Technology is enabling fans to immerse themselves in the music of legendary artists like Janet Jackson. The “Anytime, Anyplace” songstress is currently headlining a residency at Resorts World Theatre in Las Vegas, NV, running through May 31, 2025. Fans can relive 42 of her timeless hits, including “I Get Lonely” and “When I Think of You.” The latter, released in 1986 as the third single from her “Control” album, became her first No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100, as Billboard notes. Jackson’s Vegas residency carries deep significance. Her career began when she was seven years old at MGM Las Vegas. She performed alongside sisters Rebbie and La Toya, as noted in Las Vegas Magazine. “I will always have a very, very special place in my heart for Las Vegas. I started my career here 51 years ago. I love you so much,” Jackson said during her performance on Wednesday, Feb. 12. Photo Credit: Resorts World Theatre L-Acoustics With a career spanning five decades, Jackson’s passion for performing...

Breakr continues to find new ways to improve the creator economy. As AFROTECH™ previously reported, the platform was created by Historically Black College and University (HBCU) alums and brothers Anthony and Ameer Brown to ensure artists can connect with brands and agencies and establish creative campaigns they are compensated for. With an early focus on music, Breakr partnered with BMG and Sony Music and built a roster of clients that included Ye (formerly Kanye West), Young Thug, Megan Thee Stallion, Rick Ross, Future, and Gunna. Additionally, Nas is involved not only as an artist on the platform but also as an investor. He participated in a $4.2 million seed round led by Slow Ventures in 2021. Breakr has expanded its scope beyond the music industry, adding partners such as Hershey, Billboard, Celsius, Samsung, and UMG, information shared with AFROTECH™ notes. In 2022, 30,000 creators had onboarded onto its platform. In 2025, that number has more than doubled, reaching a community...

Editorial Note: Opinions and thoughts are the author’s own and not those of AFROTECH™. Significant layoffs have been a consistent theme throughout the world of work for over three years. Whether you work in tech, media, or finance you have seen the news or know of those who have been impacted. Gone is the employment heyday of the pandemic, when firms across the board ramped up their hiring efforts in 2020 and 2021. This led to people embracing new opportunities and getting bumps in compensation that were not previously available. Unfortunately, when the boosts to businesses and balance sheets went away, firms started laying off their workforces in droves. Initially, the reasons behind the cuts were due to overhiring, and companies were looking to streamline their workforces and management in order to move the organizations more nimbly. The media started to refer to it as a “White-Collar Recession” because while other sectors like hospitality and health services saw employment...

Artificial intelligence is rapidly reshaping how we create, problem-solve, and engage with technology. But success with AI doesn’t happen by accident — it happens by design. Generative AI tools like ChatGPT and Gemini can be powerful creative partners, but only if you know how to guide them. The key lies in crafting prompts that provide direction, clarity, and context. Whether you’re drafting marketing copy, generating ideas, or solving complex problems, understanding how to talk to AI is essential. Let’s explore the strategies that can turn your prompts into powerful tools for smarter, sharper results. Understanding The Art Of AI Prompting AI thrives on clarity and specificity. Great prompts act like roadmaps — clear directions lead to clear destinations. Yet, crafting those directions requires more than guesswork; it demands strategy. Blavity COO Jeff Nelson developed a six-part engineering framework that turns vague requests into actionable responses. Persona: Anchor the AI’s...

Meta has issued a harsh reality check to its employees. Business Insider shared insights from a leaked all-hands recording, revealing the company’s vision for the future. Among the key takeaways was an ambitious plan for a “highly intelligent and personalized” digital assistant, which is anticipated to reach 1 billion users. “I think whoever gets there first is going to have a long-term, durable advantage towards building one of the most important products in history,” Zuckerberg explained in the recording. He also addressed the company’s decision to steer clear from third-party fact-checkers in place of the community notes system and changes in diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) initiatives. Meta is among the major companies that have retracted its policies, adhering to conservative agendas. As AFROTECH™ previously told you, Meta dismantled its programs tied to DEI and stopped the initiative that required it to consider hiring diverse candidates in every open position. “The way...

