silicon valley Archives - Rolling Out

Alexandria Butler, affectionately known as Lexi B, is an entrepreneur, an editor, a writer and a public speaker who has become one of Silicon Valley’s most candid and prominent voices. Her thought-provoking advice and opinions about how to create a more equitable work environment stem from her experiences at some of the most popular tech…

AfroTech provides a space for Black tech entrepreneurs, engineers, computer programmers, media moguls and inspiring techies to revel in the accomplishments of African Americans in the technology industry and look toward the future. More than 10,000 of them attended this year’s AfroTech conference, which was held Nov. 7-10 at the Oakland Convention Center in Oakland,…

Christal Jackson had a vision to honor the past, create the present and prepare for the future when she dreamed up her latest Mosaic Genius, Silicon Valley conference “Children of the Dream: The Tech Ecosystem.” The conference focused on bringing much-needed attention to the recognition of the contributions made by Black and Brown people in…

Nearly 4,000 Black techies and millennial entrepreneurs converged at the Palace of Fine Arts in San Francisco for day two of the 2018 AfroTech conference. Hosted by Blavity, the conference is presented as an event “where the founders and employees of some of the fastest-growing tech startups will present the tactics and strategies…

The National Action Council for Minorities in Engineering, Inc. held a national summit in California this month to bring together thought leaders from multiple industries to discuss innovative ways to recruit, retain and promote diverse engineering and computer science talent. At the summit, “NACME: A Diversity Solution,” held Sept. 19-21 in San Francisco and Palo…

Police in Northern California are reportedly responding on Tuesday afternoon to a possible shooter at the headquarters of YouTube in San Bruno, California, officials said according to the Los Angeles Times and BBC News. Police are advising people in a Twitter message to stay far from the address where YouTube, owned by Alphabet Inc’s Google,…

Photo courtesy of Timirah James Timirah James, a first-year college dropout, the pink-haired coding wizard from New Jersey got her bright start in technology at the mere age of 16. At the age of 23, she now earns six figures as an engineer and is the public face and voice for several tech companies such…

If “The Future is female” as they say, and Black girls have magic, then Shavone Charles is undeniably leading the pack. She currently serves as ‎the head of global music and youth culture communications at Instagram. While most 20-somethings are struggling to find their professional footing after college, Charles already had her creative talents planted at…

Tech companies have been under fire for their lack of diversity for quite some time. Earlier this year, Apple enlisted a seasoned employee to lead its diversity efforts. Arguably the most powerful Black woman in Silicon Valley, Denise Young Smith has worked at Apple since 1997 leading the talent and human resources division as its…

Silicon Valley is home to companies that have come to define the technology of the 21st century. After tech-focused entrepreneurs moved out west to California for more space as well as the ability to collaborate with other enterprises that harnessed the power of technology to improve the world, the next two decades saw the rapid…

It was the advent of diversity and the need for inclusion that led to many of the modifications that are occurring in Silicon Valley. Twitter itself needed a few new faces and has elected former vice president of global inclusion and diversity at Motorola, Candi Castleberry-Singleton. She’s replacing Jeffrey Siminoff, who stepped down in February.…

Ruben Harris has completed step one for a successful startup: filling a void. The young progressive and critical thinker knew when he left his Atlanta hometown, that “in the future, every industry would be driven by tech.” “Education teaches you skills, skills give you power, and the balance of power between personal liberty and job…

Rapper Nas collaborated with SONY pictures for their highly anticipated film Ghostbusters. He spoke with rolling out about the collabo.

The Rev. Jesse Jackson, civil rights icon and champion of human rights for all, has remained committed in his fight to end discrimination against Black people in the affluent tech stronghold known as Silicon Valley. Recently, the Silicon Valley tech summit stretched from the Hewlett-Packard headquarters in Palo Alto to downtown San Francisco at the…

Former adviser to President Barack Obama and CNN political commentator, Van Jones cracked the whip at the 2016 HOPE Global Forums during the opening reception which was held at the Marriott Marquis in Atlanta on Wednesday, January 13, 2016. The Yale-educated attorney captivated the standing-room only crowd when he conveyed his perspective on the plight of Black…

Renowned technology entrepreneur and diversity advocate Hank Williams has died at the age of 50. Williams died Nov. 15 after a weeklong stay at the Beth Israel Medical Center in Newark, New Jersey. He was being treated for complications from pneumonia and myocarditis, which can be caused by a viral heart infection. In 1998, Williams founded the Internet music…

Black Enterprise’s TechConneXt Summit allowed some of the top minds in the nation to share insight on the future of innovation. Held in Silicon Valley, the summit featured rising tech entrepreneurs, venture capitalists and Fortune 500 executives. Jennifer Jones of AT&T was one of the leading executives in attendance. With over 28 years of…

Young Guru, music engineer for Jay Z, talks music innovation at AT&T Foundry in Silicon Valley.

Some of the top innovative minds in tech were present at day one of the inaugural Black Enterprise TechConnecxT Summit. Held at the Hyatt Regency in Santa Clara, California, the event featured several notable panelists, an HBCU hackathon, and an awards ceremony. Panel themes included “How to Deliver a Powerful Pitch to Investors,” “Investing in Millennial…

Sharron Battle is the CEO of selfiepay Holdings Inc., which markets an app that allows users to make mobile secure payments using a selfie. Read on for what Battle has to say about the company, her leadership style, power, giving back and community. Please describe your leadership style. I am a mission driven leader with an out-of-the-box…