Nigerian open banking startup Okra will return three years of runway to investors, as reported by Techpoint. The company was founded in 2019 to build APIs helping people securely access their bank accounts from third-party apps. However, the company shut down following the departure of its CEO, Fara Ashiru. Okra still had three years of runway before it would return to its investors. Ashiru did not disclose the amount that would be returned, and Okra has not provided the exact amount that would be returned to investors; however, Techpoint estimated
The US Federal Communications Commission (FCC) has approved two T-Mobile deals after the company rolled back its DEI efforts following pressure from the Trump administration. T-Mobile was permitted to purchase nearly all of regional carrier United States Cellular’s wireless operations, including customers, stores, and 30% of its spectrum assets, in a deal valued at $4.4 billion, according to Reuters. T-Mobile was also granted permission to acquire internet service provider Metronet, which serves over 2 million homes and businesses in 17 states. The FCC approves two T-Mobile deals In a letter
Don Lemon’s lawsuit against Elon Musk and his social network X over the cancellation of their partnership can proceed to trial, a San Francisco judge ruled this week. CNBC reported that Musk’s team had attempted to transfer the case to a Texas court and sought to persuade the judge to dismiss the complaint altogether. Judge Harold Kahn said in an order on Tuesday that Lemon and his attorneys plausibly alleged, along with other claims, that X and Musk had committed “fraud by false promise” and that there was “an implied contract” between the two. Don
The Defense Department has announced that it will be deploying Grok in its operations, a week after it sent out antisemitic tweets. The xAI announcement was accompanied by the launch of Grok for Government, a suite that enables agencies and federal offices to utilize its chatbots for their specific purposes. Since taking office, President Donald Trump has pushed for faster adoption of artificial intelligence tools. The Defense Department using Grok On Monday, xAI shared that its products will be “available to purchase via the General Services Administration (GSA) schedule,” meaning
The British Business Bank (BBB), the UK Government’s economic development bank, has announced a new £500 million ($674 million) economic package to back diverse and emerging fund managers. The initiative aims to address the significant gap in venture capital investment for underrepresented founders and investors, which is often attributed to industry biases, closed networks, and limited diversity among investors. Investing in women-led funds Investing in female and ethnic minority-led businesses could add 13% to the value of the UK equity market, according to the 2025 The Investing in Women Code report. Additionally,
Join our Patreon for extra-long episodes and ad-free content. This week on Techish, Michael and Abadesi dive into the latest round of tech layoffs, questioning why job cuts continue despite record profits. They chat about how AI is changing roles, the value of networking, and staying financially ready in shaky times. Plus, tips on job hunting, social media’s influence on spending, and a reminder to take charge of your career. Chapters 00:24 Microsoft Cuts 9,000 Jobs: What’s Really Going On?09:39 Layoff Prep + Recovery 10120:43 The Overemployed Engineer: Soham Parekh
Originally published by Mike Westbrooks on Medium. “I didn’t get into tech to make money. I got into tech to learn how to build and design my freedom. The money came when I realized I could build for myself.” Before the Breakthrough: Learning Over Luxury Before I ever saw $56,000 in a single month, I was just a young man with a marketing degree from Morehouse College and a stubborn belief that I could teach myself how to build apps. I didn’t come from a CS program. I didn’t have a mentor in
Howard University and Google Research have released a dataset comprising over 600 hours of AAE dialects from 32 states to enhance AI’s recognition of diverse Black dialects. As part of Project Elevate Black Voices, researchers traveled across the US to capture commonly used speech patterns in Black communities that AI systems often overlook. The project aims to enhance the way Black people interact with technology. Black dialects being ignored by artificial intelligence African American English (AAE)—also known as African American Vernacular, Black English, or Black talk—is widely spoken in Black
Torch, a leadership and coaching enterprise, has acquired Praxis Labs, an immersive learning platform that uses AI to build inclusive workplace cultures, for an undisclosed amount. As part of the acquisition, the entire Praxis Labs team will join Torch. Praxis Labs’ co-founders, Elise Smith and Heather Shen, will join Torch as Head of AI Growth and Head of AI Product, respectively. About Praxis Labs Founded in 2019, Praxis Labs is an AI platform that builds critical human skills with research-backed practice simulations, AI coaching, and skills assessments. The startup has
The UN has created two AI avatars in a bid to help more people learn about the realities faced by those fleeing war. The first is Amina, a character playing the role of a woman living in a refugee camp in Chad after she escaped violence in Sudan. Then, there’s a soldier persona called Abdalla, a character built with the behavior and decision-making patterns of an actual combatant. Both avatars were created by the United Nations University Center for Policy Research (UNU-CPR), a research institution connected to the United Nations,
