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Those who have been following along with corporate news in recent weeks may already be aware of president Donald Trump’s ongoing initiative to bring massive financial changes to the tech industry. The head of state and 34-time convicted felon previously announced multi-billion dollar deals with fintech giants including OpenAI, SoftBank and more. The collaboration, which has been titled Stargate , has drawn eyes from a number of tech industry heads, including Apple’s Tim Cook . Now, according to recent reports, Cook himself has announced an effort to invest $500 billion back into the United States economy, with specific plans to hire 20,000 new U.S. based employees over the next five years. Though Apple has always been at the forefront of American engineering and design, this announcement has come as quite a shock to some investors, considering Tim Cook’s outspoken stance on upholding DEI initiatives , in stark contrast to Trump’s demands. Clearly, Cook is able to compartmentalize...
Apple is on the lookout for bright developers. The tech giant will soon be jumpstarting its 2025 Swift Student Challenge, which was created to empower rising developers, creators, and entrepreneurs. Its website mentions they will be tasked with scaling their ideas into an application leveraging tools that include Swift Playgrounds and Xcode. Previous winners include Keitaro Kawahara of Japan (PuzzlePix), Ruoshan Li of China (Deep Blue Tangram), and University of Alabama at Birmingham student AJ Nettles, who submitted an application named CryptOh. As AFROTECH™ previously told you, his app includes an interactive guide that explains the importance of password security and serves as a password manager and generator. “I wanted to make it easier for people to store their passwords and not have them on a random sticky note on the edge of their computer,” he told AFROTECH™. Nettles was among the 50 Distinctive Winners out of 350 winners of the challenge in 2024, and he was able to meet...
In January 2023, Wes Moore became Maryland’s first Black governor as well as the 63rd person to serve in the state’s highest seat. Since his election, Moore has proposed several initiatives that his administration believes improve the overall quality of life for the state’s residents. During AFROTECH™ Conference 2024, Nov. 13-16, Moore brought some perspectives to the Innovation Stage , joining Jeff Nelson, co-founder and COO of Blavity Inc., for a fireside chat called “Work, Wages, and Wealth: State-Led Innovation, Inclusion, and Impact.” While there he discussed navigating Maryland’s political shift after a Republican administration and how his “work, wages, and wealth” mantra drives equitable economic growth. A core part of Moore’s administration is also working to fulfill his vision of making Maryland an innovation hub. Moore and his team have been building out that innovative approach since before the most recent election results. “We’ve been battle planning no matter what the...
Civil rights leader Rashad Robinson and actor Kendrick Sampson had a much-needed conversation at the AFROTECH™ Conference 2024. During the fireside chat “We’ve Voted, Now What?,’” on Nov. 15, the two activists led a compelling discussion around post-election and reclaiming our power through infrastructure. Robinson served as the president at Color of Change for 13 years and is currently a board member of the Edward W. Hazen Foundation. With his expertise, Robinson shared his thoughts on what true power looks like for communities of color and the realities of who benefits from the lack thereof. “We have to get clear about power to know what we will do next,” Robinson shared. “When I think about power, I very much think about the ability to change the rules. Far too often, we mistake presence for power. Presence is visibility, awareness, retweets, shoutouts from the stage, etc. For example, we can sometimes think that a black president means that we’re in a post-racial world. Or when...
AJ Nettles wants to work at Apple one day after meeting CEO Tim Cook. The second-year student attending the University of Alabama at Birmingham has affirmed his journey in cybersecurity, one that began at an early age tinkering with computers while living in the small town of Monroeville, AL. “Our family had our first computer near when I was 5, and I really had fun interacting and playing around with it, learning about the internet and things like that,” Nettles told AFROTECH™. “Then I like to play games, so that kind of helped feed back into learning about technology overall, like computer science, and thinking about how it works and stuff. I was first exposed to it when I was young.” By the time Nettles reached the end of his time at Monroe County High School, he gained robotics experience and became more interested in learning about computer science and building technologies. “I had a bunch of different accounts for everything to play my games and email and all that. And I used...
