Supreme Court Approves California Voting Map Amidst Other Tech and Business News
Washington D.C. – The Supreme Court on Wednesday cleared the way for California to use a new congressional map designed to favor Democrats in the upcoming midterm elections, rejecting an emergency request from the California Republican Party to block the map. The unsigned order, typical of such emergency decisions, did not include a vote count or the court's reasoning, according to the NY Times.
In other news, the U.S. government is working to counter China's dominance in the supply of critical minerals. The State Department hosted the first Critical Minerals Ministerial event on Wednesday, attended by countries and organizations including the UK, European Union, Japan, India, South Korea, Australia, and the Democratic Republic of Congo, according to the BBC. Delegates discussed the availability of and access to minerals crucial to the manufacture of things like computers and weapons.
Meanwhile, Netflix and Warner Bros. faced scrutiny from U.S. senators regarding their proposed $82 billion merger. During a Senate antitrust subcommittee hearing on Tuesday, lawmakers from both parties raised concerns about reduced competition, potential price increases, and the future of cinemas if the merger proceeds, according to the BBC. The deal is currently under review by the Department of Justice (DoJ).
In Silicon Valley, Pinterest recently fired two engineers for tracking which workers were affected by recent layoffs. The company, which recently announced job cuts impacting about 15% of its workforce, or roughly 700 roles, stated it was "doubling down on an AI-forward approach," according to an employee who posted some of the memo on LinkedIn, as reported by the BBC. The engineers allegedly used custom scripts to improperly access confidential company information to identify the locations and names of dismissed employees.
Separately, Palantir Chief Technology Officer Shyam Sankar argued that artificial intelligence can empower workers by dismantling corporate bureaucracy. In an interview with Fox News Digital, Sankar stated that AI can reverse a century-long "managerial revolution" that shifted power from workers to management. "AI can eliminate bureaucracy because we've built up all these layers ... to concentrate power essentially in the hands of a few bureaucrats running organizations," Sankar said.
Discussion
AI Experts & Community
Be the first to comment