Inclusion in Silicon Valley is actually worse than it was during the dotcom bubble, according to Pando.com’s Sarah Lacy. The long-time tech journalist suggests companies need to make sure they're diverse from inception to make sure they continue to prioritize the quality as they grow.
"There’s so much data that shows if 40 percent of your team is diverse when there’s six of you, it’ll be diverse when there’s thousands of you," Lacy told Cheddar on Monday. "Start-ups put this off, they think 'well that’s a problem we can solve later.'"
Unfortunately, Lacy argues, that is not the case. Lacy says that even if it means moving slower, venture capitalists should make this a prerequisite for the companies they invest in. She says that the culture brewed by that lack of diversity alienates women and people of color. On the other hand, she says, diversity makes teams stronger.
"A lot of women don’t want to come to 'Bro-ville,'" she said.
Lacy also discussed her new book, "A Uterus Is a Feature, Not a Bug: The Working Woman's Guide to Overthrowing the Patriarchy." In it, she breaks down the overwhelmingly male-centric culture in the technology sector.
Lacy told Cheddar she thought the book would be published at a time the United States had its first female president. What she thought would be a "very celebratory" environment for women turned out to be what she says is "quite the opposite."
Still, what encouraged Lacy to come forward and speak about this pervasive issue of discrimination in tech was her experience as a mother, which pushed her to become feminist, as well as millennial women who are outspoken in pointing out misogyny, a quality less apparent in her fellow Gen X'ers.
"Gen X women like me didn’t really become feminist until they’re about like 35," she said. "Until they started getting older and started figuring out that things we thought were just paying our dues when we were young, there was a lot of discrimination going on in there."
Ford is recalling more than 355,000 of its pickup trucks across the U.S. because of an instrument panel display failure that’s resulted in critical information, like warning lights and vehicle speed, not showing up on the dashboard.
Nvidia reported a 56% increase in second-quarter revenue and a 59% rise in net income compared to a year ago.
The Rev. Al Sharpton is set to lead a protest march on Wall Street to urge corporate America to resist the Trump administration’s campaign to roll back diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives. The New York civil rights leader will join clergy, labor and community leaders Thursday in a demonstration through Manhattan’s Financial District that’s timed with the anniversary of the Civil Rights-era March on Washington in 1963. Sharpton called DEI the “civil rights fight of our generation." He and other Black leaders have called for boycotting American retailers that scaled backed policies and programs aimed at bolstering diversity and reducing discrimination in their ranks.
President Donald Trump's administration last month awarded a $1.2 billion contract to build and operate what's expected to become the nation’s largest immigration detention complex to a tiny Virginia firm with no experience running correction facilities.
Netflix CEO Ted Sarandos claims audiences don't want to watch Netflix movies in theaters, but that seems not to be the case recently.
Chipmaker Nvidia is poised to release a quarterly report that could provide a better sense of whether the stock market has been riding an overhyped artificial intelligence bubble or is being propelled by a technological boom that’s still gathering momentum.
Cracker Barrel said late Tuesday it’s returning to its old logo after critics — including President Donald Trump — protested the company’s plan to modernize.
Low-value imports are losing their duty-free status in the U.S. this week as part of President Donald Trump's agenda for making the nation less dependent on foreign goods. A widely used customs exemption for international shipments worth $800 or less is set to end starting on Friday. Trump already ended the “de minimis” rule for inexpensive items sent from China and Hong Kong, but having to pay import taxes on small parcels from everywhere else likely will be a big change for some small businesses and online shoppers. Purchases that previously entered the U.S. without needing to clear customs will be subject to the origin country’s tariff rate, which can range from 10% to 50%.
Southwest Airlines will soon require plus-size travelers to pay for an extra seat in advance if they can't fit within the armrests of one seat. This change is part of several updates the airline is making. The new rule starts on Jan. 27, the same day Southwest begins assigning seats. Currently, plus-size passengers can pay for an extra seat in advance and later get a refund, or request a free extra seat at the airport. Under the new policy, refunds are still possible but not guaranteed. Southwest said in a statement it is updating policies to prepare for assigned seating next year.
Cracker Barrel is sticking with its new logo. For now. But the chain is also apologizing to fans who were angered when the change was announced last week.
