Deliveroo and the GMB union entered into a voluntary partnership agreement covering more than 90,000 riders. While acknowledging riders as self-employed contractors, the agreement gave GMB rights to bargain collectively on pay and to be consulted on benefits and safety issues. This was a positive step despite the company's legal victories against worker classification.
Activity
Incidents and actions from tracked entities.
PayPal permanently suspended accounts of antiwar media outlets Consortium News and MintPress News
May 1, 2022In 2022, PayPal permanently suspended the accounts of antiwar publications Consortium News and MintPress News without warning or clear explanation. PayPal froze funds including $9,348 in Consortium News' account and threatened to seize the money as 'damages.' Neither outlet was given a specific reason for the ban. The suspensions occurred during the Russia-Ukraine war period and were criticized as financial censorship of independent journalism.
McKinsey failed to disclose conflicts of interest while simultaneously advising FDA and opioid manufacturers
Apr 27, 2022A House Oversight Committee investigation found that at least 22 McKinsey consultants were staffed at both the FDA and opioid manufacturers on related topics, sometimes simultaneously. In 2011, four consultants working on a $1.8M FDA drug safety contract were also working for Purdue Pharma on projects to persuade FDA of opioid safety, including writing scripts for Purdue to use in FDA meetings. McKinsey never disclosed these conflicts despite contractual obligations to do so.
Co-launched $1B+ Frontier carbon removal initiative with Alphabet, Shopify, Meta, McKinsey
Apr 12, 2022Stripe co-founded Frontier, an advance market commitment to purchase over $1 billion in permanent carbon removal by 2030. More than 15,000 companies across 40 countries have joined Stripe Climate. By 2021, commitments reached $15 million with purchases from multiple carbon removal startups.
Apple launched Self Service Repair program allowing customers to purchase genuine parts and tools for iPhone and Mac repairs
Apr 1, 2022In November 2021, Apple announced its Self Service Repair program, launching in April 2022 for iPhone 12/13 and M1 Macs. The program made genuine Apple parts, repair manuals, and tools available to consumers for the first time. However, repair advocates noted limitations: tools arrived in two massive 35.8kg pelican cases, parts pairing still restricted many repairs, and analysts assessed the program as a preemptive measure to get ahead of right-to-repair legislation rather than a genuine philosophical shift.
Mozilla Foundation faced scrutiny over executive compensation exceeding $6M while laying off staff
Apr 1, 2022Mozilla's IRS filings revealed CEO Mitchell Baker received compensation packages exceeding $5-6 million annually between 2020-2022, while the organization conducted multiple rounds of layoffs. Critics argued a nonprofit with a public mission shouldn't pay executives tech-company salaries, especially during workforce reductions.
Peter Thiel donated $15 million to support JD Vance's successful 2022 Ohio Senate campaign through the Protect Ohio Values PAC. Vance later became Trump's 2024 running mate and Vice President. Thiel's investment in Vance represents one of the most consequential political donations in recent history.
Intel committed to net-zero Scope 1 and 2 emissions by 2040 and founded Semiconductor Climate Consortium
Apr 1, 2022Intel committed to net-zero greenhouse gas emissions in global operations by 2040, with interim 2030 milestones including 100% renewable electricity, net-positive water use, and zero waste to landfill. Intel co-founded the Semiconductor Climate Consortium and the Catalyze program (a renewable electricity accelerator for the semiconductor supply chain). As of 2024, Intel is 99% toward its renewable electricity goal and achieved net-positive water status in the US, Mexico, Costa Rica, and India. Intel also targets 30% reduction in upstream Scope 3 emissions by 2030 and net-zero by 2050.
DeepMind employees reported failures in harassment grievance process and reputation management over worker protection
Apr 1, 2022In April 2022, current DeepMind employees publicly detailed failures in the company's handling of harassment complaints. Employees described DeepMind leadership offering 'vague platitudes and defensive attempts to discredit the victim' rather than addressing reported harassment by a senior staff member. The employees criticized an 'obsession with reputation management at the cost of employees' well-being,' noting that the grievance process was 'life-changingly terrible' for those who reported harassment.
On April 1, 2022, workers at Amazon's JFK8 warehouse in Staten Island voted 2,654 to 2,131 to form the Amazon Labor Union - the first successful union at any US Amazon facility. Amazon spent over $4 million on anti-union efforts including mandatory meetings, 'Vote No' banners, and hired consulting firms. The NLRB certified the union in January 2023 despite Amazon's objections. Union leader Christian Smalls was previously fired by Amazon in 2020 after organizing a pandemic safety protest.
