Get Ready for a Wake-Up Call: Here’s the Unvarnished Truth About Women in Tech

As the curtain closes on this year’s Women’s Month, six powerful female executives in the tech industry shared their unfiltered thoughts about the industry’s biggest challenges. Their no-holds-barred discussion at the Amazon Web Services (AWS) executive Women in Tech panel yesterday was a stark reminder that women still face a multitude of obstacles, from stereotypes to unconscious bias, just to make it in the competitive world of tech.

The panelists, comprising Devi Moodley (Old Mutual head of cloud enablement), Itumeleng Monale (JSE COO), Melanie McGrory (AWS EMEA director of technology), Hepsy Mkhungo (One Linkage CEO and co-founder), Jyoti Ball (incoming GM for AWS Sub-Saharan Africa), and a few other industry heavy hitters, revealed the harsh realities of being a woman in tech. From the moment McGrory walked into her first interview, she was confronted with the age-old stereotype that women tend to leave the workforce when they become pregnant.

“We need to keep challenging these stereotypes,” McGrory emphasized. “Women are still being asked if they plan to have children, and it’s no wonder we’re still vastly underrepresented in the industry.”

Monale echoed McGrory’s sentiments, lamenting the fact that women often feel compelled to conform to traditional dress codes or be seen as “too feminine” to succeed in the tech world.

“You can’t just show up and be yourself,” Monale cautioned. “You have to be willing to take a stand and challenge the status quo if you want to see real change.”

As the conversation turned to statistics, the panelists were confronted with the sobering reality that women only hold 23% of tech roles globally – and an even smaller percentage in areas like cloud and DevOps.

“We can’t just sit back and wait for a magic solution to appear,” McGrory urged. “We need to take responsibility for creating change and making diversity, equity, and inclusion a top priority.”

The panellists also emphasized the importance of engaging little girls in STEM education from a young age, citing the success of programs in Eastern Europe and the Middle East that focus on girls from nursery school onwards.

“We’re starting too late in South Africa,” Moodley lamented. “Maths and science are seen as hard and exclusive, which is why we’re failing to produce a pipeline of female talent.”

Finally, the panelists stressed that a tech degree is not a prerequisite for a career in tech.

“The biggest myth is that you need a tech degree to be in tech,” Moodley said. “You can still have a successful career in tech without it. We need to break down those barriers and create more opportunities for women.”

The unvarnished truth is that women in tech are not just fighting for a seat at the table – they’re fighting for survival. It’s time for the tech industry to wake up and take responsibility for the change that needs to happen.

The Ultimate Invasion of Your Personal Space: How "Stratospheric Balloons" Can Spy on You

[Caption: A Project Loon internet balloon being deployed. But little do you know, these balloons have bigger plans.]

Imagine a world where your every move is monitored and tracked by a network of invisible spy stations hovering above the Earth. Sound far-fetched? Think again.

Meet the "Stratospheric Balloons," aka "Platform Stations," a clandestine operation that’s been dubbed the "next generation" of digital surveillance. These high-flying snoops are capable of transmitting data, intercepting messages, and even eavesdropping on phone calls – all while evading detection.

The Billion-Dollar Question: Why on Earth Would Anyone Do This?

The answer lies in the words of the masterminds behind the "Stratospheric Balloons": "We’re closing the digital divide." But don’t be fooled – this is a code phrase for "We want to control your every move, 24/7."

The Techno-Terror Behind This High-Flying Surveillance State

These "Platform Stations" utilize cutting-edge technology, including solar cells, high-energy-density batteries, green hydrogen internal combustion engines, and even plans for laser beam powering from ground-or space-based solar stations. It’s a smorgasbord of technocratic terror.

Don’t Believe the Hype: The Stratospheric Balloons Will Only Widen the Wealth Gap

While proponents claim this network will bridge the digital divide, it will likely exacerbate the wealth gap even further. Those with access to the infrastructure will have an unfair advantage in their daily lives, while the underserved will be left behind in an even more precarious situation.

The Future of Surveillance: An Apocalyptic Nightmare

As you soar through the skies, you’ll no longer be able to escape the unblinking eye of the "Stratospheric Balloons." Think of it as a 4K-resolution surveillance system watching your every move, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, 365 days a year. Sleep tight!

Join the Resistance: Say No to Stratospheric Surveillance

Don’t let Big Brother watch your every move! Raise your voice against this digital terror and demand a safer, more private online experience.

Stay paranoid, stay vigilant, and stay safe, folks!

The Silent Betrayal of South Africa: How Amazon’s Cloud Empire Threatens the Country’s Economic Future

Twenty years ago, Amazon’s cloud arm, AWS, set its sights on the African continent. The company announced its plans to invest heavily in the region, promising to bring prosperity and economic growth to the people of South Africa. Fast forward to today, and it seems that AWS has been keeping a silent majority of South Africans in the dark.

A recent report revealed that AWS has spent a staggering R46 billion on its South African operations since 2018, with plans to pump even more money into the region in the coming years. But what does this really mean for the South African economy? The answer is not as rosy as one would expect.

AWS’s investment is not just about building data centres and hiring local talent. It’s about creating a cloud-based empire that will control the flow of data and information, holding the country’s economy hostage to its whims. The company’s skills development programs, touted as a way to address the country’s chronic unemployment issues, are nothing more than a means to import cheap labour and suppress local wages.

The statistics are damning. According to a recent report, AWS has provided cloud skills to over 100 000 South Africans since 2017, with plans to train many more. But how many of these people are actually working in the tech industry? The answer is woefully low. Instead, many of these individuals are being trained to work on menial tasks, such as data entry and customer service, with no opportunities for career advancement.

And what about the jobs that are being supported by AWS’s investment? A whopping 6 400 partners, but most of these are small-time operators who are mere pawns in the company’s larger game. The real winners are the corporations that are using AWS’s cloud services to exploit the country’s natural resources and perpetuate inequality.

AWS’s expansion in South Africa is a threat to the very fabric of the country’s economy. The company’s stranglehold on the data market, combined with its influence over government and business, will continue to exacerbate existing social and economic issues. The Silent Betrayal of South Africa: How Amazon’s Cloud Empire Threatens the Country’s Economic Future