Google is rolling out Black History Month programming across Search, Play, TV, YouTube, Chrome, Meet, Maps, and Arts & Culture in the US throughout February. The campaign is anchored by a hip-hop–themed Google Doodle featuring a custom beat by Detroit rapper, singer, and producer Illa J. A Google Doodle sets the tone for Black History Month Google launched the campaign with a Doodle music video focused on the mechanics of hip-hop beat-making, using one of its most visible entry points to set the tone and route users into related experiences.
Paystack, the Nigerian fintech owned by Stripe, reorganized its businesses under a new holding company, The Stack Group, in Nigeria this week after reaching group profitability. The new structure places four businesses under TSG: Paystack’s core merchant payments business, the consumer payments app Zap, Paystack Microfinance Bank, and a venture studio known as TSG Labs. The shift reflects a strategic move to manage risk, regulation, and ownership across distinct financial products. A Holding Company Model to Contain Risk and Regulation By adopting a holding company structure, Paystack has separated payments,
Google has agreed to pay $68 million to settle a class-action lawsuit alleging its Google Assistant recorded and shared users’ private conversations without consent. Google Settles Google Assistant Privacy Lawsuit A preliminary settlement was filed January 23 in federal court in San Jose, California, according to Reuters. Google did not admit wrongdoing, but agreed to settle, citing the cost, risk, and uncertainty of prolonged litigation. The settlement includes $22.7 million in attorneys’ fees. The lawsuit centers on how voice assistants are engineered, deployed, and monetized. Plaintiffs alleged that Google Assistant
PayPal is returning to Nigeria through a new partnership with fintech company Paga, allowing individuals and businesses to receive international payments, withdraw funds in naira, and access PayPal’s global network after nearly two decades of restricted service, TechCabal reports. For the first time, Nigerians can receive PayPal funds directly into a locally regulated wallet at scale, rather than relying on workarounds and business‑only routes. From bans to local partners PayPal blocked Nigerians from receiving payments in 2004, citing fraud concerns, and for years offered only limited functionality. Nigerians could often
Billionaire investor Vinod Khosla publicly distanced himself and his firm from comments about ICE made by Keith Rabois, a managing director at Khosla Ventures. Rabois had defended federal agents following the fatal shooting of Alex Pretti, a 37-year-old ICU nurse, in Minneapolis. Tech leaders from companies including Google, OpenAI, and Anthropic have also condemned the shooting and criticizing what they described as unnecessary escalation by ICE agents. Rabois’ Remarks Draw Internal Criticism Rabois wrote on X that “no law enforcement has shot an innocent person” and claimed that “illegals are
Former NFL quarterback Colin Kaepernick is bringing his education technology startup, Lumi, into K–12 classrooms through a new partnership with Metro Nashville Public Schools (MNPS). The collaboration launches a phased district pilot that introduces students to AI-powered storytelling tools designed to support literacy, creativity, and responsible technology use. Kaepernick’s AI Storytelling Platform Founded by Kaepernick in 2024, Lumi Story AI emerged from stealth with $4 million in seed funding led by Alexis Ohanian’s venture firm, Seven Seven Six. The platform is built to position AI as a creative assistant, helping
The CEOs of OpenAI, Anthropic, and Apple have spoken out against violence involving US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents after federal agents fatally shot Alex Pretti, a 37-year-old US citizen, in Minneapolis last weekend. Their comments come as more than 450 workers from companies including Google, Amazon, Meta, Salesforce, and OpenAI signed an open letter urging their CEOs to pressure the White House to “demand that ICE leave our cities.” The petition also calls for the immediate cancellation of all company contracts with ICE, arguing that the tech industry’s tools
Nigerian mobility financing company MAX has raised $24 million in a mix of equity and debt after reaching profitability in Nigeria, its largest market, multiple reports confirm. The funding signals renewed investor interest in electric mobility across Africa, where rising fuel prices and falling battery costs are making electric two- and three-wheelers increasingly attractive for commercial drivers. The round includes equity from Equitane DMCC, Novastar, Endeavor Catalyst, and other global investors, alongside asset-backed debt from the Energy Entrepreneurs Growth Fund and development finance institutions. Profitability Brings Investors Back Founded in 2015 as Metro
Former New York City Mayor Eric Adams launched a new cryptocurrency called NYC Token on January 12. The token immediately spiked and then collapsed after an account linked to the token withdrew $2.5 million. Adams, a longtime crypto enthusiast, now faces accusations that the launch was a “rug pull”: a common crypto scam where insiders hype a token and then quietly cash out. NYC Token’s Launch And Collapse Within minutes of going live, the token, built on the Solana blockchain, reached a market value of $600 million. The New York
Steven Bartlett, the founder and host of “The Diary of a CEO,” said he hired a candidate with a two-line CV after reading her behavior in the building as a stronger signal than formal experience. Bartlett told Fortune that “much of the reason why I gave her the job was that she thanked the security guard by name on the way into the building.” He framed that moment as evidence of humility, respect, and social awareness, traits he considers difficult to train compared with job skills. During the interview, she
