Business
Morphe Ends “Commercial Activity” With Jeffree Star
Published
2 years agoon

- When YouTuber Shane Dawson came under fire for his history of racist content and jokes about pedophilia, the makeup retailer Morphe pulled his Conspiracy collection from sale.
- But the brand was slammed by influencers and customers for continuing its partnership with Jeffree Star despite his history of racism, as well as allegations of abusive comments, blackmail, gaslighting, and more.
- Now Morphe says it will “cease all commercial activity related to Jeffree Star and affiliated products.”
- Some are concerned that its emphasis on “commercial activity” could mean that it’s still connected to Star in other ways. However, Morphe has previously denied rumors that Star is a co-owner or investor.
Beauty Community Pulls Support From Morphe
Makeup retailer Morphe announced Friday that it was cutting ties with Jeffree Star following a huge wave of public outrage and controversy within YouTube’s beauty community.
The massive beauty influencer has remained pretty silent since fellow Youtuber Tati Westbrook’s explosive video, “Breaking My Silence.” In that 40-minute video, she suggested that both Star and YouTuber Shane Dawson manipulated her into filming her infamous “Bye Sister” video about James Charles and orchestrated the backlash against him last year.
After Westbrook’s latest claims, the immediate outrage came against Dawson, who was forced to confront a long history of content that includes racist jokes or caricatures and remarks about pedophilia, among other concerning topics.
But people haven’t forgotten about Star. For weeks, he’s faced both new and old allegations of racism, abusive comments, blackmail, gaslighting, and more. Unlike Dawson however, he hasn’t said a word about it.
At the peak of the outrage against Dawson, retailers like Target cut ties with him while YouTube suspended monetization on his channels. Another standout move came from Morphe, which pulled his Conspiracy makeup collection from sale.
Morphe’s move caused some controversy itself. Some called it performative considering the fact that the brand still sold Jeffree Star Cosmetics and collaborations it created with Star despite his past.
When asked about this, the brand told customers via email that it did not “condone or agree with the actions and behavior of Shane Dawson.” However, it wrote that “Jeffree Star has acknowledged mistakes made in the past and has apologized, taken accountability, and worked hard to make amends within the community.”
Morphe makes a statement on why they don’t sell Shane Dawson’s palette anymore.
— 𝙩𝙚𝙖 𝙨𝙚𝙨𝙝 (@TeaSeshYT) July 1, 2020
They “do not condone” Shane’s actions or behavior but Jeffree Star has “taken accountability and has worked hard to make amends within the community”…. pic.twitter.com/yJwoTUQIyV
Some people felt that wasn’t actually the case and questioned Morphe’s allegiance to Star. In response, many began announcing their plans to stop supporting the brand.
It wasn’t just customers who were upset. Several influencers publicly called out the retailer for working with Star Some took it a step further and even terminated their affiliate codes, like Jackie Aina, Alissa Ashley, and Nicol Concilio.
Got rid of my code too
— NICOL CONCILIO (@nicolconcilio) July 2, 2020
Alissa Ashley joins the list of beauty YouTubers and influencers cutting ties with Morphe and reveals that Jeffree Star is allegedly a part owner of the beauty retailer. 👀 pic.twitter.com/IR7YVUW00R
— THE NEIGHBORHOOD TALK (@TNHTalk) July 2, 2020
Morphe Drops Jeffree Star
Morphe finally addressed concerns Friday when it tweeted a statement that read, “Today we’ve made the decision to cease all commercial activity related to Jeffree Star and affiliated products. We expect this to conclude within the coming weeks. As we look to the future, we will continue to share updates on what lies ahead for the Morphe brand.”
Today we’ve made the decision to cease all commercial activity related to Jeffree Star and affiliated products. We expect this to conclude within the coming weeks. As we look to the future, we will continue to share updates on what lies ahead for the Morphe brand.
— Morphe (@MorpheBrushes) July 10, 2020
A short time later, Jeffree Star Cosmetics addressed the news, saying it was “shocked and extremely saddened” by Morphe’s decision. It said it was proud of all they had accomplished after five years of working together and then went on to stay it had incredible plans for the remainder of 2020.
View this post on InstagramA post shared by Jeffree Star Cosmetics (@jeffreestarcosmetics) on
Speculation About Language in Statement
Following this news, many online were pleased. Others called it long overdue while some felt it was too little too late.
