TechEquity

10/13/2026

Attending Circuit Breakers in NYC this year?

TechEquity, What We Will, and Amazon Workers for Climate Justice are co-hosting an interactive session at Circuit Breakers on October 18th, 10:30am-12:00pm ET. Participants will explore a workers’ vision for AI as a counterpoint to management’s narratives.

Learn how to apply organizing, policy, and research as mutually reinforcing strategies to give coworkers imagination and concrete solutions so that everyone feels more empowered to organize for change.

It’s not too late to register!

Circuit Breakers is a conference for organizers and activists in the tech industry to come together and learn, build community, strategize, and recognize our collective power. It will be held October 17-18, 2026, in New York City.

10/13/2026

OpenAI CEO Sam Altman thinks “the world should accept some bad things happening” for the benefits of AI. But what bad things is he having to experience? And what benefits is he really working to provide to the public?

The OpenAI CEO sought to distinguish his policy stance from rival developer Anthropic.

10/12/2026

September 30, 2026, marked a winning moment for California families, workers, and small businesses. In addition to signing the COMPETE Act, Governor Newsom signed into law a package of bills that protect workers from AI systems, establishing first-in-the-nation protections for California workers facing the risks of unregulated AI in the workplace.

Getting these bills across the finish line wasn’t easy. Big Tech and other corporate interest groups spent big to weaken these bills as they went through the process. But workers, advocates, and small business owners mobilized and refused to back down. This is a powerful example of what can happen when everyday people come together to beat out a flood of tech money.

But it also wasn’t a clean sweep for Californians…

Everyday Californians can play a role in the government beyond voting. If you choose to accept, you can help pass a bill that may become law.

10/12/2026

OpenAI CEO Sam Altman thinks “the world should accept some bad things happening” for the benefits of AI. But what bad things is he having to experience? And what benefits is he really working to provide the public?

The OpenAI CEO sought to distinguish his policy stance from rival developer Anthropic.

10/09/2026

It's Friday! Which means it's time for the things you need to read this week to understand tech’s impact on our economy, with TechEquity Founder and CEO Catherine Bracy:

1) OpenAI CEO Sam Altman thinks “the world should accept some bad things happening” for the benefits of AI. But what bad things is he having to experience? And what benefits is he really working to provide the public? With that in mind… https://ow.ly/naM350ZWoxt

2) A new federal lawsuit alleges that McDonald’s violated antitrust laws with its AI-enhanced pricing because it shares nonpublic data with franchisees who may compete in the same market. https://ow.ly/ajl050ZWoxv

3) Hospitals across the country are adopting AI scheduling software that nurses and other staff say seems to ignore their scheduling requests and sometimes assigns back-to-back shifts. They can flag problematic shifts, but the centralized, opaque process leaves nurses burned out and puts patients at risk. https://ow.ly/3r7j50ZWoxu

4) The US Senate blocked an opportunity to address rising electricity costs linked to the nationwide data center boom. https://ow.ly/O5cH50ZWoxw

5) Is it a surprise, considering that AI executives are spending so much money trying to influence our elections? https://ow.ly/Vb2N50ZWoxr

That's it for this week. Leave your in the comments, and follow us for more news about tech's impact on the economy.

The OpenAI CEO sought to distinguish his policy stance from rival developer Anthropic.

10/09/2026

The human contractors reviewing Copilot AI prompts are not okay. A new worker misclassification lawsuit, though, may at least ensure that AI data trainers like them get better pay and benefits in the future.

https://ow.ly/U8yh50ZWof8
https://ow.ly/ig5350ZWof5

Human contractors are reviewing Copilot users’ prompts and uploaded images, according to internal documents obtained by 404 Media. The contractors are also bombarded with users’ requests for sexual AI images.

10/08/2026

Is AI coming for your job? Researchers aren’t as certain as news headlines suggest.

Some of the most expansive, rigorous research we read found it's unclear whether, when, or how AI will displace jobs, but these papers are less likely to be cited in the news. So what’s really going on?

Check out "AI and Jobs: Know the Story, Shape the Future," an interactive breakdown of what the research actually can and cannot confirm, so workers can understand how AI is affecting work and be better equipped to shape the future they want to see. https://ow.ly/5ByJ50ZVYzy

10/08/2026

Big Tech wants big data centers but doesn't seem willing to pay the big money that comes with them. Oracle recently cited “force majeure” to put off payments for a controversial data center in New Mexico, while Meta uses its data centers to avoid paying billions in federal taxes.

https://ow.ly/PZg450ZVYlN
https://ow.ly/jKOw50ZVYlO

Oracle Corp. is moving to shield itself from racking up expenses on a massive data center being built in New Mexico, adding a fresh wrinkle to a project beset by opposition and regulatory setbacks.

10/07/2026

TOMORROW AT 10AM PT: TechEquity Managing Director Jonathan Mehta Stein joins Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF) to discuss the current state of election privacy and cybersecurity—find out more about what protects your vote after you submit your ballot.

Voting is a right. But voting records are highly sensitive. Once you cast your vote, how does the technology in the voting booth and the policy of the country protect voting access and democracy? For decades, advocates have fought for strong cybersecurity standards at polling places and fought in...