More than 200 groups, including civil organizations, researchers, and journalists, have written to major tech company CEOs, urging them to take action to ensure truthful online content and safeguard democratic processes. The letter that went out to the CEOs of Discord, Google, Instagram, Meta, TikTok, X, YouTube, Pinterest, Reddit, Snap, Rumble, and Twitch, coincides with upcoming elections in over 60 countries in 2024. The Impact Of Online Discourse On Democracy “Research illustrates that individual users can have an outsized impact on online discourse, which results in real-world harms, such as the rise of extremism and violent attempts to overthrow democratic
Camelback Ventures has announced Shawna Young’s appointment as its new Chief Executive Officer (CEO), starting in early April 2024. Camelback Ventures Camelback Ventures is a New Orleans-based nonprofit social venture fellowship that aims to increase access to opportunity for entrepreneurs of color and women. Founded by Aaron T. Walker in 2015, Camelback Ventures has supported over 133 undervalued entrepreneurs with social impact ventures around the country. Its business model involves providing its Fellows with the “friends and family” stage of funding. The Fellows then reinvest in Camelback through grants or convertible notes. Meet
Suzanna Valdez Wolfe has been appointed as the new Chief Executive Officer of the Society of Hispanic Professional Engineers (SHPE), the nation’s largest organization dedicated to Hispanic people in STEM. Meet Suzanna Valdez Wolfe With a career spanning over three decades, Suzanna Valdez Wolfe brings to SHPE a track record in leadership, strategic planning, and coalition building. Before joining SHPE, Valdez Wolfe was a founding member of Partners For NonProfits and the first-ever Chief Impact Officer at Taproot Foundation. Her career also includes a notable tenure at the Adrienne Arsht Center of the Performing Arts, where she contributed to
Waymo, the autonomous vehicle company under Alphabet, has announced the expansion of its robotaxi service to Los Angeles and Austin. Robotaxis hit LA this week Tekedra Mawakana, the co-CEO of Waymo, announced the expansion at SXSW on Wednesday. Los Angeles, known for its sprawling highways and traffic, will witness the commencement of Waymo’s service in a 63-square-mile area spanning from Santa Monica to downtown. Initially free, these rides will gradually transition to a paid model, in line with regulatory approvals from the California Public Utilities Commission. The company aims to integrate over
Mellody Hobson’s rise to co-CEO of Ariel Investments, a history-making firm with over $14.9 billion in assets, is a tale of ambition, foresight, and resilience. Meet Mellody Hobson In 1991, as a student at Princeton, Hobson was on the brink of launching her career in the high-stakes world of finance. With offers from major New York City firms in hand, she found herself in a moment of reflection in the basement of the then Woodrow Wilson School. It was then that she made a pivotal decision. “And I thought, ‘What am I
In Baltimore, a new social shopping platform, Xclusit, is transforming consumers’ engagement with Black-owned businesses. Vincent Johnson’s Journey Vincent Johnson, an Ellicott City-based entrepreneur and the CEO of Xclusit, crafted the platform to empower Black businesses. Johnson, a Vanderbilt University graduate with a master’s in divinity, initially focused on Black economics. His passion for entrepreneurship led him away from pursuing a PhD, instead dedicating himself to developing tech solutions that support Black-owned businesses. His journey in the tech world began with his first app, Coupify. Still, through direct engagement with
The Black Business and Professional Association (BBPA) has appointed Lianne Hannaway as its new Chief Executive Officer (CEO). The Black Business And Professional Association Founded in 1983, the BBPA is a non-profit charitable organization that addresses equity and opportunity for the Black community in business, employment, education, and economic development. Their mission is to advance Canada’s Black communities by delivering programs that support business and professional excellence. Hannaway became their new CEO on January 22 of this year, 2024. “I am honoured and excited to take on the role of CEO at the
Former Twitter CEO Parag Agrawal has reportedly raised $30 million in funding for his artificial intelligence startup. Agrawal was the first Indian-origin CEO of Twitter – now X but was ousted from his position following Elon Musk’s $44 billion takeover in 2022. Who is Parag Agrawal? Born in Rajasthan, India, Agrawal immigrated to the US to complete his PhD in computer science at Stanford University. After joining Twitter as a software engineer in 2011, Agrawal worked his way up to the position of Chief Technology Officer for just under a
Online dating and networking app Bumble has announced it is replacing founder and CEO Whitney Wolfe Herd with Slack’s CEO, Lidiane Jones. Bumble was designed for women to make the first move, aiming to shift old-fashioned power dynamics and encourage equality in dating. Over the years, the company has also taken a more feminist and safety-oriented stance than its counterparts by enacting policies that crack down on ghosting and the sharing of unwanted sexual photos. Meet Lidiane Jones São Paulo-born Jones grew up in a small neighborhood in Brazil. According to
Black Girls Code (BGC) has announced international storyteller Cristina Jones as their new CEO. Black Girls Code BGC is a nonprofit organization that focuses on engaging African American girls and other youth of color with computer programming education to nurture their careers in tech. The organization offers computer programming, coding, website, robot, and mobile application building, intending to place one million girls in tech by 2040. Founded in 2011, the organization ignites interest, activates potential, and nurtures careers in tech for girls and women of color ages 7 to 25.
