President Donald Trump has commuted the prison sentence of Carlos Watson, the founder and former CEO of Ozy Media. Watson was just hours away from reporting to a federal prison in California when he received word of the clemency, CNBC reports. Watson, 55, was sentenced to 116 months in prison following his conviction on multiple counts of fraud and identity theft related to his leadership of the now-defunct digital media company. Trump also commuted the sentence of one year of probation imposed on Ozy Media for the company’s conviction in
On March 11, 2025, United Negro College Fund (UNCF) partnered with TikTok to champion HillmanTok University for using social media to transform education and motivate the Black community. HillmanTok at Capitol Hill HillmanTok educators like Dr. Leah Barlow, Shyia Simmon, CPA Thurman Brooks, Gyllian Carter, Kyra Brown, and Denise Francis went to Capital Hill in Washington, DC, for a special reception to commemorate the educators and meet with members of Congress, according to a TikTok news release viewed by AFROTECH. “UNCF is proud to partner with TikTok to amplify the transformative
Vince Martin, Founder and CEO of Atlanta-based Upsides Network LLC, has announced the launch of his new platform, BlackShares. The platform aims to bring the Black community together for social and professional networking, as stated in a press release. The company is calling for a boycott of X, Threads, Bluesky, and LinkedIn and suggests switching to BlackShares to support a Black-owned platform instead. The platform will allow experts to be paid for their knowledge, encouraging wealth within the Black community. Putting money back into the community Black consumers’ collective economic
Kendrick Lamar’s startup pgLang is number 15 on Fast Company’s list of the World’s 50 Most Innovative Companies of 2025. The multidisciplinary creative communications company was founded by Lamar and  filmmaker and record producer Dave Free in 2020. The company establishes itself as a hybrid model in the creative spaces, operating across different industries and platforms such as music, film and live events. This year, they creatively directed and co-produced the Super Bowl halftime show where Lamar performed his number 1 hit “Not Like Us.” pglang’s influence The creative agency has
Kevin Hart is working with the Fifteen Percent Pledge to support Black founders using AI. The AI Illumination Grant will teach Black-owned entrepreneurs how to use AI to expand their businesses. The Fifteen Percent Pledge is partnering with Kevin Hart’s Hartbeat Ventures and Andreessen Horowitz’s (A16z) Cultural Leadership Fund to launch the grant, according to AFROTECH. “We know AI can seem intimidating, but these dynamic webinars will break it down and empower you to embrace this powerful technology with confidence,” the Fifteen Percent Pledge website says. The AI Illumination Grant Qualified
Over 400 Hollywood creatives, including actors and directors, have signed an open letter calling for the government not to scale back on copyright laws related to artificial intelligence. Variety reported that the list included names such as Ava Duvernay, Janelle Monáe, Michaela Coel, Ben Stiller, Mark Ruffalo, and hundreds of others. “We firmly believe that America’s global AI leadership must not come at the expense of our essential creative industries,” they said in the letter to the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy last week. Why are Hollywood
The Nigerian parliament recently passed a resolution banning pornographic websites with immediate effect. The decision follows a motion presented by lawmaker Dalhatu Tafoki, who raised concerns about the accessibility of explicit content and its perceived impact on societal values, particularly among youth. Concerns over moral decline According to Peoples Gazette, Tafoki highlighted the psychological and social risks he believes are linked to exposure to pornography, citing global research by psychologists and sociologists. “Renowned psychologists and sociologists worldwide have issued strong warnings about the psychological, sociological, and mental consequences of consuming pornographic content,”
Elon Musk’s Starlink is facing significant backlash in Lesotho over local equity. A rights group called Section 2 wants Starlink to give 30% of its ownership to Basotho citizens before obtaining a license to operate, according to TechPoint. The group voiced its concerns to the Lesotho Communications Authority, stating that the licensing deal is unfair since there is no local ownership. They also highlighted that other telecom providers in Lesotho, like Econet and Vodacom, have local shareholders, so why should Starlink receive special treatment? Starlink faces similar issues in South
Create Labs Ventures is collaborating with TONL, a Black-owned stock photography company, to launch the first-ever AI-powered image-generator exclusively trained to create a Black-owned stock photo library, Femi Magazine reports. This partnership aims to tackle biases in AI image generation, where models trained on white-dominated datasets often produce inaccurate or offensive depictions of Black, Brown, and other marginalized communities. communities. By leveraging TONL’s diverse collection, it aims to create more authentic, representative images. Black Representation in Stock Photography TONL was founded by Nigerian-American social entrepreneur Karen Okonkwo and Ghanaian-American Joshua
This week, hosts Abadesi and Michael discuss the state of the economy—how politics, layoffs, and shifting trends are hitting both new grads and seasoned pros. They chat about smart investing, changing consumer habits, and why building your brand matters more than ever. Plus, they explore hidden opportunities, sustainable growth, and the future of DEI. Chapters 00:00 The Economy A Mess and Everybody’s Struggling?07:09 Investment Strategies For Uncertain Times11:07 No-Buy Year: Getting Thrifty in 2025 14:23 Industry Trends and Opportunities Listen to the episode You can find the Techish podcast on Spotify, Apple,
