Marc Andreessen, founder of Silicon Valley venture capital firm Andreessen Horowitz (a16z), said universities will “pay the price” for promoting diversity and allegedly discriminating against supporters of President Donald Trump. The comments come from leaked messages to a WhatsApp group used by White House officials and technology leaders, according to screenshots of the chatfrom May and June reviewed by The Washington Post. Andreessen criticizes universities The investor criticized Stanford and MIT, sending out a rapid-fire series of messages, according to screenshots and two members of the chat, who spoke to
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
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,
Shareholders at 30 major US companies, including Costco, Apple, and Mastercard, overwhelmingly rejected anti-DEI proposals during the 2025 proxy season. The companies, worth a combined $13 trillion, saw most proposals defeated by margins of 98% to 99%. The shareholder voting results were tracked by Impactivize, a nonprofit project focused on DEI in the private sector. “Shareholder voting margins send a clear message: Investors understand that diversity is good for business,” said the project’s founder in a press release. 30 Major companies back DEI Impactivize analyzed anti-DEI proposals sent to companies
Paramount Global is waiting for one last step before completing its sale to independent film and TV producer David Ellison’s Skydance Media. The Federal Communications Commission must approve the transfer of the company’s broadcast licenses, according to Bloomberg. The agency is concerned about news bias inside the media company, as well as the legality of its DEI efforts. Paramount’s merger with Skydance Media Paramount’s transfer to Skydance Media progressed after the media group settled Trump’s news-bias lawsuit against its CBS News division by agreeing to pay $16 million for his legal expenses and a donation
Unemployment rates for Black women are rising, and economists believe this signifies a broader problem. Black women’s unemployment rate increased from 5.1% in March to 6.1% in April and reached an all-time high in May at 6.2% before dropping to 5.8% in June, according to data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics reported by The 19th. Rates for white and Asian women remained close to 3% and 5% for Latinas, in comparison. Experts believe that this highlights a strain in the economy. Why is this concerning? Due to systemic racism
Dutch semiconductor equipment supplier ASML has ended its DEI targets in the US to comply with executive orders in the country. The company made the announcement on Wednesday, stating that its diversity and key performance targets would not apply to US workers to the point that its inclusion and diversity policies conflict with US laws and orders. Still, it would remain intact in all other markets. ASML rolls back its DEI efforts ASML becomes another European company ending its DEI initiatives to avoid any disciplinary action from the executive orders
AMP, a streaming group comprising influencers, has secured a deal with Target, but some consumers are unhappy with the move. The group that creates collaborative videos on YouTube and Twitch consists of Duke Dennis, Kai Cenat, Fanum, Agent 00, ChrisNxtDoor, and ImDavisss. They have now launched a personal care brand called Tone, which will be sold exclusively at Target. “We really saw a gap in the shelves for a new brand to break through — and for a brand that is fresh and represents who we and our community are. Products that don’t just look good
The pace of diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) policy rollbacks at the nation’s largest corporations is slowing, despite high-profile political and corporate pushback, a new study has found. The findings follow a renewed anti-DEI wave, triggered by President Donald Trump’s January 20 executive order ending all federal diversity initiatives. Since then, major companies like Meta, Google, JP Morgan, and Target have scaled back or altered their DEI policies. But according to a new Gravity Research report, while the initial response was swift, the momentum behind corporate DEI dismantling has since
The Congressional Black Caucus (CBC) joins the list of Black leaders pushing for corporate accountability. Chairwoman Yvette D. Clarke and members of the Congressional Black Caucus’s Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Task Force met with Target CEO Brian Cornell to discuss the company’s rollback of its DEI efforts, according to a press release. In January, the retailer announced that it would end its three-year DEI goals, conclude its Racial Equity Action and Change (REACH) initiatives by 2025, and discontinue a program focused on carrying more products from Black— or minority-owned businesses. Congressional
