Annie Jean-Baptiste, head of product inclusion and equity at Google, is on a mission to make product inclusion and equity a critical part of tech. Who is Annie Jean-Baptiste? After 10 years at Google, Jean-Baptiste now leads the diversity, inclusion, and equity (DEI) team, pushing the tech giant to take marginalized users into account when building its products. According to Jean-Baptiste, the idea to focus on product inclusion came about after she noticed that many things like culture and representation were internally important but were forgotten about when designing new
Ye, also known as Kanye West, has announced his acquisition of Parler, an American alt-tech microblogging social networking service that labels itself as a “free speech network.” What is Parler? Parler, founded in 2018 by John Matze Jr, is a right-wing social media site that provides an alternative for conservatives who have left social sites like Facebook and Twitter due to increased censorship. Parler’s parent company, Parlement Technologies, is headed up by George Farmer, husband of right-wing activist Candace Owens. Farmer is also the son of Michael Farmer, the former treasurer
EvenScore, co-founded by Johnnie Turnage and Averett Barksdale, is on a mission to revolutionize voters’ experience by making a system that creates an “even score” when it comes to fundraising for political or non-profit candidates. What is EvenScore? EvenScore’s app aims to “bring more transparency to donations.” Voters can rank campaigns and keep across the different movements they have contributed to. EvenScore also makes it easier for political candidates to share their campaigns online. Voters on the app will also be able to see donor profiles, a photo of the candidate, and more
How often do the words Disney World and Black tech appear in the same sentence? In celebration of its fourth annual conference, Blacks In Technology, LLC and the Blacks In Technology Foundation are inviting the Black tech community to Disney World. BITCon2022 (not to be confused with bitcoin) will see Black tech enthusiasts channel their inner kid while taking home useful gems and new connections. A Tech Conference for the Culture Industry giants like Google, Disney, and Spotify are sponsoring the three-day conference which will take place from October 26-28th. The convention
South Africa will become the latest country to join Google Cloud as the tech giant’s first cloud region on the continent. On October 5th, 2022, Google announced plans to follow in the footsteps of competitors by launching its premier African cloud region. Cloud regions in Africa This comes years after major cloud providers Microsoft Azure and Amazon Web Services established their South African cloud regions in 2019 and 2020, respectively. In addition, earlier this year, Oracle, another competing cloud service, set up its data center in Johannesburg, making Google the
It’s a universally acknowledged truth that social media can do more harm than good. Even though we know to watch out for disinformation or the insidious effects of constant comparison with other people’s best moments, most of us can’t quit scrolling. Even Facebook’s own studies showed a link between Instagram and teenagers suffering from mental health issues. Because of this, a new social media app called Inpathy wants to create a healthier experience online. Their answer? Asking users to post their real emotions in real-time. The unwritten rules of social
The Lip Bar Inc., the holding company for the beauty brands The Lip Bar and Thread Beauty, has closed a new funding round. The $6.7 million round, led by Pendulum, will focus on expanding The Lip Bar and Thread Beauty’s distribution as well as incubating a third beauty brand. Endeavor and The Fearless Fund also contributed to the fund. Melissa Butler, the business’ founder and Chief Executive Officer, said the round came after years of consistent growth unencumbered by the pandemic. “Our lip sales were crazy during the pandemic—we sold
When TikTok soared in popularity in 2020, the hard seltzer drinks market saw sales double to $4.1 billion. While the stars were aligning, Nectar Hard Seltzer was a new company attempting to take on established brands such as White Claw and Truly. A unique marketing strategy involving our favorite new social media app and SMS texting would be the secret to their success. When Jeremy Kim received a phone call from his future co-founder, John Dalsey, he couldn’t have predicted the journey they would go on. Asian-Inspired Hard Seltzer “Hard seltzer is killing
Soft drink company, Mountain Dew (MTN Dew), has expanded its commitment to Black entrepreneurship by creating a new Esports tournament that will see students compete for a $500,000 prize. Following MTN Dew’s ‘Real Change Opportunity Fund’ initiative in 2020, the soft drink company has joined forces with HBCU Esports League to reinforce their commitment to supporting the next generation of Black entrepreneurs. The tournament, launched last month, will run until October 28 and will be available for any gamers enrolled at an HBCU to register and join. Black representation in gaming The
Content creator Ashley Massengill rose to online fame after sharing her story of how she made $1 million in over less than an hour. In a now-deleted Facebook post, Massengill labeled herself a #MillionaireMentor before expressing her excitement at raising $1 million in just 40 minutes. Rise to fame Massengill’s online business, Digital Course Recipe, is centered around providing others with the necessary skills they need to turn their skills into a passion within 60 days. She also founded AM/PM Credit Repair, launched the AM/PM Academy and authored a financial literacy book
