American politics are making international headlines yet again with the latest on Roe v. Wade and gun rights.
Tech companies, including gaming studios, have weighed in on the developments, particularly the U.S. Supreme Court's decision to overturn women's constitutional right to abortion. Did these developments impact this week's ratings? Let's find out. 🔍
Apple 👑 remained in the #1 spot this week despite a 12% decline in trending interest. The tech behemoth confirmed that it would cover medical expenses for employees in Texas who have to travel outside of the state for abortions, joining a slew of companies that are helping workers access reproductive health care in light of the U.S. Supreme Court ruling.
Also on the list is Amazon 📦, which climbed to the #2 spot this week. The daddy of all things eCommerce, which also doubles down as the second-largest private employer in the U.S., had already informed employees all the way back in May that it would pay up to $4,000 in travel expenses annually for non-life-threatening medical treatments including abortions.
At the time, a leak of a Supreme Court draft opinion indicated that the U.S.'s highest court would overturn Roe v. Wade — effectively restricting or banning abortion services in more than two dozen U.S. states, and Amazon's memo was likely meant to help retain and attract talent despite legal changes impacting employees' health.
This week's #3, Coinbase 🪙, was mum on the issue. The largest cryptocurrency exchange in the U.S. is already going through a lot due to a freefall in markets and problems at several major industry players, including Three Arrows Capital and Celsius Network, though anyone considering using digital currencies and/or forming decentralized autonomous organizations, or DAOs, to raise funds for abortion and related causes may want to consider reading this excellent article from The New York Times detailing how that's not as great of an idea as some may believe.
Microsoft 🖥️ took a similar route as Amazon, informing employees all the way back in May that it would provide travel expense reimbursement for employees seeking abortions and gender-affirming care anywhere in the country. The company, listed #4 in HackerNoon's weekly trending tech company report, reaffirmed its commitment following the Supreme Court decision.
Intel 💻 wraps up this week's rankings at the #5 spot. While not exactly mum on the issue like Coinbase, the company's stance on the issue is rather ambiguous. The semiconductor manufacturer says it "respects the rights and privacy of our employees to choose what best meets their health needs [..] including abortion where permitted."
Additional note: Privacy is going to be a major concern for individuals opting for abortion, and it is yet unclear how tech giants plan to process data and maneuver around regulations in light of the latest Supreme Court ruling.
Thank you for reading this week’s Tech Company Brief. If you'd like to follow these rankings in real-time, feel free to head down here. See y'all next week.
PEACE! ☮️
