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1. Uber finally sets diversity, inclusion and equity goals
While Uber is still predominantly white and Asian, the company has made notable headway in the representation of black and Latinx people among its employees.
As for those goals, Uber says that in the next three years, it aims to increase the percentage of women at levels L5 and higher (i.e. manager and above) to 35%, and increase the percentage of underrepresented employees at levels L4 and higher to 14%.
2. Waze now shows road toll prices along your driving route
With Waze, you can find out the amount you’ll need to pay — sourced from its community of user-drivers, rather than direct from the official toll road operators.
3. Customer data management company Amperity raises $50M
Amperity says that in 2018, its annual recurring revenue grew 355% year-over-year. Although the startup only launched in 2016, it’s already signed up an impressive roster of customers, like Starbucks, Gap Inc., TGI Fridays and Planet Fitness.
4. Don’t blame flawed Silicon Valley for the rot of Wall Street and Washington
Jon Evans looks at the “techlash,” arguing that people are particularly angry at the tech industry because they view it as the last engine of power that actually might change.
5. Serena Williams, Mark Cuban invest $3M in Mahmee, a digital support network for new moms
The real issue, according to Mahmee co-founder Melissa Hanna, is that “the data is fragmented.” She says this is why she built a network to get new moms the support they need — from their community, other moms and medical providers.
6. With $34B Red Hat deal closed, IBM needs to execute now
The deal, which was announced in October, was expected to take a year to clear all of the regulatory hurdles, but U.S. and EU regulators moved surprisingly quickly. For IBM, the future starts now. (Extra Crunch membership required.)
7. This week’s TechCrunch podcasts
On Equity, the team offers an overview of the last two quarters of IPOs. Meanwhile, Original Content reviews the underwhelming Netflix thriller “Point Blank.”