Amazon employees are pushing back against the company’s AI-heavy pivot, accusing leadership of prioritizing AI investments over climate commitments and the human workforce. Thousands have signed an open letter to CEO Andy Jassy and senior leadership. The letter, published last week, has drawn more than 1,000 signatures from Amazon employees — who can sign anonymously while listing their roles — and over 2,000 people outside the company. “We, the undersigned Amazon employees, have serious concerns about this aggressive rollout during the global rise of authoritarianism and our most important years to reverse the climate crisis. We believe that the all-costs-justified, warp-speed approach to AI development will do staggering damage to democracy, to our jobs, and to the earth,” the letter states. “We’re the workers who develop, train, and use AI, so we have a responsibility to intervene.” In the letter, employees accused Amazon of “casting aside its climate goals to build AI,” noting...

The Prada Group finalized its $1.38 billion cash acquisition of Milan luxury fashion rival Versace on Dec. 2, 2025, after securing all regulatory approvals, The Associated Press (AP) reports . Prada — known for its minimalist aesthetic and use of unconventional materials — said the 47-year-old Versace label, famed for its maximalist aesthetic and sensual silhouettes, holds “significant untapped growth potential,” per AP. Donatella Versace, the brand’s artistic director and co-owner, celebrated the deal in an Instagram post that also honored her late brother, company founder Gianni Versace, on his birthday. “Today is your day and the day Versace joins the Prada family. I am thinking of the smile you would have had on your face,” Versace wrote.   View this post on Instagram   A post shared by Donatella Versace (@donatella_versace) First announced in April 2025, the highly anticipated deal is expected to help relaunch Versace’s fortunes. Capri Holdings, which also owns Michael Kors and...

Starbucks will pay $38.9 million after New York City’s Department of Consumer and Worker Protection (DCWP) found the company violated fair work schedule laws over half a million times since 2021. New York Mayor Eric Adams and the DCWP announced the settlement in a news release on Monday, Dec. 1, 2025, calling it the largest worker protection payout in the city’s history. “It does not matter how big your business is or how much money your company makes, if you violate our workers’ rights, you will pay the price,” Adams said in a statement. “With this landmark settlement , we’ll put tens of millions of dollars back into the pockets of hard-working New Yorkers and reinforce every New Yorker’s right to a reliable schedule, full hours, and basic dignity.” DCWP launched its investigation in 2022 after receiving dozens of worker complaints at several Starbucks stores in the city. After uncovering “a pattern of systemic violations,” the agency expanded the probe to every Starbucks location...

U.S. shoppers spent a record $11.8 billion online during Black Friday (Nov. 28), the annual shopping event held the day after Thanksgiving, according to Reuters. Per the outlet, Adobe Analytics reported a 9.1% jump in sales from 2024, driven in part by the rise of AI-powered shopping tools. This year, shoppers increasingly skipped crowded stores and instead used chatbots to compare prices and find discounts. Adobe Analytics, which tracks 1 trillion online retail visits, found that AI-driven traffic to U.S. retail sites surged 805% from last year, which was before tools like Walmart’s Sparky and Amazon’s Rufus had launched. “Consumers are using new tools to get to what they need faster,” said eMarketer analyst Suzy Davidkhanian, per Reuters. “Gift giving can be stressful, and LLMs (large language models) make the discovery process feel quicker and more guided.” LEGO sets, Pokémon cards, Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 5 consoles, Apple AirPods, and KitchenAid mixers were among the...

Miami Art Week, the international art fair held annually, returns to Miami Beach, FL, from Dec. 1-7, 2025. This year continues to highlight the importance of Black art , thanks in large part to efforts spearheaded by architect Neil Hall. At Art Basel in 2008, Hall noticed a lack of representation for Black art galleries and artists, according to the Miami Herald. “It astounded me because the diaspora has so much creativity all over the world, and I didn’t see it,” Hall said, per the Miami Herald. “I decided that it was not acceptable.” A few years later, Hall and several friends hosted a Black-centered art fair in an empty parking lot in the historically Black Overtown neighborhood, known as the Harlem of the South. That event would become Art Africa Miami, reports the Miami Herald. While Hall no longer presents Art Africa in Overtown, his efforts to elevate the Black art scene during Miami Art Week have inspired others to carry on the mission. Across Miami, Black curators continue...

