Tokenizing funding and founder undermines the impressive work of Practice Labs in fostering inclusivity and equity through virtual reality training.
Negotiating higher salaries is crucial for closing the racial wage gap and empowering black professionals to ask for what they deserve.
Deep dives
Elise Smith and Practice Labs: Advancing Inclusion and Belonging in the Workplace
Elise Smith co-founded Practice Labs, an e-learning platform that focuses on justice, equity, diversity, and inclusion (JEDI) training. With $18.7 million in venture capital funding, Elise Smith may be the most funded black or Latina woman in the field of technology. However, it is important to highlight the impressive work Practice Labs is doing, rather than tokenizing their funding and founder. The company uses virtual reality to help employees work across differences and foster a more inclusive and equitable workplace. With clients like eBay, Amazon, and Google, Practice Labs is making a significant impact in the JEDI space.
The Importance of Negotiating Salaries and Closing the Racial Wage Gap
Negotiating salaries is crucial for closing the racial wage gap and ensuring fair pay in the workplace. The podcast discusses the disparity in wages between black employees and their white counterparts, highlighting the need for African Americans to advocate for higher salaries. Many black employees, out of excitement or lack of knowledge, fail to negotiate their initial job offers and end up earning less. This initial wage disparity can have lasting effects, as higher starting salaries often lead to higher future earnings. The podcast suggests that guidance and coaching on negotiation should be provided to black students and professionals to empower them to ask for what they deserve.
The European Union's Digital Markets Act and Messaging Platforms
The European Union's Digital Markets Act (DMA) aims to regulate large companies and prevent them from imposing unfair conditions on businesses and users. Under the DMA, Meta, formerly known as Facebook, is classified as a gatekeeper, and messaging platforms like WhatsApp Messenger and Facebook Messenger will face restrictions, including the requirement to be interoperable with other messaging systems. This means that users of platforms like WhatsApp should be able to communicate with users on other messaging platforms like Telegram or Signal. However, Apple, specifically iMessage, has been excluded from the gatekeeper list, allowing it to remain a standalone messaging platform. The podcast discusses the implications of the DMA for tech companies and the need for interoperability to foster fair competition and user choice.
The Apple Event where the iPhone 15, USB-C Airpods, and new Apple Watches are officially being announced is upon us and we do a bit of speculation on what all the new hotness will look like.
We are so not shocked that, according to a leaked spreadsheet with self-reported salary information, Black Google employees earn $20,000 less than white colleagues.
Apple didn’t meet the EU DMA Gatekeeper status for iMessage, but, is keeping iMessage walled off from other messaging platforms still the right play?
And we spotlight Elise Smith and the startup she cofounded Praxis Labs and dive into a deeper discussion about tokenizing Black female-led startups for the money they receive.