backlash

Progressive Technological Ventures: In Unwavering Pursuit of Diversity Amid Rising DEI Opposition

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Black Tech Nation Ventures launched in 2021 to address the funding gap for Black founders amid a wave of venture diversity initiatives after the murder of George Floyd in 2020. Three years later, amongst growing backlash against DEI and diversity-focused investments, the firm’s mission may be more important now than when it started. The firm found initial fundraising success in 2021, and held a first close on $25 million that year, he explained. “We have seen funding to diverse founders and Black-led venture funds decline rapidly. The firm will also collaborate with Black Tech Nation, the nonprofit that is run by BTNV general partner Kelauni Jasmyn that created a digital network of Black tech professionals, when it can.

“Reddit’s IPO Filing Minimizes Concerns over Developer Backlash and Decentralized Social Media”

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Reddit’s long-awaited IPO is nearing, promising to be the largest social media IPO since Pinterest. Meanwhile, Mastodon, and the wider network of apps connected to the “Fediverse” as the decentralized social web is called, has a combined 17.2 million users. Just as some Twitter users broke away to join decentralized alternatives, once they became viable alternatives, Reddit users could also do the same. If Meta fears the power of decentralized social networks enough to join the movement, surely Reddit is not immune? Seeing their demands ignored and overridden could eventually drive them to find new homes on decentralized social media, where they would maintain control over their communities and user data.

“Defending the Use of AI: Selkie Founder’s Bold Stance on Cutting-Edge Dress Collection Sparks Controversy”

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An extra toe is like a representation of where we are beginning.”But when the brand announced that the collection was designed using generative AI, backlash was immediate. In the year since she finalized designs for this drop, public opinion of AI art has shifted significantly. As generative AI tools become more sophisticated, the use of AI in art has also become increasingly polarizing. Of course, not all generative AI is exploitative; as a VFX tool, it’s immensely useful to enhance animations, from creating more realistic flames in Pixar’s “Elemental” to visualizing complex scenes in HBO’s “The Last Of Us.” There are plenty of examples of morally bankrupt applications of generative AI. But most of the generative AI debate settles into a morally gray area, where the parameters of exploitation are less defined.

The Rise of Tech’s Diversity and Inclusion Backlash

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The responses to his tweet are split between the two factions that have appeared within venture in recent years: those who support diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) efforts, and those who do not. Wealthy power players like Peter Thiel and Elon Musk have been very outspoken against the premise of DEI, with their thoughts shared and spread widely throughout the ecosystem. “DEI must DIE. DEI received a lot of support after the murder of George Floyd back in 2020, but support has waned these past few years. In a sense, they were right, and the decreased DEI support in business and tech has created ripple effects.