Written by Chloe Atkinson

Biden drops out of the presidential race 

In an unprecedented move, U.S. President Joe Biden has dropped out of the presidential race and endorsed current Vice President Kamala Harris. With the election date just over three months away, this voluntary withdrawal is the first of its kind in modern political history. 

The Democratic party will formally confirm a new candidate – most likely Harris – in August ahead of the national convention in Chicago. So far, Harris has been endorsed by prominent party members, such as former President Bill Clinton and Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton, Congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, and Senator Elizabeth Warren. 

Seeing blue: CrowdStrike bungle continues  

The impact of CrowdStrike’s global IT outage on Australian businesses is still reverberating, with the damage bill expected to surpass $1 billion. 

Triggered by a botched software upgrade, 8.5 million Windows machines across the world stopped working and displayed ‘blue screens of death’, having wide-ranging effects from silencing airwaves to grounding planes. 

The Australian Industry Group says it’s still unclear whether compensation will be available from the tech company. Off the back of other high-scale interruptions, such as last year’s Optus outage, the CrowdStrike fiasco reveals that businesses of any size are at the mercy of technology.  

Ding, dong, Witchery is dead? Consumers yawn at Aussie retailer’s rebrand 

Iconic Aussie retailer Witchery, once known for its chic workwear, has come under fire from consumers for its ‘Bold Awakening’ rebrand.  

The company not only failed to mention the removal of its size 20 offering but has also been criticised for the lack of diversity in its models.  

Although the brand has responded to the backlash by claiming its new range is sized more generously and may still fit customers who previously wore its size 20, for many of its loyal customers, it’s too little, too late. 

Pinterest invests in AI to support diversity 

Pinterest has invested in body type technology, an AI tool that shapes algorithm to increase representation of diverse body types across search results and related feeds. The move is part of the platform’s inclusion and diversity goals, underscoring its commitment to creating a more inspired internet. 

Available in six countries, including Australia, users can elect which body types are featured when they use the app, allowing for a more inclusive experience. The platform is also pioneering various diversity tools that can customised based on user experience, including skin tone ranges, hair pattern search, and AR Try-On.