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
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
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
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
Tennis star Coco Gauff is building on her partnership with UPS by teaming up with entrepreneur Emma Grede to advise small-business owners. Gauff became a UPS brand partner in 2023. The new campaign, titled “Unlocking Potential,” leads with Grede mentoring three upcoming entrepreneurs — Classy Casita, Petrova Chocolates, and Anima Iris. Grede and Gauff supporting small-business owners The campaign, created by The Martin Agency, begins with an anime-inspired spot featuring the 20-year-old phenom announcing her collaboration with Grede. Then, Grede will meet with the entrepreneurs to offer advice and mentorship.
Museums in the West tend to have one thing in common: displaying artifacts from countries that aren’t theirs. Now you can virtually reclaim these artifacts. At the Summer Game Fest in Los Angeles, Nyamakop game studio recently announced the launch of its latest project, Relooted, a side-scrolling puzzle platformer where users can join a group of thieves who reclaim stolen artifacts from Western museums and return them to their respective countries of origin. How do you play Relooted? The game is set in an African Futurism-inspired 21st century, during a time
Serena Williams has joined an initiative created by Reckitt to support up to 200 health and hygiene start-ups founded by women and under-represented entrepreneurs. The initiative, called Reckitt Catalyst, is a five-year commitment with up to £10 million ($13.7 million) to provide entrepreneurs with funding, mentorship, and expertise from Reckitt leaders and Serena Williams. Since 2020, the company has helped 60 entrepreneurs across 13 countries, allowing business owners to unlock access to health, clean water, and sanitation for one million people, as stated in a press release. What is Reckitt
Venture capital firm Collab Capital has closed a $75 million Fund II, with backing from Apple, Goldman Sachs Asset Management, and The Leon Levine Foundation. The fund will focus on Seed and Series A investments, supporting founders who, as Collab puts it, are “best equipped to solve real-world, consequential problems through unique market expertise and lived experience.” Using Fund II to sharpen its investment model Collab Capital was founded by Barry Givens, Justin Dawkins, and Jewel Burks Solomon, who gained Silicon Valley prominence as the first head of Google for
Movable Ink is hiring on pocitjobs.com At Movable Ink, innovation is powered by people like Michael Green Jr., who brings creativity and technical expertise together in unique ways. As Director of Data Science for AI Insights, Michael helps teams and clients understand how their AI models work, turning complex data into clear, actionable insights. He’s also a fantasy novelist and entrepreneur, building a career that reflects both his analytical mind and creative spirit. He told POCIT how his passion for writing sharpens his approach to data science and how Movable
