Walmart kills DEI policies impacting 1.6 million U.S. workers

This TikTok user says a popular YouTube music channel is in fact AI

The rise of generative AI music tools has indeed led to the emergence of tutorials on YouTube. Are you really a student if you’ve not done a late night study session soundtracked to an unending lo-fi beats playlist on YouTube?

Published: 2024-11-26 13:00:00

Thanksgiving travel 2024: These are the best and worst times to be on the road this week

According to AAA, a record 80 million people are expected to travel for the Thanksgiving holiday. Data from INRIX can help you avoid the heaviest traffic. The 2024 Thanksgiving travel period is here. Many Americans who are celebrating the holiday this week are expected to kick off their journeys today.

Published: 2024-11-26 12:51:00

Walmart kills DEI policies impacting 1.6 million U.S. workers

The company is the latest, and biggest, to cave to pressure from conservative activists. Walmart, the world’s largest retailer, is rolling back its diversity, equity, and inclusion policies, joining a growing list of major corporations that have done the same after coming under attack by conservative activists.The changes, confirmed by Walmart on Monday, are sweeping and include everything from not renewing a five-year commitment for an equity racial center set up in 2020 after the police killing of George Floyd, to pulling out of a prominent gay rights index. And when it comes to race or gender, Walmart won’t be giving priority treatment to suppliers.Walmart’s moves underscore the increasing pressure faced by corporate America as it continues to navigate the fallout from the U.S. Supreme Court’s ruling in June 2023 ending affirmative action in college admissions. Emboldened by that decision, conservative groups have filed lawsuits making similar arguments about corporations, targeting workplace initiatives such as diversity programs and hiring practices that prioritize historically marginalized groups.Separately, conservative political commentator and activist Robby Starbuck has been going after corporate DEI policies, calling out individual companies on the social media platform X. Several of those companies have subsequently announced that they are pulling back their initiatives, including Ford, Harley-Davidson, Lowe’s, and Tractor Supply.But Walmart, which employs 1.6 million workers in the U.S., is the largest one to do so.“This is the biggest win yet for our movement to end wokeness in corporate America,” Starbuck wrote on X, adding that he had been in conversation with Walmart.Walmart confirmed to the Associated Press that it will better monitor its third-party marketplace items to make sure they don’t feature sexual and transgender products aimed at minors. That would include chest binders intended for youth who are going through a gender change, the company said.The Bentonville, Arkansas-based retailer will also be reviewing grants to Pride events to make sure it is not financially supporting sexualized content that may be unsuitable for kids. For example, the company wants to makes sure a family pavilion is not next to a drag show at a Pride event, the company said.Additionally, Walmart will no longer consider race and gender as a litmus test to improve diversity when it offers supplier contracts. The company said it didn’t have quotas and will not do so going forward. It won’t be gathering demographic data when determining financing eligibility for those grants.Walmart also said it wouldn’t renew a racial equity center that was established through a five-year, $100 million philanthropic commitment from the company with a mandate to, according to its website, “address the root causes of gaps in outcomes experienced by Black and African American people in education, health, finance and criminal justice systems.”And it would stop participating in the Human Rights Campaign’s annual benchmark index that measures workplace inclusion for LGBTQ+ employees.“We’ve been on a journey and know we aren’t perfect, but every decision comes from a place of wanting to foster a sense of belonging, to open doors to opportunities for all our associates, customers and suppliers and to be a Walmart for everyone,” the company said in a statement.The changes come soon after an election win by former President Donald Trump, who has criticized DEI initiatives and surrounded himself with conservatives who hold similar views, including his former adviser Stephen Miller, who leads a group called America First Legal that has challenged corporate DEI policies. Trump named Miller to be the deputy chief of policy in his new administration.A Walmart spokesperson said some of its policy changes have been in progress for a while. For example, it has been moving away from using the word DEI in job titles and communications and started to use the word “belonging.” It also started making changes to its supplier program in the aftermath of the Supreme Court affirmative action ruling.Some have been urging companies to stick with their DEI policies. Last month, a group of Democrats in Congress appealed to the leaders of the Fortune 1000, saying that DEI efforts give everyone a fair chance at achieving the American dream.

