Hiring managers at private-sector companies in New York City could soon be fined for asking about potential employee's salary history, per WSJ. Some argue it's the latest effort in closing the gender wage gap.
Why it matters: Job seekers' previous salary is an increasingly influential factor in securing their next job. For some, having a higher salary history than a future employer can match could affect a person's chance of being hired. On the flip side, having a lower salary, especially as a woman or minority applicant, could maintain the gender wage gap, since most employers negotiate a new salary based with the job seeker's previous salary in mind.
"Stars Wars: The Last Jedi" won't arrive in our galaxy until Dec. 15, but a trailer that dropped yesterday (16 million views just of the official YouTube video, with copies all over the web) provided more online excitement and debate than most actual movies.
Entertainment Weekly calls the clip "our first glimpse into the galaxy after civil war was reignited in The Force Awakens."
Han Solo is gone. Luke Skywalker has been found. And although General Leia Organa's Resistance has knocked back the First Order, those Imperial wannabes remain a volatile threat under the command of General Hux, and the enigmatic Supreme Leader Snoke.
Wired's Brian Raftery: "[P]erhaps what's most notable is that no one is having any fun. Rey (Daisy Ridley) is trying to learn the Force from a cranky, Hoth-cold Luke Skywalker (Mark Hamill), who tells her, "I only know one truth: It's time for the Jedi to end.'"
Boston's local Fox affiliate, WFXT (Channel 25) Fox 25 News, will be dropping "Fox" from its newscast name since the national brand name of Fox News has negatively impacted the local station, according to The Boston Globe. It has been independently produced since 2014, when it was acquired by Cox Media Group, and will go by "Boston 25 News" starting April 24.
The liability: It is located in liberal Boston, with a decidedly liberal audience — Massachusetts has gone blue since 1988 — but 41% of Boston-area news consumers believed local Fox 25 was conservative despite running impartial newscasts. Plus, the station has recently reported declining ratings. Other local Fox affiliates in Tennessee, Oklahoma, and Florida will not be changing their names.
WFXT General Manager Tom Raponi said the decision does not reflect the fact that Fox News is dealing with the public perception of sexual harassment allegations against anchor Bill O'Reilly and former CEO Roger Ailes.
Viacom Inc., AMC Networks Inc., and Discovery Communications Inc. are discussing plans with pay-TV distributors to make entertainment-only bundles for consumers who don't watch sports TV, according to Bloomberg.
The details: The group of cable programmers is talking with four to six pay-TV distributors, in various stages of negotiations.
The price tag: At least one service could be offered this year, and these packages could be less than $20 per month. That would be cheaper than YouTube's live TV service, which launched last week, and Hulu's incoming live TV service. It might be a web bundle.
Sam Altman, the president of prestigious Silicon Valley startup accelerator Y Combinator, has been expanding the organization's scope into areas such as researching cities. He also made headlines last year for his vocal opposition to Donald Trump while also maintaining his ties to investor and Trump-supporter Peter Thiel. Speaking at The Commonwealth Club of California in San Francisco, Altman talked about the state of Trump and technology.
Big takeaway: Despite his criticism of Trump, Altman says the President is right one thing — that the tech industry is partly responsible for the fact that so many Americans feel left behind. Still, he said, "I don't think he's right about how to solve it."
Facebook said yesterday that it's beating Snapchat at its own game, announcing that Instagram Stories finally exceeded rival Snapchat in its number of daily active users. What should have been a great day for Facebook was overshadowed by controversy.
The issues: Facebook said "human error" failed to remove child pornography and terrorist content from its site after being flagged and reports spread that it broadcast a teen who accidentally killed himself live on Instagram.
Why it matters: Facebook has been trying to clean up the content on its site, but the moves are continually overshadowed by new controversies, allowing the advertising community to build a mounting narrative against running automated ads on its platforms. Several ad executives told Axios they're advising clients to consider buying more ads from publishers directly to avoid appearing next to controversial content.