Recent reports have shown companies pulling back from implementing diversity, equity, and inclusion (DE&I). A leader in global communications has spoken out against the matter. At the 2024 Women of Color Connecting Summit, hosted by the Institute for Entrepreneurial Leadership, Edelman CEO Richard Edelman led the session titled “Data Matters.” During his presentation, he shared findings from “Edelman’s Trust Barometer Special Report: Business and Racial Justice,” according to the virtual summit’s website. While relaying the findings was to inform allies, investors, and policymakers, Edelman took a moment to address the misconceptions about DE&I. “This is one of the big problems in America. We lack reliable information,” Edelman said, per a news release. He continued, “I have heard so much about ‘let’s drop DE&I as a phrase; let’s just focus on sustainability.’ Nonsense. We have to defend DE&I as an important part of the equation of ESG [environmental, social, and governance]. ESG...
By Freada Kapor Klein, Founding Partner of Kapor Capital and Allison Scott, CEO of Kapor Foundation The Supreme Court’s decision banning affirmative action in higher education on June 29, 2023, is part of a larger series of organized attacks on momentum and progress towards racial equity, particularly in the tech industry–including the lawsuit and recent injunction against Fearless Fund, for alleging racial discrimination and temporarily halting the VC firm from awarding its grants exclusively to Black female entrepreneurs; lawsuits against Perkins Coie and Morrison Foerster for their diversity law fellowship programs; the overturning of the Small Business Association’s focus on minority businesses; 13 State Attorneys General threatening Fortune 100 companies regarding their DEI programs and initiatives; legislation in Texas and Florida banning DEI offices in higher education and restricting related courses; backlash against organizational diversity statements; and tech diversity...
In June 2020, financial institutions nationwide committed a record-breaking $4.2 billion to racial equity. Nonprofits directly received $300 million, representing 51% of total donation volume that month. However just six months later, funding for racial equity fell to 5% of the donation share. Now three years later, while energy has further slowed, racial justice remains a top concern across demographics. We know nonprofits steered by Black leaders and people of color are best positioned to drive racial equity. However, it’s simply not enough for corporate funders looking to affirm their values to financially empower BIPOC leaders. To properly equip nonprofit leaders, financial institutions and other corporate funders must embrace a two-pronged approach of capital and capacity building. One of the most effective interventions in capacity-building for BIPOC-led nonprofits lies in technology. Seventy-four percent of nonprofits say digital transformation is a need-to or must-have, yet...
Heinz has become a restaurant and household staple for decades. Now, the beloved brand continues to work toward a greater cause by teaming up with Southern Restaurants for Racial Justice to equip Black restaurant owners with the resources needed to win big. Thanks to a partnership between Southern Restaurants for Racial Justice, Heinz, as well as a plethora of bakers, chefs, and restaurant owners to offer grants that range between $15,000 and $25,000 to Black-owned food establishments as they work to scale and grow their businesses, a blog post revealed. “I really want to make sure that these Black-owned restaurants are seen, heard, and can build these legacy businesses,” said Southern Restaurants for Racial Justice Founder Cheryl Day. “From the heart, I want to make sure they are sustainable and that we’re offering what they need.” Heinz Black Kitchen Initiative is back for year 2 of championing and supporting Black-owned restaurants, eateries & food initiatives with our partners...
Not only is Lucky Charms loved by kids, but it also ensues nostalgia for older generations that reminds them of their own childhood. As the staple cereal sparks the power of vivid imagination, the fun has now been penned into a children’s book and is being introduced by Taye Diggs. BET reports that the actor and author has partnered with Lucky Charms for its first book, “The Magic Inside.” Touching on the importance of self-acceptance, the book will take readers into the story of Lucky the Leprechaun and his journey of celebrating his differences “all the while discovering he has magical powers.” “Magic lives in all of us, and by sharing more of Lucky’s story and his journey of self-discovery, we want to inspire families to find their own special magic,” said Mindy Murray, senior brand experience manager at General Mills, according to BET. “We hope The Magic Inside encourages a love of reading by immersing parents and kids in a fun, adventurous story about Lucky and his family!” As...