Published: 2024-11-26 12:46:11

A crisis within a crisis: Insurance rates skyrocket for child care centers

Rising insurance premiums, reduced coverage and dropped policies plague child care centers across the country. Early this year, a child care program in southern Maine was dinged for three minor issues during a routine inspection: A refrigerator at the school where the nonprofit operates was a couple of degrees too high. An employee’s paperwork was kept at the wrong location. A first aid kit was missing a pair of tweezers.

Published: 2024-11-26 12:30:00

These 24 chef-approved kitchen gifts will improve the life of any home cook or baker

Whether the person you’re shopping for is a pro pasta maker or an amateur bread baker, these gifts can help sharpen their skills and improve their space. For its annual gift guide, Fast Company asked business leaders who know the home—and some of our staff members—for space-specific recommendations.

Published: 2024-11-26 12:00:00

This free time-zone conversion tool blows other clock apps out of the water

This minimal, frills-free website will make your life instantly easier. You’d think by this point in our lives, we’d have the whole time-zone-conversion thing figured out. It isn’t all that complicated, right?!And yet—well, trying to keep such calculations straight often feels like performing advanced algebra. I’ve lost count of the number of times I’ve tried to convert something from my own local time into another time and ended up screwing it up somehow (and I’m only moderately pea-brained, thankyouverymuch).

Published: 2024-11-26 11:00:00

In rural North Carolina, dozens of water systems were knocked out by Hurricane Helene. Recovery could take years

The flooding that devastated western North Carolina knocked out water systems, and some small towns still don’t have water. The most exciting part of the day at Spruce Pine Montessori School is when the truck arrives to empty the porta-johns. At that point in the afternoon, the kids abandon their toy dinosaurs and monkey bars, throw up their hands, and yell in excitement as they run to watch the truck do its work. It’s lucky that they find something to be so joyful about, Principal Jennifer Rambo said on a recent sunny afternoon, because things have been a mess for the past seven weeks.

Published: 2024-11-26 11:00:00

That emotional new Volvo commercial isn’t ‘pro-family.’ It’s just advertising

Brands have always tapped into the emotional currents of raising a family. And Volvo’s new ad is no different. A young woman approaches her distracted partner. He asks her if something’s wrong. She hesitates. Then reveals the positive pregnancy test. They quietly embrace, incredibly happy at the news. 

Published: 2024-11-26 11:00:00

10 ways AI can make farmers’ jobs easier

AI can deliver agriculture workers improved efficiency across the board. For those who work the earth, AI can be an invaluable tool for making that work more efficient, sustainable and productive. AI helps farmers use the same tools they have been using for centuries, but with improved efficiency and focus. Here are 10 tips for farmers looking to use the new wave of AI-assisted farming.

Published: 2024-11-26 11:00:00

Schwan’s, the iconic American food delivery service, shut down. How much was its new name to blame?

In 2022, Schwan’s rebranded as Yelloh. Two years later, the company shuttered its business. In a fast-changing world, brands may see the chance to update their logos, visual identities, and even names as a shortcut to keep up with the times. But take a rebrand too far and you could lose everything. That’s especially true for long-running brands, which stand to lose valuable brand equity if they jettison too many assets.

Published: 2024-11-26 10:45:00

You need a Black Friday game plan. Here are 5 ways to ensure you buy exactly what you need

Black Friday returns are an environmental catastrophe. Consider this your guide to shopping more consciously. Across the country, as soon as people are done eating their turkey this week, they’ll be gearing up for that other big tradition: Black Friday.

Published: 2024-11-26 10:30:00

Influencer houses are dead. Welcome to the production studio era

A slew of creators are buying up plots of studio land to film and edit their content. Influencers today look a lot more like Hollywood executives than ragtag social media users. And they’re buying up the real estate to prove it.

Published: 2024-11-26 10:30:00

If it’s really about the economy, can Dollar General fulfill its ‘food first’ mission?

Food insecurity is a complex issue. Dollar General aims to tackle both affordability and access. Dollar General was a brand generating some media buzz at the end of last year, but not for the reasons the company had hoped. After an appearance on Glenn Greenwald’s Rumble show, Tucker Carlson ranted about his distaste for dollar stores.

Published: 2024-11-26 10:30:00

13 gift ideas to help breathe new life into anyone’s living room

Whether you’re shopping for a binge-watcher or a board game fanatic, these gifts will make the recipient loath to leave their couch. For its annual gift guide, Fast Company asked business leaders who know the home—and some of our staff members—for space-specific recommendations.