According to reports, the campaign spokesperson for President Biden, Jamal Brown, has been offered a job at popular social video platform TikTok. The news revealed earlier this week that Brown will be joining TikTok to “manage policy communications for the Americas, primarily focusing on the United States.” The former top communications officer served under Biden’s administration as a deputy press secretary since 2020. Before this position, Brown also worked under Obama’s administration in the Office of Management and Budget for six years. TikTok’s new hire has raised several concerns among
Tech accessory company, oraimo, has announced a new ambassadorial deal with Grammy award-winning artist Burna Boy. For many, the partnership between one of Africa’s leading tech brands and the artist known as the ‘African Giant,’ is a marriage made in heaven. What is oraimo? Described as ‘as far from your regular smart accessory brand,’ oraimo is Africa’s leading TWS (true wireless technology) and smartwatch brand. The company’s initial product line of durable charging bricks and chords became hugely popular amongst the Nigerian community when it first launched due to its
Since Elon Musk’s Twitter takeover, many users have been searching for a new social networking platform they can call home. Mastodon, a social network built on open-source software, seems to be their best bet, with just over a million active users already signed up. But is it worth the hype? What is Mastodon? The events which have transpired since Elon’s takeover has sent Twitter on a tumultuous downward spiral. From the exodus (or ousting) of thousands of staff to the new Twitter Blue feature being pulled from the site in
Invesco QQQ’s startup pitch competition is back; this time, it’s even bigger than before. The competition has returned for its second year in partnership with MaC Venture Capital and Concrete Rose Capital. Invesco’s QQQ Legacy Startup Pitch Competition Invesco QQQ, an exchange-traded investment firm based near Chicago, first launched the Legacy Classic startup pitch competition last year. Initially, the competition was only open to Black founders from HBCUs. However, according to AfroTech, the 2023 competition is open to all Black-founded seed-stage companies with less than $3 million. Since the news was announced,
Tech platform Mission 41K has partnered with former NFL player Emil Ekiyor to bridge the racial gap within tech. What Is Launch Mission 41K? Mission 41K is a movement designed to address the difficulty the tech industry faces today with finding and retaining tech talent. By prioritizing a skills-based hiring process, more people will be able to break into the sector through inclusive pathways. The organization aims to provide a variety of entry points into the industry so people with ongoing apprenticeships and internships can still excel in a competitive
With constant news of layoffs, hiring freezes, and restructures, we know it’s a hard time for many in the tech industry – especially people of color. When underperforming, companies retreat to what they know and who they know. They default to what is familiar, and, all too often, this means older, white men. We saw this at the peak of the pandemic, and it seems we are seeing it now. POCIT was launched to platform the stories of people of color in tech but also to create new ones. Our recruitment platform has
Twitter has terminated the contracts of almost all its staff based in Accra, Ghana. The news comes after Elon Musk’s recent acquisition of the app, which has seen thousands of employees worldwide laid off work. Twitter’s presence in Africa In April 2021, Twitter announced its plans to build a team in Ghana as a part of its broader mission to expand its services across the region. After almost a year of working remotely, Twitter’s African staff finally opened a physical office in the continent. But celebrations were short-lived. A mere
Black Panther: Wakanda Forever is on its way to our theaters, and as part of the movie’s promotion, Marvel has partnered with Xbox to inspire the next generation of gaming and tech leaders. According to an HBCU Connect survey, 95% of HBCU students and alumni are interested in a career in the gaming industry. Yet, only 2% of video gaming industry professionals are Black. The Marvel and Xbox partnership aims to narrow the gap between these two figures. Code your own Marvel game Fans around the world are being invited to
Despite making moves in the investment world, Kevin Hart has made it clear that he has not taken his eye off entertainment. After investing $500,000 in Black Sands Entertainment earlier this year, Kevin Hart’s Hartbeat Productions has announced it is working with the Black-owned comic house to adapt its “Black Sands” comic series into an animated film and television series. The move has been described as “one of the most significant moments in Black entertainment history” and will see Hartbeat provide Black Sands Entertainment with strategic advisory services as part
Over the last 48 hours, dozens of Twitter employees took to the platform to announce that they had lost their jobs following Elon Musk’s recent acquisition. Employees have flooded the app using the hashtag #LoveWhereYouWorked with an emoji to signify that their time at the social media giant has ended. After ousting CEO Parag Agrawal, CFO Ned Segal, general counsel Sean Edgett and chief legal officer Vijaya Gadde last week, Elon Musk has made it clear that things at Twitter will never be the same again. Impact on Black & Latinx