(Wall Street Journal) Facebook is facing more calls from shareholders to address harm on its platforms and overall governance as the company, now known as Meta Platforms Inc., responds to pressure from lawmakers and others. Shareholders, including the New York State Common Retirement Fund and Illinois State Treasurer, are among an investor group that collectively…

(Yahoo! Finance) Climate change has been called a consequence of the world’s largest market failure. But as flows into ESG assets accelerate, it has led some to question whether or not sustainable investors are merely buying into a cycle of hype. According to a new note from BlackRock that draws on a survey of 175 clients…

(Wall Street Journal) Less than 2% of enterprise software startups in the U.S. have at least one female founder according to a new report. Experts say one reason for the small number of female founders is that they have a harder time getting initial funding. The 2% figure represents just 354 enterprise software startups tracked…

(New York Times) Artificial intelligence software is increasingly used by human resources departments to screen résumés, conduct video interviews and assess a job seeker’s mental agility. Now, some of the largest corporations in America are joining an effort to prevent that technology from delivering biased results that could perpetuate or even worsen past discrimination. The…

(AP) Rohingya refugees sued social network powerhouse Facebook for more than $150 billion, accusing it of failing to stop hate speech that incited violence against the Muslim ethnic group by military rulers and their supporters in Myanmar. Years after coming under scrutiny for contributing to ethnic and religious violence in Myanmar, recently revealed internal Facebook…

(Fast Company) A new nonprofit aims to help fast-growth companies build their businesses by considering societal and environmental impacts from the outset. Responsible Innovation Labs, founded by Hemant Taneja, managing partner at venture firm General Catalyst, and former Stripe executives Jon Zieger and Diede van Lamoen, will help founders innovate with economic inclusion, environmental sustainability,…

(Wired) One year ago Google artificial intelligence researcher Timnit Gebru tweeted, “I was fired” and ignited a controversy over the freedom of employees to question the impact of their company’s technology. Thursday, she launched a new research institute to ask questions about responsible use of artificial intelligence that Gebru says Google and other tech companies…

(Pitchbook) Venture capital fundraising in China is cooling off as investors weigh how to navigate the country’s new regulatory regime. One strategy that’s taking shape: VC firms are aligning themselves with Beijing’s strategic goals by planning big bets on climate-friendly industries. VC investment in Chinese cleantech startups is rebounding, with nearly $8.7 billion invested across…

(CNBC) The red-hot SPAC market could have an ESG problem. Securus Technologies, a prison services company that makes profit from charging families of the incarcerated for phone calls, is in talks to go public via merging with Atlantic Avenue Acquisition Corp, according a person familiar with the matter. While prison services telecoms are less scrutinized…

(Sifted) The two billion teenagers and young adults born after 1995 that we call Generation Z have been described as many things. They’re seen as uncompromising, not swayed by political or marketing tricks, but also supporters of “cancel culture” — the public and vocal shutting down of speech perceived as problematic. They’re at once entrepreneurial,…