Here’s how big tech companies are celebrating Juneteenth, the new national holiday

Published

4 years ago

June 18, 2021

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U.S. President Joe Biden is applauded as he holds the Juneteenth National Independence Day Act during a signing ceremony in the East Room of the White House in Washington, June 17, 2021.

Carlos Barria | Reuters

Big tech companies will observe Juneteenth by offering education resources during the week of the newly official U.S. holiday.

President Joe Biden signed a bill to make Juneteenth a federal holiday on Thursday afternoon. The holiday, which lands on June 19 every year, commemorates the ending of slavery in the U.S.

Tech companies’ reactions come after a year of racial reckoning and increased scrutiny of recruiting practices and treatment of Black employees. Some, like Twitter and Square, began recognizing the holiday last year.

“Juneteenth is not just about Black History—it is American history” and a “complex” one, said Tiffany Bowden, program manager on Amazon‘s Global Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion team, in a company Juneteenth blog post. Bowden holds a Ph.D. in communications with a specialization in diversity and inclusion.

“While rejoicing in progress, we must continue to educate ourselves about our history to help guide our future,” the Amazon blog stated. “We honor those who fought, endured, and continue to persevere in the fight for equality. We celebrate with the awareness that advocacy is still necessary in America’s pursuit of equality and, ultimately, equity.”

‘No meetings’

To commemorate Juneteenth, Google has “instituted a no meetings day” on Friday June 18, and is “encouraging all Googlers to use this day for celebration, learning and reflection,” according to a spokesperson.

Facebook said its workers can use one of their paid “Personal Choice Days” if they want to celebrate the holiday. Employees can also participate in “a day of discussions” with known activists and public figures, including Henry Louis Gates and Tina Knowles-Lawson “who will share perspectives on the history and significance of Juneteenth.”

“A lot of meetings have been canceled so folks can go to that,” a Facebook spokesperson added.

Apple said it recognizes Juneteenth as a company holiday in the U.S. and gives employees the day off to observe on Friday, June 18. Apple Retail and AppleCare will remain open to support customers. The company said employees can participate in weeklong events that are “designed to educate, build community, and celebrate.”

Black storytelling and education

Companies will also provide educational material on racial injustice to employees.

“Our approach is not to offer a vacation day; but instead use this day to create time and space for employees to better understand critical topics related to race, ethnicity and racial injustice,” said Lindsay-Rae McIntyre, Microsoft’s chief diversity officer. “Recognizing this day with intention allows us to stay connected to the many challenges unresolved, violence unaddressed, and inequities unchanged for the Black and African American community worldwide.”

Microsoft did not specify what learning programs will be offered.

Google said it’s going to host a two-hour event “spotlighting Black music history and storytelling” including a conversation and performance by Erykah Badu.

Amazon’s programming includes educational panels regarding the origins and importance of Juneteenth, remarks from Black history experts, and a performance and Q&A with African American New York dance studio the Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater.

Facebook said it will feature a video by businesswoman (and mother to Beyonce) Tina Knowles-Lawson and a “Lift Black Voices Hub” that includes a curated mix of fundraisers, educational resources and “content that showcases how communities are reimagining Black freedom on Facebook platforms every day.”

Amazon will sponsor an inaugural celebration called Juneteenth Unityfest. Its bookstore will highlight a selection of books that show the history of Juneteenth in a feature called “Celebrate Juneteenth.” It also said Prime Video has a curated selection of movies and series to acknowledge and honor Juneteenth.

Watch now: President Biden signs Juneteenth National Independence Day Act

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Google taps AI vibe-coder Replit in challenge to Anthropic and Cursor

Published

3 hours ago

December 4, 2025

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Google taps AI vibe-coder Replit in challenge to Anthropic and Cursor

People walk next to the Google Cloud logo, during the 2025 Mobile World Congress (MWC) in Barcelona, Spain, March 4, 2025.

Albert Gea | Reuters

Google Cloud announced Thursday a multi-year partnership with artificial intelligence coding startup Replit, giving the search giant fresh firepower against the coding products of rivals, including Anthropic and Cursor.

Under the partnership, Replit will expand usage of Google Cloud services, add more of Google’s models onto its platform, and support AI coding use cases for enterprise customers.

Google will continue to be Replit’s primary cloud provider.

Replit, founded nearly a decade ago, is a leader in the fast-growing AI vibe-coding space.

In September, the startup closed a $250 million funding round that almost tripled its valuation to $3 billion, and said it grew annualized revenue from $2.8 million to $150 million in less than a year.

And new data from Ramp, a fintech company that also tracks enterprise spending on its platform, found that Replit had the fastest new customer growth among software vendors. Google, meanwhile, is adding new customers and spending faster than any other company on Ramp’s platform.

Put those together, and you get a clearer picture of why both companies see opportunity.