What seems to be at the top of YouTube’s list this year is a renewed commitment to the creators who keep the platform afloat. According to Deadline, the video-streaming giant has announced that it will return to the core reason that it was created in the first place — to serve as a home to creatives with a focus on user-generated content. While the platform has spent the past few years building a hub for original programming, the news reveals that they will scale back and put the funds back into programs that were built with creatives in mind.
Emory University is taking things to the next level with the first student-run venture capital (VC) fund. The Peachtree Minority Venture Fund (PMVF) was launched at The Roberto C. Goizueta Center for Entrepreneurship and Innovation at Emory University’s Goizueta Business School (GBS) to support Black, LatinX, and Native American entrepreneurs. This is the first VC fund to have a focus that is strictly dedicated to underrepresented minority founders and will be funded by the Goizueta Business School endowment. Currently, the fund has $1 million in assets that are currently under management, and students are responsible for souring companies, conducting due diligence and making investment recommendations to the Peachtree Investment Committee. The committee — made up of GBS faculty, staff and alumni — utilizes an “evergreen” structure, which means that they recycle all proceeds to be used for reinvestment. “Peachtree Minority Venture Fund will invest in companies that have at least one...
Cardi B continues to make money moves! The rapper has reached another milestone with, “Bodak Yellow,” which just reached one billion views on YouTube, reports Music Times. She now has multiple music videos with more than one billion views via her channel, if we consider collaborations and features. Take her 2018 single “I Like It” alongside Bad Bunny and J. Balvin — for example — which currently has 1.3 billion views. Cardi’s “Bodak Yellow” first made history after it topped Billboard’s Hot 100 chart for three consecutive weeks following its release. Thanks to the breakout single, Cardi B’s debut album, “Invasion of Privacy” achieved huge success. In April, it became the first album by a female rapper to spend three full years on the Billboard 200, dethroning Lauryn Hill for her album, “The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill,” according to REVOLT. On Twitter, Cardi B shared the budget and backstory for “Bodak Yellow” revealing that it only cost $15,000 to make — talk about balling on a...
Doritos has announced a new financially-backed initiative that’s all about amplifying Black joy, strength and resilience in our community. As part of its 2020 #AmplifyBlackVoices work, a press release reports that Doritos is now launching and funding SOLID BLACK™ — a new multi-platform initiative that’s dedicated to uplifting the voices of Black innovators and creators today. The initiative will reportedly involve Doritos investing more than $5 million in resources to help drive change in Black communities on behalf of the voices and stories that often go unheard. “Doritos has long been a brand that believes in igniting and championing bold self-expression and authenticity,” Stacy Taffet — VP of marketing, Frito-Lay North America — said in a press statement. “We are proud to provide a platform and resources to innovators and creators who are making a lasting impact on culture and hope that their stories can inspire the next generation in the continued effort to create a more equal...
Black Music Month is here and Apple Music is making sure everyone knows it with its latest campaign. The music streaming giant announced the launch of its “All Music Is Black Music” programming this month to honor the origins and influence of Black music artists across all genres. “I don’t think it’s commonplace for people to understand that all popular music comes from the origins and experiences of Black people,” Ebro Darden — Apple Music’s global editorial head of Hip-Hop and R&B — shared with Billboard. “We just need to make sure this is never forgotten.” Black Music Month was co-founded by radio legend Dyana Williams, her ex-husband Kenny Gamble and radio DJ Ed Wright back in 1979 as a means to amplify and celebrate all these Black-influenced genres across our culture, the Recording Academy reports. As we continue this annual tradition, Apple Music hopes to use its platform and reach to increase the recognition of Black music on a global scale. “Black Music Month may be an...