Starbucks is at the center of a lawsuit for alleged discrimination related to its diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) policies . On Tuesday, Feb. 11, 2025, Missouri Attorney General Andrew Bailey, a Republican, filed a lawsuit claiming that the Seattle, WA-based coffee chain enforces “race-and-sex-based hiring practices” and unlawfully segregates employees in violation of anti-discrimination laws, according to a news release. Since taking office for a second term on Jan. 20, 2025, President Donald Trump has signed several executive orders to dismantle federal DEI initiatives. “As Attorney General, I have a responsibility to protect Missourians from a company that actively engages in systemic race and sex discrimination,” Bailey said. “Racism has no place in Missouri. We’re filing suit to halt this blatant violation of the Missouri Human Rights Act in its tracks.” Bailey said the initiatives have led to a “more female and less white” workforce and forced Missouri consumers to “pay...

Kevin Durant is looking to secure a WNBA team in the city where he played before being drafted into the NBA. The basketball star played at the University of Texas at Austin in 2006 for one year. ESPN reports that during his short time there, he became the Big 12 Player of the Year and earned a Naismith Trophy, the first time in history that a freshman won the award. His talents led him to the NBA in 2007. He was drafted by the Seattle SuperSonics — which no longer exist — in the first round as the second overall pick and secured a four-year rookie contract valued at $19.5 million, per Spotrac. Durant has gone on to become one of the league’s best players and secured two championship rings with the Golden State Warriors after a decade in the league. Now, Durant could be returning to his roots through team ownership. According to USA Today, sources involved in the process named him in a group looking to bid for a WNBA team in Austin, TX. The group also includes former Milwaukee Bucks...

Major companies have quietly removed insights related to diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) from their annual reports. NPR’s analysis discovered that at least 12 of the nation’s largest companies erased DEI references in their annual reports, most of which were filed within the last two weeks. The companies revealed were Disney, Google , GM, GE, Intel, PayPal, Chipotle, Comcast, 3M, Regeneron, Philip Morris, and Pepsi, which prides itself among investors for its belief that a “culture of diversity, equity, and inclusion is a competitive advantage” in 2024. According to CNBC, Amazon is another company that has followed suit. Its 2024 annual report referenced “inclusion and diversity” under a section labeled “Human Capital.” “As we strive to be Earth’s best employer, we focus on investment and innovation, inclusion and diversity, safety, and engagement to hire and develop the best talent,” the 2024 report read. That section was updated in 2025 and now reads, “We strive to be...

Some claim they saw it coming, and others would say that nobody could’ve called it, but Kendrick Lamar turned the 2025 Super Bowl LIX Halftime Show into his moment — a masterclass in artistry, storytelling, and cultural dominance. The Numbers Don’t Lie How’d he do it? He dominated the moment and has the numbers to back it up. According to Yahoo! Entertainment, the 2025 Super Bowl set a new standard in viewership, with Nielsen fast national figures and Tubi/NFL first-party analytics reporting record-breaking numbers. The Philadelphia Eagles secured a decisive victory over the Kansas City Chiefs as an estimated 126 million viewers tuned in. The broadcast reached its highest point, with 137.7 million viewers, just before the halftime show featuring Lamar. According to Roc Nation and Fox Sports, it stands as the most-watched halftime show in history with 133.5 million views during the performance. The NFL highlighted this achievement by sharing the announcement on its official X...

Deloitte is involved in a domino effect of U.S. corporations scaling back their DEI initiatives. An increasing number of companies are shifting their diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) efforts or removing them all together. Google will no longer recognize Black History Month and Pride Month on its calendar, per USA Today, while Disney says it will turn its focus from DEI to business outcomes and values, notes Business Insider. There is a growing push from conservatives such as Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, Texas Gov. Greg Abbott, and President Donald Trump. Per ABC News, Trump’s administration believes “DEI creates and then amplifies prejudicial hostility and exacerbates interpersonal conflict.” However, Christie Smith, former vice president of inclusion and diversity at Apple and C-Suite adviser, told the outlet, “When done right, DEI policies improve employee engagement, reduce turnover, and foster innovation by bringing diverse perspectives to the table. But the impact depends...