Samsung partnered with iFixit to sell genuine repair parts and tools directly to consumers
Mar 31, 2022Samsung partnered with iFixit in 2022 to make genuine Samsung parts, tools, and repair guides available for Galaxy devices. Samsung also introduced a Repair Mode feature that protects user data during repairs by hiding personal content, addressing a key concern about third-party repairs. The partnership covered Galaxy S20, S21, and Tab S7+ models at launch and expanded to additional devices.
In fiscal year ending March 31, 2022, SoftBank Vision Fund posted a record 3.5 trillion yen ($27.4 billion) loss as the valuation of its stock portfolio plummeted. The losses reflected failed bets on companies including WeWork, OneWeb, Wirecard, OYO Rooms, Katerra, and Greensill Capital. Son told investors in August 2022 he was 'embarrassed' and 'ashamed' about how he had run the Vision Fund, struggling to persuade investors of the value of his high-risk investment strategy.
MSI refused to withdraw from Russian market after invasion of Ukraine, classified as 'Digging In' by Yale CELI
Mar 28, 2022During the 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine, MSI refused to withdraw from or reduce operations in the Russian market. Yale's Chief Executive Leadership Institute classified MSI in its 'Digging In' category for companies defying demands for exit or reduction. MSI was the only Taiwanese company in the database. MSI claimed it 'abides by all international regulations.'
Pledged up to $10 million matching donation to house Ukrainian refugees through Airbnb.org
Mar 15, 2022On March 15, 2022, Brian Chesky along with co-founders Joe Gebbia, Nathan Blecharczyk and his wife Elizabeth committed to personally match up to $10 million in donations to Airbnb.org to help house refugees fleeing Ukraine. Chesky had previously stated on CNBC that he personally put in 'millions of dollars' to the initiative. By August 2022, Airbnb.org successfully housed 100,000 Ukrainian refugees.
Discord enabled creator monetization with 90% revenue share, supporting communities like Midjourney's 19.6M-member server
Mar 15, 2022Discord expanded Server Subscriptions allowing creators to earn directly on Discord with 90% revenue share (after deductions), with subscriptions ranging from $2.99-$199.99. Servers shaped to match creator brands through banners, roles, custom emojis. Stage Channels enable in-server events like AMAs, seminars, town halls. Midjourney's official Discord server grew to 19,675,403 members, using Discord as community hub where 'people take inspiration from ideas of others and expand their imagination beyond what would be possible if creating on their own.'
European Parliament established PEGA committee of inquiry finding Pegasus sold to at least 14 EU member states
Mar 11, 2022In March 2022, the European Parliament established the PEGA committee to investigate abuses of Pegasus spyware by European member states. The committee found that at least 22 customers in 14 EU member states had purchased Pegasus. During testimony, NSO admitted it only investigates misuse when it receives information from whistleblowers or media. In June 2023, the Parliament adopted a resolution calling for boundaries on law enforcement use of spyware. Despite calls from 86+ human rights organizations, the EU has not imposed direct sanctions on NSO Group.
Clearview AI fined over €70 million by European regulators for illegal facial data collection under GDPR
Mar 9, 2022Multiple European data protection authorities fined Clearview AI for illegal processing of biometric data under GDPR. France's CNIL fined Clearview €20 million in October 2022 and an additional €5.2 million for non-compliance in 2024. Italy's Garante fined €20 million in March 2022. The UK ICO initially fined £7.5 million (later upheld on appeal in October 2025). Greece fined €20 million. Australia found Clearview breached privacy law but imposed no fine. As of late 2025, Clearview had not paid most international fines, and noyb filed criminal charges in Austria against the company and its executives.
On March 8, 2022, Guido van Rossum posted on LinkedIn: 'Stand with Ukraine. The Python logo has Ukrainian colors!' He encouraged donations: 'Here's a web site with many links to organizations helping in Ukraine. Please consider donating; every bit helps.' This demonstrated public opposition to Russian aggression during the 2022 invasion.
Led Bolt's €5M+ donation to Ukraine, removed Russian products, closed Belarus operations
Mar 1, 2022Following Russia's invasion, Markus Villig led Bolt to donate €1M immediately and commit 5% of all European orders to Ukraine support (totaling €5M+). Bolt removed all Russian-associated products from Bolt Market and closed all Belarus operations. He was recognized as Partner of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Estonia for Ukraine support.
Nikolay Storonsky published an open letter calling Russia's invasion 'wrong and totally abhorrent' and calling for an immediate end to fighting. In October 2022, he renounced his Russian citizenship. Revolut matched Red Cross donations and donated 5% of European orders (€5M+) to Ukraine support.
