New research has found that companies that kept their DEI initiatives performed just as well as companies that did not. The research that was shared with the Guardian examined how well S&P 500 companies fared after Trump signed his executive order in 2025. Jacob Grumbach, an associate professor at the University of California at Berkeley’s Goldman School of Public Policy, used “abnormal returns” a term used by economists – the difference between how a stock is expected to perform versus how it actually performed, but removing the stock movement that could
Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) could potentially be given gloves that deliver electric shocks. ICE plans to spend up to $20 million to buy the Generated Low Output Voltage Emitter (GLOVE), according to a note published by the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), as reported by the BBC. Whilst a standard US power outlet is 120 volts, the gloves can produce up to 380 volts. How will the gloves work? The shock gloves made by Compliant Technologies LLC use neuro-peripheral interference, which essentially shocks the skin, flooding sensory nerves and temporarily
The Trademark Trial and Appeal Board (TTAB) has rejected Serena Ventures’ trademark appeal, according to Law360. The trademark application, which was filed in November 2020, was denied because the TTAB panel believed it could be mistaken for “Serena,” another trademark that also invests in real estate and other areas. “Serena” is owned by Florida-based VC Management Florida LLC. Serena Ventures Trademark application The TTAB panel said it denied Williams’ argument that her registered trademark applied solely to real estate. The decision said that “only some of registrant’s services are restricted to
The Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) has sued Washington University after it fired a Black worker who opposed mandatory DEI training that separated her from her colleagues. This act violates Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, which prohibits employment discrimination based on race, color, religion, or sex. “Federal law protects workers who complain about race discrimination in the workplace, regardless of whether those complaints are made inside or outside the employer’s organization,” David S. Davis, director of the EEOC’s St. Louis District, said in a press release. About
Black-owned autonomous mobility startup Moove has raised a $250 million Series C funding round led by Mubadala Investment Company and co-led by Woven Capital, Toyota’s Growth Fund, and Ion Pacific. The new capital will allow the company to expand Moove’s autonomous fleet ownership and a first-of-its-kind robotic depot infrastructure, which it calls Nests. “Every major technology revolution becomes an infrastructure race. The internet required data centres. AI required compute,” Ladi Delano, Co-Founder, Co-CEO and Advisory Board Chairman of Moove said in a press release. “Autonomy requires fleets, charging, maintenance, data systems
Dr Monica L. Baskin will become the first Black woman to lead a National Cancer Institute-designated cancer center. Baskin has been named director of Virginia Commonwealth University’s Massey Comprehensive Cancer Center and will begin serving in her role on August 3rd after final approval by the VCU Board of Visitors. “It is an honor to be named as the next director at VCU Massey Comprehensive Cancer Center,” Baskin said in the press release. “Massey is an exemplar, locally and nationally, on what truly matters for a cancer center, and together
61 S&P 100 companies have removed diversity criteria for upcoming board members since 2023, according to an ESGAUGE analysis of filings and governance documents for Bloomberg News. Companies such as Apple Inc., Alphabet Inc., Amazon.com Inc., Starbucks Corp. and Wells Fargo & Co have eliminated diversity requirements for directors in the last three years. Companies removing diversity criteria for board members ESGAUGE analysis of corporate filings found that companies that had previously referenced gender, race, ethnicity, or underrepresented groups in board-selection criteria had removed that terminology. Companies like Micro Devices
Serena Williams wants to invest in the next trillion-dollar company with the help of her newly rebranded investment firm, Starfire Ventures. The new investment firm will focus on helping high-potential founders with access to venture funding. “We’ve just rebranded ourselves. . . . I felt like Serena Ventures is great, but I wanted it to be bigger than me. There are so many amazing people on the team, and there’s so much that we do,” Williams said in an interview with Fast Company. About Starfire Ventures Currently, Starfire has invested in 16 companies
Dr. Ayanna Howard is set to become the 12th president of the esteemed HBCU Spelman College. Howard will become the university’s roboticist and artificial intelligence expert. Additionally, her new book, Rebooting The Machines, is set for release in November. In the book, Dr. Howard acknowledges that AI will take away jobs and opportunities, but she also wants people to understand how to utilise AI to the best of its ability. The future of AI cannot depend on engineers in Silicon Valley; she argues it should come from all of us.
Dr Erica Schwartz will be the first Black woman to lead the Centres for Disease Control and Prevention. The Senate confirmed Schwartz in a 51-44 vote on Wednesday, 5 August. Schwartz, who will run the federal agency that primarily focuses on infectious diseases, was Trump’s third nominee for the position in 18 months. Dr, Erica Schwartz becoming the first Black woman to lead the CDC Schwartz will serve during a time when the US is facing a significant rise in Measles in three decades, low childhood vaccination rates and a
