A group of Microsoft employees dressed in all white challenged the company’s chief executive, Satya Nadella, and top human resources executive, Kathleen Hogan, over the company’s treatment of women at a Q&A session on Thursday, according to Wired. The all-white outfits were a reference to the US congresswomen who wore white during Donald Trump’s State of the Union address this February.
via Microsoft employees confront CEO over company’s treatment of women | Technology | The Guardian
A group of Microsoft employees dressed in all white challenged the company’s chief executive, Satya Nadella, and top human resources executive, Kathleen Hogan, over the company’s treatment of women at a Q&A session on Thursday, according to Wired. The all-white outfits were a reference to the US congresswomen who wore white during Donald Trump’s State of the Union address this February.
via Microsoft employees confront CEO over company’s treatment of women | Technology | The Guardian
Thousands of companies have filed their gender pay gap figures, revealing men are paid, on average, more than women in the majority of British businesses.
Despite the results, myths and misconceptions about the gender pay gap persist. We’ve pulled together some of the most common myths to help you navigate the pay gap deniers.
via Gender pay gap figures: debunking the myths | World news | The Guardian
An internal Microsoft email chain, first reported by Quartz, reportedly details a litany of egregious acts of sexual harassment and discrimination experienced by women at the company. The chain received hundreds of responses since it began on March 20, according to Wired, prompting employees to protest the toxic work culture at a Q&A with CEO Satya Nadella on Thursday.
“This thread has pulled the scab off a festering wound,” a Microsoft employee wrote in the email chain, Quartz reported. “The collective anger and frustration is palpable. A wide audience is now listening. And you know what? I’m good with that.”
The allegations in the email thread include issues now viewed as typical within the tech industry—such as a lack of promotions and unjust treatment toward individuals from employees from underrepresented groups within the company, Wired reported. Microsoft employees were still reportedly emailing within the chain on Thursday morning.
via Leaked Microsoft Email Chain Reportedly Describes Hellish Workplace for Women
The European Parliament approved a massive, sweeping overhaul of online copyright rules on Tuesday, leaving the extremely controversial Articles 11 and 13 untouched on as the EU Copyright Directive cruised through the legislative body. According to a report on TechDirt, they may have done so in part because several members of the European Parliament cast incorrect ballots on a key vote to allow amendments.
Article 11, sometimes called the “link tax” by detractors, requires web platforms to obtain a license to link to or pull quotes from news articles. It is ostensibly intended to ensure that publications get a slice of the revenue that big services like Google News pull in, but critics say it could undermine the ability of users to share content across the web.
via Report: European Parliament Screwed Up Their Chance to Amend Copyright Directive By Voting Wrong
The third one, Shah explains, is the most chaotic: “It’s a mix of everyone, and new people get added to it all the time. It’s the place for ‘uncles’ and ‘aunties,’ by which I mean people who you’re not sure how you’re related, but everyone insists you are.” Adding to the chaos of this group of more than 70 people is the fact that there are no neatly defined rules or guidelines; it’s the exact opposite, actually — a group where anything goes. “A few months ago,” Shah says, “this huge argument broke out between some of my extended family in London and their cousins in Delhi. It went on for hours. I’m sure it started off as an argument about a debt that needed to be paid from a couple of years ago. Then it turned into this huge argument about who stole what from who and who wronged who back when they all lived in India.”
BOSTON — A federal judge will now decide whether Harvard University intentionally discriminates against Asian-American applicants, an allegation made in a 2014 lawsuit that was debated in a final round of arguments Wednesday.
Lawyers for both sides clashed at Boston’s federal courthouse, largely recapping cases they made during a trial that ended in November. The case will be decided by U.S. District Judge Allison D. Burroughs, although any ruling is expected to be appealed.
The case carries implications for other U.S. schools that consider race in admissions decisions as a way to bring a diverse mix of students to campus. It has added fuel to a national debate about whether and how race should influence admissions.
via Affirmative action lawsuit against Harvard in judge’s hands
Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, who introduced the bill back in February, faced similar mockery during a Monday hearing of the House Financial Services Committee when Wisconsin Republican Sean Duffy, a Real World alum and all in all terrible shit, called the Green New Deal a policy designed for a “rich liberal.”
“This is not an elitist issue,” she said in a video clip from that hearing that went viral on Tuesday night. “This is a quality of life issue. You want to tell people that their concern and their desire for clean air and clean water is elitist?”
She added, “This is about American lives. And it should not be partisan. Science should not be partisan. We are facing a national crisis.”
via Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez Fires Back on 'Elitist' Green New Deal
The government has joined widespread condemnation of developers who blocked children living in social housing from using the playground on a London development.
The Conservative housing minister, James Brokenshire, called the situation on the Baylis Old School site in Lambeth “outrageous”. He said the developers, Henley Homes, and the local council should immediately change the site.
via ‘Outrageous’ and ‘disgusting’: segregated playground sparks fury | Cities | The Guardian