Refused Russian demands to remove Ukraine invasion articles, accepted millions in fines
Mar 1, 2022The Wikimedia Foundation refused Roskomnadzor's demands to remove articles about the Russian invasion of Ukraine, accepting cumulative fines of 8.4 million rubles (approximately $100,000 USD) rather than complying with censorship requests.
Malicious actors exploited flaw in Revolut's payment systems stealing over $20 million in early 2022. Fault stemmed from discrepancies between US and European systems, causing funds to be erroneously refunded using Revolut's own money when transactions were declined. Problem first detected late 2021, but organized criminal groups leveraged loophole by encouraging individuals to make expensive purchases that would be declined. Total $23 million stolen, with some funds recovered.
Bank of Italy banned N26 from onboarding new customers and offering new products/services to existing customers in March 2022 due to 'significant shortcomings in respect of anti-money laundering legislation.' Ban followed on-site inspection October-December 2021. N26 had 750,000 customers in Italy at time of ban. Represents complete market freeze in major European country.
Palmer Luckey personally directed Anduril to deploy personnel and autonomous weapons systems to Ukraine within two weeks of Russia's February 2022 invasion. Anduril's Ghost drones were deployed from the second week of the war. Luckey stated on X that 'Anduril had people/hardware in Ukraine two weeks into the invasion. Our autonomous weapons have destroyed hundreds of millions worth of Russia's war machine.' The UK MoD also contracted Anduril to supply nearly GBP 30 million in Altius loitering munitions to Ukraine in March 2025.
On February 27, 2022, Hiroshi Mikitani announced a personal donation of ¥1 billion (approximately $8.7 million USD) to the Ukrainian government to support it during the Russian invasion. This was a personal contribution, not a corporate donation from Rakuten.
SpaceX deployed Starlink to Ukraine within 48 hours of invasion, providing critical civilian infrastructure
Feb 26, 2022On February 26, 2022, two days after Russia's invasion, Ukrainian minister Mykhailo Fedorov requested Starlink assistance on Twitter. SpaceX activated country-wide service and delivered the first shipment of terminals by February 28. By May 2022, over 150,000 Ukrainians used Starlink daily. Terminals supported hospitals (600 received in one month), schools, railways, government communications, and President Zelenskyy's broadcasts. SpaceX donated 3,667 terminals and initially waived subscription fees. Ukrainian officials called Musk 'one of the biggest private donors' of Ukraine's future victory.
Valve partnered with iFixit for Steam Deck replacement parts and released CAD files under Creative Commons
Feb 25, 2022Valve launched the Steam Deck in February 2022 with official iFixit partnership for replacement parts. The OLED model scored 9/10 for repairability. Valve released CAD design files under Creative Commons for 3D printing and modding, and opened authorized repair centers for mail-in repairs free under warranty.
QA staff paid £16K (below minimum wage) while CEO made $10M; HR dismissed sexual harassment complaints
Feb 11, 2022In 2022, Team17 QA staff reported base pay of £16,000/year (below UK minimum wage), with senior testers earning £19,000 (barely above). Employees reported being unable to 'afford to heat their homes, have 3 meals a day or replace clothes with holes' while CEO Debbie Bestwick made ~$10.24 million and had £200M personal fortune. Women who received 'suggestive and degrading messages and photos from male colleagues' were told by HR to 'handle the issue themselves' or saw perpetrators get 'a slap on the wrist.' One female employee said she feared being 'gaslit' by HR.
Partnered with UAE government to provide big data for policy-making and government initiatives
Feb 3, 2022In February 2022, Meta announced a partnership with the UAE government's Federal Competitiveness and Statistics Centre to support policy-making using Meta's data tools. Meta provides access to real-time aggregate public data on traffic, demographics, and social media use to help the UAE government design future initiatives. The UAE government described it as enhancing 'the effectiveness of government policies' for a country with documented restrictions on speech and press freedom.
Greylock Partners hired Mustafa Suleyman as venture partner despite documented workplace bullying at DeepMind
Feb 3, 2022In early 2022, Greylock Partners hired Mustafa Suleyman as a venture partner. Suleyman had been placed on administrative leave from DeepMind in 2019 following complaints about bullying employees. Suleyman publicly acknowledged the issue, stating he had been 'very demanding and pretty relentless' and that 'a couple of colleagues made a complaint about my management style.' The hiring raised questions about accountability for workplace misconduct in tech leadership.