Giannis Antetokounmpo is expanding his portfolio with a new investment tied to sports. Sportico reports the Milwaukee Bucks superstar is an investor in ScorePlay, an artificial intelligence -powered sports media management platform launched by Victorien Tixier (CEO) and Xavier Green (CTO) in 2021. Its solutions streamline sports organizations’ essential digital workflows by automating the management of photos and short video clips, its website mentions. Features among all its tiers include: Automated ingestion of photos and short videos Unlimitied AI tagging Usage analytics “The idea is to maximize the distribution, both on your own social channel, but also distributing the content to your athletes, who are your best storytellers,” Tixier told CNBC. ScorePlay had already attracted the attention of Kevin Durant and Rich Kleiman’s 35V family office, as well as Eli Manning, notes the outlet. Most recently, it has closed a $13 million Series A round led by Harry Stebbings’ 20VC, which...

Nearly a week after laying off 1,750 employees, or about 8.5% of its workforce, Workday has announced a new system to manage and deploy a range of artificial intelligence agents. On Tuesday, Feb. 11, 2025, the HR software maker announced its Workday Agent System of Record — which allows organizations to manage their AI agents — including those from Workday and third-party providers, all in one place, according to a news release. The system also now offers role-based AI agents — including contract, payroll, financial auditing, and policy — that companies can deploy and manage. The AI agents will have skills that provide them with greater autonomy, more effective user support, and the ability to perform hundreds of tasks. In a statement, Aneel Bhusri, co-founder and executive chair of Workday , expressed confidence that the company is well-positioned to lead a new era of workforce management in a trusted and ethical manner. “The workforce of the future will include both humans and AI...

Kendrick Lamar received mixed reactions from the public over his Super Bowl LIX halftime performance — but it led to a nearly 175% increase in Spotify streams across the United States. According to an Instagram post shared by Spotify on Feb. 10, 2025, several songs from Lamar’s halftime setlist experienced significant boosts. “Not Like Us” — the popular Drake-aimed diss track released in May 2024 — saw a 430% increase, followed by “HUMBLE,” which rose 300%. “DNA,” which, along with “HUMBLE,” is from the 2017 album “DAMN,” experienced a 260% increase. “Luther,” performed with SZA, and “tv off,” featuring lefty gunplay, both experienced a 170% increase in streams. SZA also benefited from the performance, with an 80% increase in her Spotify streams.   View this post on Instagram   A post shared by Spotify News (@spotifynews) Exactly one week after winning five Grammy Awards — bringing his total to 22 — Lamar performed 10 songs at Super Bowl LIX on Feb. 9, 2025, including five tracks...

Fintech platform Raenest has raised new funding to support African businesses. The company, founded in 2022 by Victor Alade, Sodruldeen Mustapha, and Richard Oyome, offers a range of services, including virtual and physical dollar cards, international transfers, invoicing for global payments, the ability to create USD, GBP, and EUR bank accounts, and currency conversion, among other features listed on its website. Raenest’s original platform was structured as an Employer of Record (EOR), helping foreign companies pay employees on the continent while remaining compliant, TechCrunch reports. The founders recognized a deeper-rooted issue, leading them to update Raenest to assist the continent’s gig economy and businesses directly. “A U.S. company might not care if a payment is delayed by five days, but for someone in Nigeria or Kenya, that’s a big deal — especially when converting to local currency becomes another hurdle,” Alade told TechCrunch. Looking ahead, Raenest intends to secure...

Editorial Note: Opinions and thoughts are the author’s own and not those of AFROTECH™. OpenAI has been the talk of the town ever since it released ChatGPT two years ago. Since then, the company has continued to showcase where it sees opportunities in artificial intelligence. In December, OpenAI held a 12-day event called 12 Days of OpenAI , a play on the song The Twelve Days of Christmas, in which each of the 12 days leading up to Christmas featured a new announcement. We all remember the lyric: “On the first day of Christmas, my true love gave to me.” The releases that captured the most attention during this period included ChatGPT Pro, which provided access to OpenAI’s latest models and tools for $200 a month; advancements on Sora, its tool that enables users to create images or videos via text; and 1-800-CHATGPT, a phone-accessible AI service that enhances accessibility, particularly for older generations. These 12 days made it clear that OpenAI wants AI to be seen as a partner...