Aside from those people, there were a lot who were skeptical about the language used in the statement. Those people were particularly focused on the fact that Morphe said it would “cease all commercial activity” with Star.
For instance, one Twitter user wrote, “the use of ’commercial activity’ means something. It means they may still be continuing “investment activity” with JS, meaning he may still make money through them. Why not just say ‘cease all activity’? Words matter.”
Going to retweet this again just to be a lawyer about it: the use of "commercial activity" means something. It means they may still be continuing "investment activity" with JS, meaning he may still make money through them. Why not just say "cease all activity"? Words matter. https://t.co/VNCKbP8khL
— Kara C (@_kara_c_) July 10, 2020
That idea feeds into the rumor circulating within the beauty space that Star is a co-owner or investor or Morphe. It’s also a rumor that Westbrook suggested could be true in her recent video.
However, it is worth noting that Morphe has previously disputed the rumor. Following Westbrook’s video, a representative told Insider, “We can confirm that Jeffree Star retains no ownership of Morphe.”
“He’s not an investor. He’s not a co-owner. Our only relationship is through retail distribution of Jeffree Star Cosmetics and our 2019 MorpheX collaboration.”
Despite the statement, people have remained suspicious.
Regardless, Morphe’s announcement is a huge deal because it means that Star’s products will no longer be carried both on its website and in Morphe stores across the country. That move will definitely have a financial impact on both brands, but it seems like it was worth it to Morphe if it meant it could help save its reputation with customers.
See what others are saying: (The Verge) (Insider) (Teen Vogue)
Business
Apple Raises Worker Pay as Unions Gain Ground
Published
21 hours agoon
May 26, 2022By
Chris Tolve
The company’s vice president of people and retail was caught trying to dissuade employees from unionizing in a leaked video.
Labor Squeezes Apple into Submission
Apple announced Wednesday that its U.S. corporate and retail employees will see a pay increase later this year, with starting wages bumped from $20 per hour to $22, though stores in certain regions may get more depending on market conditions.
Starting salaries are also expected to increase.
“Supporting and retaining the best team members in the world enables us to deliver the best, most innovative, products and services for our customers,” an Apple spokesman said in a statement. “This year as part of our annual performance review process, we’re increasing our overall compensation budget.”
Some workers were told their annual reviews would be moved up three months and that their pay increases would take effect in early July, according to a memo reviewed by The Wall Street Journal. Furthermore, they were told the increased compensation budget would be in addition to pay increases and special awards already received within the past year.
Feeling squeezed by low unemployment and high inflation, tech companies like Google, Amazon, and Microsoft have changed their compensation structures in recent weeks to pay workers more, and Apple is the latest to bend to market pressure.
Unions Gaining Traction
On Wednesday, The Verge received a leaked video of Apple’s vice president of people and retail, Deirdre O’Brien, explicitly dissuading employees from unionizing.
“I worry about what it would mean to put another organization in the middle of our relationship,” she said. “An organization that does not have a deep understanding of Apple or our business. And most importantly one that I do not believe shares our commitment to you.”
She vocalized more anti-union talking points, like the idea that the company will not be able to make important decisions as quickly with a collective bargaining agreement.
O’Brien has been personally visiting retail stores over the past few weeks in an apparent bid to combat budding union activity.
Apple stores in three locations — New York, Georgia, and Maryland — are currently pushing to unionize, with the latter two set to vote in elections on June 2 and 15, respectively. In response to these efforts, Apple has hired anti-union lawyers, given managers anti-union scripts, and held anti-union captive audience meetings.
In the United States, unionized workers make about 13.2% more than non-unionized workers in the same sector, according to the Economic Policy Institute.
As of Wednesday, Apple’s shares had fallen 21% since the start of the year, but sales grew 34% last year to almost $300 billion.
See what others are saying: (The Wall Street Journal) (CNBC) (The Verge)
Business
Employees at Activision Blizzard’s Raven Software Form First Union at a Major Gaming Company
Published
3 days agoon
May 24, 2022By
Lili Stenn
Organizers say the decision has the potential to upend labor practices in the gaming industry.
Raven Software QA Testers Win Union Bid
A group of 28 workers at Activision Blizzard subsidiary Raven Software voted to form the first-ever union at a major U.S. gaming company.
While the Game Workers Alliance is a small union, organizers in the space say its formation represents a major shift for the gaming industry and will encourage others in the sector to follow suit.
