Billionaires Mark Cuban and Michael Rubin agreed to invest $300,000 in Black-owned AI startup Bot-It, on a recent episode of ABC’s Shark Tank. Founded by Maurice Bachelor and Joel Griffith, Bot-It lets users automate online tasks like booking appointments, making restaurant reservations, and even securing concert tickets. Bot-It Bot-It is a new service that introduces web automation to everyday people without requiring any coding or technical skills to set up. Bachelor conceived the idea after seeing a friend struggle with completing an online task, and after searching the internet for
After Elon Musk’s comments criticizing diversity initiatives, Tesla has removed language about having a majority-minority workforce. Tesla has omitted a line from its latest Securities and Exchange Commission filing. In its 10-K filing last month, a comprehensive report on Tesla’s activities throughout 2023, the company removed a line it used a year ago. The original line read, “With a majority-minority workforce, empowering our employee resource groups to take charge in driving initiatives that attract, develop, and retain our passionate workforce is vital to our continued success.” What Has Musk Said?
In recognition of this year’s Black History Month theme, African Americans and the Arts, we will explore the intersection of Black arts and tech throughout February. The origins of digital art can be traced back to ideologies present in the first half of the 20th century. While artists were keenly interested in innovations, the rich potential of modern technologies as tools in art only began to be explored as access increased in the 1950s and beyond. Digital art is a term used to describe art that is made or presented
Snap and Zoom’s mass layoffs have impacted workers in various roles across the company, Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) teams at both tech companies. Snap’s Layoffs Snap, the maker of Snapchat and Bitmoji, has laid off around 500 employees this month. The layoffs were most often conducted over brief video calls. According to Business Insider, engineers, content moderation teams, and a small number of people doing trust and safety work were impacted. This included several people working on a team within HR that helped with internal employee analytics, including surveys
10Pearls, a global, purpose-driven digital technology partner, is launching a “Women in Tech” program for Latin American women in Costa Rica on February 10th. Founded by brothers Imran and Zeeshan Aftab, 10Pearls partners with clients to imagine, design, build, and deliver innovative mobile and digital products. The company has a diverse clientele that includes Global 1000 enterprises and high-growth startups and has offices in the US, Costa Rice, Colombia, the UK, Pakistan, and Peru. Women in Tech Program The Women in Tech launch event in Costa Rice will consist of a series of
Black-owned StatusPRO has reached a historic milestone with a $20 million Series A funding round from Google Ventures (GV), making it one of the largest Series A of any VR gaming company. StatusPRO StatusPRO was founded by Andrew “Hawk” Hawkins and Troy Jones, who each had a unique journey that propelled them into the tech space as Black co-founders of a budding startup. Leaning on their experiences as former athletes, the duo wanted to help others better understand what it takes to compete at the highest levels from an athlete’s first point of view. Their vision manifested
Black-owned tech accelerator Plug In Ventures has secured a new $1 million grant from the California Office of Small Business Advocate (CalOSBA). Plug In is the space for Black and Brown entrepreneurs and VCs to reimagine the innovation economy across the US and beyond. Founded by Derek Smith in 2014, the accelerator investing mentors and expands early-stage entrepreneurs. Since 2019, companies in his firm’s ecosystem have raised over $22 million in VC dollars from climate, sustainability, the creator economy, and athletic apparel. The Funding Plug In Ventures will receive $250,000 annually from CalOSBA over
Cardi B, 21 Savage, and Nicki Minaj have voiced their support for the No Artificial Intelligence Fake Replicas And Unotherized Duplications (No AI FRAUD) Act. Nearly 300 artists, actors, and performers expressed their support for the bipartisan legislation that would protect against nonconsensual AI voice clones and deepfakes, Billboard reports. No AI FRAUD Act The new bill establishes a federal framework to protect Americans’ right to their likeness and voice against AI-generated fakes and forgeries. It was introduced in the US House on January 10th. Rep. Maria Elvira Salazar introduced the No
Target has pulled a Black History Month magnetic learning activity book that misidentified civil rights leaders from its shelves. A Black history teacher pointed out the errors in a now-viral TikTok. Las Vegas teacher Tierra Espy went to TikTok to announce she bought the Civil Rights Magnetic Learning Activity Kit for her children during Black History Month. The magnetic activity book featured 26 magnets and informational cards featuring illustrations of Black leaders and slogans from the civil rights movement. However, Espy pointed out on TikTok that the book mixes up
Xbox has announced a partnership with Gameheads, a video game design program, to showcase Black-created games in recognition of Black History Month. Black-Created Games Dametra Johnson-Marletti, Corporate Vice President of Gaming Consumer Sales at Microsoft, announced the collaboration. She stated that video games have the potential to be a platform to preserve shared history and honor the stories of people of color in an engaging way that can disarm defenses and build empathy and understanding. “Gamers from underrepresented communities will not only feel like their voices are heard, but have a greater opportunity