Students at Queens High School for the Sciences — the New York borough’s only specialized high school — are pushing to move to a brand-new building, relocating from the second floor of York College’s Jamaica building. Citing issues including overcrowding and the lack of a kitchen and auditorium, students hope to move into the new city-built school at 165-15 88th Ave., scheduled to open in fall 2026, ChalkBeat New York reports . Sophomore Vinny Dong has twice addressed the Panel for Educational Policy, the school board that handles school location proposals, about his school’s conditions. “We have a gym shared with a college that’s two blocks away, for 514 students. We have a library that’s also shared, even though it’s critical for our educational content and classes,” Dong told the panel in October 2025, per ChalkBeat. At least three of the seven parent boards in the borough, along with the citywide high school parent council, also support relocation or creating an entirely new...

Dillard University has joined the growing list of historically Black colleges and universities (HBCUs) to earn philanthropic donations from MacKenzie Scott . The New Orleans, LA-based HBCU has received a historic $19 million contribution — the largest single gift in the university’s history, according to a news release. The contribution follows a $5 million donation in 2020 from the MacKenzie Scott Foundation and underscores Scott’s continued investment in HBCUs nationwide. “If anyone ever doubts the difference one person can make, look no further than MacKenzie Scott and how her generosity will resonate across generations,” Dillard president Dr. Monique Guillory said in the news release. “This gift will strengthen the university at a moment when our mission has never been more urgent.” The unrestricted gift will enable Dillard to accelerate key strategic priorities, including enhancing student success, expanding scholarship opportunities, and strengthening institutional...

The Black Business Hub in Madison, WI, is on a mission to create a “Black Renaissance” by expanding opportunities for Black-owned businesses in the area. Opened in August 2024 through the Urban League of Greater Madison (ULGM), the Hub aims to provide a home and launchpad for Black entrepreneurs , offering everything they need to succeed in one place, The Daily Cardinal reports . The Hub is a $25.5 million, 80,000-square-foot facility run by ULGM. Home to everything from coffee shops to beauty salons and office suites, it equips small business owners with the skills and resources needed to launch and grow their companies, strengthening their overall presence in the community. “We’re looking for them to get a strong start, build a strong economic base, and then go out,” Dr. Ruben L. Anthony, Jr., president and CEO of ULGM, told The Cardinal. “We’re not looking for the businesses to stay here forever.”   View this post on Instagram   A post shared by Urban League Greater Madison...

Community, family, love — those are the three words Big Dave’s Cheesesteaks CEO Derrick Hayes wants people to think of when they hear his name. Yes, he’s the founder of a multi-million-dollar brand, but he’s so much more than a successful businessman, he says. “[I went from] not knowing entrepreneurship to being a top entrepreneur in the country,” Hayes says in an interview with AFROTECH™ — and his journey supports that. The Rise Of Big Dave’s Cheesesteaks A Philadelphia native who became an Atlanta transplant, Hayes opened his first Big Dave’s — originally called Dave’s Philly Water Ice — in 2014 inside a gas station in Dunwoody, GA. While he always dreamed of success, he says his greatest motivation came from a promise he made to his late father, Derrick Hayes Sr. “I just wanted to make him proud and honor something to him,” Hayes said. “So when I eventually built Big Dave’s, it was more so to prove to him that I can stand on my 10 toes and the words that I promised him. And then...

Dr. RoDina L. Williams has made history as the first Black person in Illinois to earn a Doctorate in Clinical Laboratory Science (DCLS). A mother, advocate, and scholar, Williams recently received her DCLS from the University of Texas Medical Branch but says it was her time at Illinois State University (ISU) that set her on the path to success. She first stepped into higher education at ISU, earning two bachelor’s degrees — in kinesiology and recreation and medical laboratory science, according to Illinois State University News. She currently serves as director of health sciences–medical laboratory programs at City Colleges of Chicago . “To stand as the first Black person in Illinois to have a Doctorate in Clinical Laboratory Science is a testament to every door our ancestors pushed open and every barrier we continue to dismantle,” Williams shared in an email to AFROTECH™. “This honor reminds me that representation isn’t just symbolic; it is a beacon. If my journey lights the path...

