
A Memphis, TN, restaurant owes NBA star Ja Morant a significant sum of money. Commercial Appeal reports that the Memphis Grizzlies point guard became a brand ambassador for The Wing Guru chain of restaurants in 2022, announcing the partnership via X (formerly Twitter) on March 17, 2022. “Honored to be a Brand Ambassador for @TheWingGuru. I always choose the Guru when I get wings #TheWingGuru #BrandAmbassador #GuruGang,” he wrote on X. The agreement between both parties permitted the restaurant to use Morant’s image for advertising in exchange for a payment of $6,250 a month, adding up to about $75,000 per year. However, according to Commercial Appeal, Morant’s attorneys allege that he had not received any payments starting approximately four months after the contract signing, though the company continued to profit off his likeness in locations such as Nashville, TN; Houston, TX; and Dallas, TX. Morant’s attorneys had sent a letter by November 2022 and requested for “the company to...
A venture capital firm founder has launched a lawsuit against PayPal, alleging that the company’s diversity and equity program excluded her because she is Asian. Nisha Desai, the founder of Andav Capital, claims she applied for consideration in a $530 million financial commitment PayPal announced in 2020 to support Black- and minority-owned businesses , TechCrunch reported. However, she asserts that she was overlooked due to her Asian heritage, as the program primarily focused on supporting Black- and Hispanic-led enterprises. “Funds majority-owned by individuals of other races, including Asian Americans, are not given equal consideration,” Desai stated in the New York lawsuit, per the outlet. “Worse, PayPal and its senior management have repeatedly trumpeted the program’s focus on race, bragging in statements and press releases that PayPal’s program is for some races and ethnicities and not others.” Desai claims that PayPal has violated Section 1981 of the Civil Rights Act of 1866,...
Tyler Perry understands the responsibility of leading by example when working with talent, a principle that shapes his unwavering commitment to ensuring actors receive fair and deserving compensation. Perry has received recognition from countless actors who revealed he was the first to ensure they were compensated fairly. This includes Taraji P. Henson. As AFROTECH™ previously reported, Henson received her first $500,000 paycheck for a role from Perry. “I was asking for half a million. I didn’t get paid that until I did my first Tyler Perry film. He was the first person that gave — that broke the standard that I was getting paid for films, and he gave me $500,000,” Henson said during an interview on Variety’s segment titled “Actors on Actors.” Actor Cory Hardrict also revealed that Perry paid him generously during his time starring in “Divorce in the Black,” which was directed, written, and produced by Perry. “He paid me the most I’ve ever made in a film for three weeks ever [of...
Houston,TX, native and 32-time Grammy award-winning recording artist Beyoncé put on a halftime show performance at the NFL’s Christmas Day football game between the Baltimore Ravens and Houston Texans. She performed several hits from her most recent album, “ Cowbo y Carter” which pays homage to the often-forgotten Black history of country music . Mrs. Knowles-Carter, dressed in all-white cowboy regalia, sat atop a white horse led by a Black cowboy for her grand entrance onto the field. She was joined by backup dancers and the third-ward Texas Southern University marching band, Ocean of Soul. They delivered a “ Homecoming” -esque show that featured songs like “Blackbiird,” “Sweet Honey Buckiin,” and “Leviis Jeans,” which she collaborated with Post Malone, Shaboozey , Tanner Adell, Britney Spencer, Tiera Kennedy and Reyna Roberts on. As noted by Forbes, Beyoncé’s “Renaissance” World Tour earned over $600 million in revenue. While she has yet to announce concert dates for her “Cowboy...