The newly unionized workers are quality insurance (QA) testers working at the Wisconsin-based studio to develop “Call of Duty.” QA testers work to sort out any glitches in games, and the jobs are notoriously known for extreme crunch periods where staffers work long stretches of hours before a game’s release.
During crunch periods, employees are regularly given 12- to 14-hour shifts with just a few days off each month in order to meet release deadlines.
Many QA testers have said they are treated as second-class to others in the industry. They are paid much lower — often minimum wage or close to it — work on contract cycles and, as a result, feel disposable.
That particular sentiment was underscored for workers at Raven Software in December when the company ended the contracts of about a dozen QA testers. The decision prompted the remaining QA testers to hold a walkout and, shortly after that, they began organizing to form a union, which they dubbed the Game Workers Alliance.
Activision’s Battle Against Unionization Effort
Activision did not support the push for unionization and actively fought against it. The company refused to voluntarily recognize the union, and just days after the group filed a petition with the National Labor Relations Board, it moved QA testers to different departments across its properties.
Activision also announced it would convert over 1,000 temporary QA workers to full-time employees, give them a pay raise to $20 an hour, and provide more benefits. However, management said the move would not apply to the unionizing workers because, under federal law, they could not try to encourage workers from voting against unionization by offering pay hikes or benefits. Union leaders repudiated that argument.
Additionally, Activision fought against the union petition, arguing that any union would need to include all of the studio’s employees, but the Labor Board rejected the claim and let the effort proceed.
According to multiple reports, Activision management continued to push against the union in the weeks leading up to the vote. Some Raven employees told The Washington Post company leaders had suggested at a town hall meeting that unionization could hurt game development and impact promotions and benefits. The following day, the managers allegedly sent an email urging workers to “vote no.”
On Monday, Labor Board prosecutors announced they had determined that Activision illegally threatened workers and enforced a social media policy that violated bargaining rights. Activision denied the new allegations.
The two parties will have until the end of the month to file an objection, and if none are filed, the union becomes official. It is currently unclear how Activision and Raven will respond, but they have signaled that they might not make the transition period easy for the union.
According to internal documents seen by Bloomberg, the company has repeatedly mentioned that it can take a while for a union to negotiate its first contract.
In a statement following the vote, an Activision spokesperson told The Post that the company respects the right of its employees to vote for or against a union, but added: “We believe that an important decision that will impact the entire Raven Software studio of roughly 350 people should not be made by 19 of Raven employees. We’re committed to doing what’s best for the studio and our employees.”
See what others are saying: (The New York Times) (The Washington Post) (Bloomberg)
Business
Uber Forks Over $19 Million in Fine for Misleading Australian Riders
Published
1 month agoon
April 26, 2022By
Chris Tolve
The penalty is just the latest in a string of lawsuits going back years.
Uber Gets Fined
Uber has agreed to pay a $19 million fine after being sued by the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission for making false or misleading statements in its app.
The first offense stems from a company policy that allows users to cancel their ride at no cost up to five minutes after the driver has accepted the trip. Despite the terms, between at least December 2017 and September 2021, over two million Australians who wanted to cancel their ride were nevertheless warned that they may be charged a small fee for doing so.
Uber said in a statement that almost all of those users decided to cancel their trips despite the warnings.
The cancellation message has since been changed to: “You won’t be charged a cancellation fee.”
The second offense, occurring between June 2018 and August 2020, involved the company showing customers in Sydney inflated estimates of taxi fares on the app.
The commission said that Uber did not ensure the algorithm used to calculate the prices was accurate, leading to actual fares almost always being higher than estimated ones.
The taxi fare feature was removed in August 2020.
A Troubled Legal History
Uber has been sued for misleading its users or unfairly charging customers in the past.
In 2016, the company paid California-based prosecutors up to $25 million for misleading riders about the safety of its service.
An investigation at the time found that at least 25 of Uber’s approved drivers had serious criminal convictions including identity theft, burglary, child sex offenses and even one murder charge, despite background checks.
In 2017, the company also settled a lawsuit by the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) for $20 million after it misled drivers about how much money they could earn.
In November 2021, the Justice Department sued the company for allegedly charging disabled customers a wait-time fee even though they needed more time to get in the car, then refused to refund them.
Later the same month, a class-action lawsuit in New York alleged that Uber charged riders a final price higher than the upfront price listed when they ordered the ride.
See what others are saying: (ABC) (NASDAQ) (Los Angeles Times)

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