Issa Rae has built a multifaceted career as an actor, producer, director, and entrepreneur. With a net worth that Celebrity Net Worth estimates to be around $20 million, Rae first gained a devoted following through her 2011 YouTube series “The Misadventures of an Awkward Black Girl,” and later cemented her cultural impact with the Emmy-award-winning HBO series “Insecure.” Despite her achievements, Rae admits she doesn’t feel successful — at least not right now. Appearing on the first episode of KevOnStage’s “Not My Best Moment” podcast on Nov. 11, 2025, Rae shared that she currently feels stagnant in her career. “I know that I appear successful to other people, but right now, no, I feel really stagnant… because I only feel successful when my sh-t is on the air. I don’t have sh-t on the air right now,” Rae said, acknowledging that creating shows is her first love. “Like I can have the 18 businesses that you said, and those are like great passion projects, but like what I do and what...

Is your Spotify app crashing? The digital music and podcast streaming service experienced technical issues during the early morning hours on Tuesday, Nov. 18, 2025. According to PCMag, reports of app crashes spiked for both Android and iPhone users, with Downdetector picking up complaints around 3 a.m. EST and continuing through the morning. The disruptions primarily affected podcast playback, while many users were still able to listen to music and browse content without issues. Spotify’s status page confirms that the issue is still under investigation, as of the time of this writing. A spokesperson on Spotify’s Community forums advised users still experiencing trouble to restart their apps, reports PCMag. If that doesn’t help, Spotify recommends performing “a clean reinstall, which would also ensure you’re on the latest app version” — essentially deleting and reinstalling the app. Some users also reported difficulties subscribing to Spotify — which the company says has been...

Starting in December 2025, Roblox will block children from chatting with adults or much older teen strangers, using facial age estimation to ensure kids can only talk with others in a similar age group. According to The Guardian, the move follows lawsuits claiming the online gaming platform — now reaching 150 million daily players — has been exploited by predators to groom children as young as 7, alleging its design made them “easy prey for paedophiles.” Roblox’s new system will sort users into age bands: under 9, 9 to 12, 13 to 15, 16 to 17, 18 to 20, and 21 and over. Children will be allowed to chat only with users in their own or adjacent groups — for instance, a 12-year-old will only be able to communicate with those under 16. Roblox says it will not store images and videos used for age checks. Roblox will first introduce the change in Australia, New Zealand, and the Netherlands, with a global rollout scheduled for early January 2026. “We see it as a way for our users to have...

Verizon Communications plans to cut roughly 15,000 jobs in the coming week in its largest-ever round of layoffs, sources familiar with the matter told The Wall Street Journal (WSJ). The telecommunications company also intends to shift about 200 retail stores to franchise operations, moving those employees off Verizon’s payroll. Securities filings show that Verizon, the largest U.S. telecom provider by subscriber count, had about 100,000 employees as of February 2025, according to the WSJ. The cuts are part of a broader cost-reduction effort as the company faces increased competition in both the wireless and home internet markets, sources told the WSJ. Verizon has lost postpaid phone subscribers for three straight quarters as rivals continue to lure customers away. In the latest quarter, the company reported a net loss of 7,000 consumer postpaid phone lines — missing Wall Street projections — while AT&T and T-Mobile continued to grow their postpaid bases, notes the WSJ. New CEO...

AT&T will pay out $177 million to settle a class-action lawsuit over two customer data breaches revealed last year — and the deadline to file a claim is approaching, according to CNET. In one breach, which occurred in 2019 but wasn’t reported until March 30, 2024, hackers released sensitive information, including “a combination of names, addresses, telephone numbers, email addresses, dates of birth, account passcodes, billing account numbers, and Social Security numbers,” on the dark web, according to the court-authorized settlement website managed by the Kroll Settlement Administration LLC. Another breach, disclosed on July 12, 2024, involved the illegal download of limited data on April 14, 2024, including customer details and phone numbers linked to affected accounts. The exposed information may have included call data of current and former AT&T customers, such as “the telephone numbers with which those customers interacted, counts of those interactions, aggregate call durations...