Connect with us

Tech News

Andela to lay off over 400 young developers and concentrate on experienced engineers

Published

on

Andela has announced the departure from its Nigeria and Uganda hubs of approximately 250 junior engineers and employees with another 170 potentially affected in Kenya.

Andela who recently raised $100 million shared in a statement that now deals with all workers impacted and potentially affected.

According to Seni Sulyman, Andela VP of Global Operations, most of the market is for more seasoned talent. Now on the search for growth Andela needs to change their talent base’s mix / composition and have been recruiting and evaluating mid-level and senior engineers, representing over 25% of Andela’s talent base.

Jeremy Johnson, co-founder and CEO of Andela says: “As the world of technology has changed, we also have, and over the past few years it has become increasingly clear that the world needs what Andela provides: high-quality innovation as a product. Nevertheless, it has also become apparent that most of the demand is for more seasoned talent, and we need to expand our senior talent base even faster in order to keep up with it.

“This change in demand also means we now have more young talent than we can position. This is a problem for the company and those junior engineers who want and deserve meaningful work experiences that we can not offer.”

Beyond this restructure, Andela continues to grow rapidly with plans to hire an additional 700 experienced engineers by the end of 2020. Today’s announcement will not affect Andela customers’ operations, as the company evolves to deliver even stronger engineering support for their teams.

Seni Sulyman, Andela VP of Global Operations says, “Our immediate priority is to ensure that our colleagues who are affected by this change are well supported to succeed in their next career moves. We are in talks with tech leaders across Africa, who have been very supportive in exploring opportunities for these talented Andelans. We are also focusing our attention on providing adequate support for the rest of Andela during this period, as we continue to build a world-class engineering organization.”

Moving forward, the company will continue to invest in the Andela Learning Community (ALC), which has already introduced over 30,000 learners from across the continent to software engineering. Over the next three years, the company expects over 100,000 engineers from across the continent to take advantage of programs within the community.

Johnson added, “Five years ago, we launched Andela to solve a global challenge: Brilliance is evenly distributed, but the opportunity is not. To succeed in our long-term mission, we have to make tough decisions to continue growing a company that we know will change the way the world thinks about talent.”

Blog

Facebook is experimenting with prompts that ask users whether they are concerned that a friend is ‘becoming an extremist.’

Published

on

By

Facebook app

In the United States, some Facebook (FB) users are receiving a prompt asking if they are concerned that someone they know is becoming radical. Others are being alerted about the possibility of being exposed to extremist information.
It’s all part of a test that Facebook is conducting as part of its Redirect Initiative, which tries to tackle violent extremism.

This experiment is part of a wider project to see how we can provide tools and help to people on Facebook who have interacted with or been exposed to extremist content, or who know someone who is.

“Are you concerned that someone you know is becoming an extremist?” one of the notifications reads, a screen grab of which went viral on social media Thursday.

According to a screenshot shared on social media, the alert stated, “We care about avoiding extremism on Facebook.” “Others in your situation have gotten discreet help,” she says.
The user is then directed to a support page by the alert.

Another alert reads, “Violent groups try to use your anger and disillusionment.” “You have the ability to protect yourself and others right now.”
The user is also redirected to a help page as a result of the notice.

Facebook is sending users to a range of resources, including Life After Hate, an advocacy group that helps people quit violent far-right movements.

Over the last few years, Facebook has been blasted by detractors for failing to take sufficient steps to combat extremist content on its platform. For example, in 2020, the firm was chastised for failing to take down a militia group’s Facebook page, which encouraged armed residents to go to the streets of Kenosha, Wisconsin.

The company has also committed to do a better job of preventing the spread of false information and conspiracy theories. In May, Facebook’s independent oversight board encouraged the corporation to look into the role of its platform in the January 6 uprising.

Continue Reading

How To's

YouTube Is Redesigning Its Descriptions for the Web, With a Greater Focus on Comments

Published

on

By

YouTube is reportedly putting a new description section on the Web to the test. The revamp aims to make the comments, video view count, publish date, and video description more prominent. The video description, which presently appears beneath the YouTube channel name, will now appear directly beneath the video title. Other improvements are being tested as well, with the goal of putting a greater emphasis on user comments. When these modifications will be available to all Web users is unknown.

The view counts and published date are much bolder than previously, appearing just below the video title. The video description appears right after the publication date and requires more concise content than before. If the video description is too long, the new design makes it appear tight, and if it spills over to the second line, a “Show More” option emerges. With this makeover, the ability to create connections may be more challenging. Depending on the size of the window, buttons for like, unlike, share, and save show next to the video description. In a barely drawn area below the view count is the channel name. The number of comments and the top comment are both noted in different boxes next to it.

The option to add a new comment will be located just below the channel name, followed by other less popular comments located beneath the video. This redesigned description for YouTube Web users is still in beta and is only visible to a select users at a time. There is no guarantee that it will be commercially available, and Google may decide to scrap it during the development phase. The design is also a little confusing and cluttered, and Google may make some changes before deciding to give it out to everyone.

Continue Reading

Data Center

Binance Faces Criminal Complaint From Thailand’s Securities and Exchange Commission for Operating Without Licence

Published

on

By

The Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) of Thailand has filed a criminal complaint against cryptocurrency exchange Binance for operating a digital asset business without a license, the latest in a series of crackdowns on the platform around the world.

The SEC said on Friday that “it was discovered that Binance has provided platform services for trading or exchanging digital assets via its website…” Only licensed organizations are authorized to provide services linked to digital asset trading in Thailand, according to the country’s regulator.

A request for comment from Binance was not immediately returned. Last Monday, the UK’s financial watchdog restricted Binance from engaging in regulated activities in the country.

The company has previously stated that it takes its regulatory commitments seriously and is dedicated to following them everywhere it operates.

© Thomson Reuters 2021

Continue Reading

Trending