TGIF, friends! Time to make plans for the weekend, to kick back and relax, and to catch up on the week’s best reads. This week Tech giant earnings reports dropped, so expect to see a fair bit of editorial on who’s winning, who’s losing and what it all means for HR and HR tech. I’m not much for market watching, myself, so I’ve gathered a handful of links on the related story that’s more interesting to me: diversity in tech. It’s always a good time to talk about it, but this week in particular, when we’re pouring over the sensational profit margins of the giants, it’s a good to reflect on who exactly is reaping those benefits.
Here are your Friday Five:
Facebook Revenue Soars on Ad Growth
The Wall Street Journal reported Wednesday that Facebook’s revenue just keeps on growing, thanks mostly to ad growth. Mobile ads accounted for 80% of the company’s first quarter growth, with revenue jumping from 3.3 billion to 5.2 billion. Though user growth was much slower, that just means that each user was more valuable in terms of advertising dollars. Have you started marketing on FB mobile, yet?
Tech Startups Are So Sexist They’re Losing Women Who Don’t Even Work There Yet
A new study says that women are particularly averse to working at tech startups, citing obvious and more subtle sexism, and the cultural bias against, well, having a life outside the company.
Nearly half of respondents to Percival’s study said that they thought it was more likely for a man to get promoted than a woman, and “women in leadership roles reported being held back by male-dominated work environments at more than twice the rate of women in mid-level positions or below.”
These Are The Companies With The Best Tech Talent
Fast Company talked to Chris Bolte of Paysa about tech employment trends, including compensation, retention and who’s hiring – and keeping – the best talent in the industry.
The Fire Inside Rev. Jesse Jackson: The Civil Rights Leader’s Battle for Diversity in Tech
TechCrunch interviewed Reverend Jesse Jackson about his new efforts to push for diversity in the tech industry. Jackson told TechCrunch contributor Megan Rose Dickey that diversity in tech is so important because it means access to capital and the tools for change:
“One Civil Rights Movement was to end legal slavery,” Jackson said. “Another was to end legal Jim Crow and the lynching season. That was a civil rights movement of that day. Another was the right to vote. You can abolish slavery, get rid of Jim Crow, and vote, and be broke and impoverished without access to capital, industry and technology, and deal flow and relationships. This is the civil rights of our time: access to capital, access to computers, how to make them, how to sell them.”
And in other news:
Why a Familiar Bed Provides a Good Night’s Sleep
Neurological evidence that a familiar bed is better! If not home, then at least a familiar hotel chain helps us sleep easier through the night as our brain recognizes various atmosphere signals as not-threat. So those of you who travel constantly for work, stick to one hotel company and you’ll sleep better!
