Microsoft plans to double the number of Black and African American company leaders and suppliers (MSFT)

* Microsoft plans to double the number of Black and African American leaders within the company, and the number of Black and African American suppliers with which it works. * The company also announced a series of outside investments meant to support Black- and African-American-owned banks and other kinds of businesses. * Microsoft declined to comment in response to a request about Black and African American leaders and suppliers it has now. * Are you a current or former Microsoft employee? Contact this reporter via encrypted messaging app Signal (+1-425-344-8242) or email (astewart@businessinsider.com). * Visit Business Insider's homepage for more stories. Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella on Tuesday announced a series of investments meant to address racial injustice, within and outside the company. Microsoft said it plans to double the number of Black and African American "managers, senior individual contributors, and senior leaders" in the US by 2025, but declined to comment to a request about how many Black managers the company employs now. The company in its November diversity report said 2.7% of its executives and 4.5% of its employees are Black/African American. Microsoft plans to increase the number of Black and African American leaders within the company by devoting an additional $150 million to diversity and inclusion efforts. Microsoft also said it would double the number of Black- and African-American-owned suppliers the company works with over the next three years, and plans to spend $500 million with those suppliers. The company declined to say how many Black and African-American suppliers it works with now. The company also announced a series of investment to support Black communities, such as a $100 million program to benefit Black- and African-American-owned banks, a $50 million partner fund, and a $50 million investment in the company's justice reform initiative. The announcement comes after employees have called on the company to address systemic racism. Microsoft employees recently used an internal company message board to share their personal experiences with the ongoing protests against police brutality and systemic racism, and called for leadership to take action. Got a tip? Contact Ashley Stewart via email at astewart@businessinsider.com, message her on Twitter @ashannstew, or send her a secure message through Signal at 425-344-8242. Join the conversation about this story » NOW WATCH: What makes 'Parasite' so shocking is the twist that happens in a 10-minute sequence
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Apple has backed down in its latest developer fight, apologizing to WordPress after it pressured the website-builder to add in-app payments

* Apple has apologized after it tried to force WordPress to add in-app payment options to a free app. * WordPress' founder said on Friday that Apple was refusing to allow any updates to the WordPress iOS app until the website builder added in-app purchases, from which Apple takes a 15-30% commission. * Apple is in a fierce fight with developers including "Fortnite" maker Epic Games and Spotify over its rules on in-app purchases. * Visit Business Insider's homepage for more stories. Apple has backed down in its latest skirmish with a developer over its App Store rules. The tech giant on Sunday issued a rare apology to WordPress after it pressured the website builder to add payment options to its free iOS app, or else be blocked from updating. "We believe the issue with the WordPress app has been resolved," an Apple spokesman told The Verge. "Since the developer removed the display of their service payment options from the app, it is now a free st...

SpaceX has a 'go' from NASA to return 2 astronauts to Earth on Sunday as Hurricane Isaias threatens several Florida splashdown locations

* NASA on Saturday gave SpaceX a "go" to undock the company's first crewed space mission, called Demo-2, and land it on Sunday evening. * Hurricane Isaias complicated original plans to return two astronauts to Earth aboard SpaceX's Crew Dragon spaceship in the Atlantic Ocean. * Elon Musk's aerospace company may now try to splash down NASA astronauts Bob Behnken and Doug Hurley in the Gulf of Mexico. * Two out of seven total landing sites near Florida must have good weather conditions, and NASA has until about 5 p.m. ET on Saturday to call off the undocking. * Should the weather worsen, NASA and SpaceX can try again a day later or some other date over the next two months. * Visit Business Insider's homepage for more stories. Astronauts Bob Behnken and Doug Hurley have a "go" to return to Earth this weekend and wrap up an historic space mission for both NASA and SpaceX. Behnken and Hurley launched to orbit aboard SpaceX's Crew Dragon vehic...

What an independent contractor actually is and how it's classified under California's Assembly Bill 5, the gig worker law Uber, Lyft, and others are fighting with a November ballot measure

* California's Assembly Bill 5 (AB5) went into effect in January, adopting a narrow definition of independent contractor that forces Uber and other gig economy businesses to choose between reclassifying workers as employees or risking significant liability for misclassification. * The law serves as a reminder to California businesses to be careful when classifying workers as contractors. * Classifying independent contractors falls into two main categories: the "right to control" test (often called the "IRS test") and the tougher "ABC test" recently adopted in AB5. * Uber, Lyft, and DoorDash have recently poured $30 million into Proposition 22 — a ballot measure intended to exempt major ridesharing and food delivery companies from AB5. If California residents vote the measure into effect in November, Uber and Lyft can continue classifying drivers as contractors. * Visit Business Insider's homepage for more stories. In September 2019, Californ...

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