Technologies

Some Apple shareholders want a civil rights audit

The tech giant has faced accusations of allowing a hostile work environment to grow under its majority white and male leadership.

Apple shareholders will likely vote next year year on a proposal tied to online criticism the company has faced from some of its employees, calling for a civil rights audit after victims detailed stories of harassment and abuse at the company. It also comes after the US National Labor Relations Board began investigations into complaints filed by two former employees.

The proposal, earlier reported by MarketWatch, seeks to draw attention to Apple’s employee base, which is 47% white and 66% male, according to the company’s public data. The shareholders told MarketWatch that despite Apple’s public commitments to support racial justice, its progress diversifying its own ranks has been slow.

«It is unclear how Apple plans to address racial inequality in its workforce,» the proposal, shared with MarketWatch, says. «Apple currently has no Hispanics and only one Black member on its executive team.»

SOC Investment Group, which reported owning 22 million shares of Apple stock earlier this year, worked on the proposal with Trillium Asset Management, which earlier reported owning more than 1 million shares of Apple. The Service Employees International Union was also reportedly involved. The proposal is expected to be voted on during Apple’s 2022 shareholder meeting; last year’s meeting occurred in February.

Apple declined to comment. Representatives from SOC, Trillium and the SEIU didn’t immediately respond to requests for comment.

The move is the latest in a series of public efforts to draw attention to Apple’s corporate culture at a time of intense scrutiny. Employees have publicly accused the tech giant of allowing a hostile work environment to develop in parts of the company. Apple’s ultra-secretive work culture, they say, is unintentionally adding to this problem by discouraging people from speaking up about these issues.

Apple isn’t the only company facing these types of questions. Current and former employees at Amazon, Google, Meta, Microsoft and Pinterest have also raised concerns, speaking out on a range of issues, including workplace harassment.

What’s notable about Apple is how unusual it is for its workers to publicly criticize the company. Earlier this year, a group of employees published an open letter to CEO Tim Cook and the company’s senior leadership, asking the tech giant to improve how it treats its 160,000 employees and «fulfill its promise of inclusion, diversity and equity.»

In the letter, the group asked for increased privacy over personal information; transparent and fair compensation; an audit of all relationships with other companies; increased accountability across leadership and human resource teams; and a process for sharing group concerns. The letter also asks for a reinvestigation of all reports of «racism, discrimination, abuse, harassment, concerted activity suppression and retaliation» at Apple.

Technologies

YouTubers Sue Amazon, Claim AI Tool Was Trained on Scraped Videos

The lawsuit alleges that Amazon bypassed YouTube protections to collect content for its generative AI video system.

A group of YouTube creators is suing Amazon, accusing the tech giant of secretly scraping their videos to train its AI video model without permission.

The proposed class action lawsuit, filed in federal court in Seattle, alleges Amazon used automated tools to download and extract data from millions of YouTube videos to build and improve its Nova Reel generative AI system — a model that can create short videos from text prompts and images.

At the center of the complaint is how that data was obtained. The plaintiffs claim that Amazon bypassed YouTube’s protections using virtual machines and rotating IP addresses to avoid detection, effectively sidestepping the platform’s safeguards against bulk downloading.

The lawsuit was brought by several creators, including Ted Entertainment (the company behind the H3 Podcast and h3h3 Productions), as well as individual YouTubers and channel operators. They argue that the alleged scraping violated copyright law and the Digital Millennium Copyright Act, and are seeking damages as well as an injunction to stop the practice.

Amazon did not respond to a request for comment.

The case lands at a pivotal moment for generative AI, as courts weigh whether training on copyrighted material qualifies as fair use and how much control creators retain once their work is used to build these systems. The disputes have often centered on written material, which has been at the center of the AI revolution for several years, while AI video generators such as OpenAI’s Sora and Google’s Veo have emerged more recently.

The lawsuit is one of dozens testing the boundaries of AI training practices, alongside high-profile cases from authors, artists and news organizations, including lawsuits against OpenAI and Meta, all circling the same unresolved question: Where does fair use end and infringement begin?

Technologies

The Galaxy Z TriFold Is Back. You Can Buy It From Samsung Soon

The $2,899 phone paused its sales in March after selling through its inventory, but Samsung is bringing it back to its online store.

Samsung’s $2,899 Galaxy Z TriFold is going back on sale on Friday, following a halt to its sales in March after the foldable phone sold through its inventory. Samsung has announced the TriFold’s return with a countdown clock on the phone’s online store page along with a Wednesday newsletter email sent to customers.

The initial pause, which Samsung said at the time was related to the TriFold being a «super-premium device in limited quantities,» happened after just three months of availability. The TriFold first went on sale in South Korea on Dec. 12 and then arrived in Samsung’s US store on Jan. 30. The TriFold sold out in the US within minutes of going on sale — which I know personally after joining my colleagues that morning in an attempt to buy it. Thankfully Senior Reporter Abrar Al-Heeti succeeded, and then reviewed the TriFold.

It’s unclear whether the Galaxy Z TriFold is now permanently returning to Samsung’s online store or if it is again on sale until its stock sells through. Given that the phone is very expensive, and unfolds to reveal a large, 10-inch display, it wouldn’t be surprising if its stock will be in limited quantities. We’ve asked a Samsung representative to clarify and will update if we hear more.

The Galaxy Z TriFold’s return also comes ahead of the summer season when we expect a slew of other foldable phones: Samsung typically refreshes its Galaxy Z Fold and Z Flip line in July or August, and Motorola has announced its first book-style Razr Fold phone will also debut during the season. And Apple’s rumored iPhone Fold (or perhaps iPhone Ultra based on latest rumors) could also be teased later this year.

Technologies

Help Us Crown the Most Loved Headphones and Earbuds of 2026

Got a pair you swear by? Take our People’s Picks survey to help us find a winner.

CNET just launched People’s Picks, a series of surveys where actual humans like you vote for the products and services you use. Starting in April, we want you to weigh in on your favorite headphones and earbuds. We’ll pick a winner based on which ones you love the most.

Why we want to hear from you

Our writers and editors test hundreds of products each year, but your real-world experience with these devices is something we can’t replicate in our labs. You’ve used these headphones at the gym, on your commute to work and on long flights, and that perspective is invaluable. Your voice helps others know about the headphones or earbuds you love, too.

«I review a lot of headphones and earbuds for CNET, and there are plenty of great models from the top brands in this survey that I rate highly. I’m always curious about what models people ultimately choose and why, so I’m excited to get your feedback and learn the results of this survey,» says David Carnoy, CNET’s executive editor and headphones expert.

With our survey, we’ll collect answers from real-world users like you. The headphones and earbuds chosen through our 3-minute survey will be featured in our People’s Picks roundup of the top picks based on your recommendation.

Make your voice heard

Whether you swear by a pair of $25 earbuds or love a pair of high-end headphones, your pick counts. The survey takes just a few minutes to complete, and after we gather enough information, we’ll tally the results and publish the winners.

Not sure what to pick? Check out our Best Headphones to revisit your favorites before voting.