Microsoft, Bumble vs Tinder: Broadsheet March 30

Good morning, Broadsheet readers! Bumble hits back at Match Group, music exec Charlie Walk walks, and Microsoft sends out a male-centric memo. Have a wonderful weekend.

EVERYONE'S TALKING

• When pie charts are people. Yesterday, Microsoft set off a minor kerfluffle in the tech world when it announced that it will reorg the company to focus a large portion of its operation on two main divisions: “Experiences & Devices” and “Cloud + AI.” (Fortune has in-depth coverage of exactly what that means for Microsoft here and here.)

But it's not just the implications for Windows that caught the eye of some keen observers, who noted that of the 20 or so executives mentioned in the memo that CEO Satya Nadella released to explain the changes, only one is female.

Given the gender breakdown of Microsoft's employees—19% of its technical workforce and 19% of its leadership was female in 2017—perhaps this shouldn't come as a surprise. (To give the company some credit, both of those stats are up slightly from 2016). Yet to see such a laundry list of the company's tech stars—and to realize that it's populated almost exclusively by men—hits home in a way that those company-wide gender diversity pie charts never quite do.

ALSO IN THE HEADLINES

• Bumble stings back. The battle of the dating apps is heating up: After Tinder parent Match Group filed a patent infringement lawsuit against Bumble earlier this month, the Whitney Wolfe-led company is hitting back with a suit of its own. Among other things, Bumble is alleging that Match Group used acquisition talks as an opportunity to access Bumble's trade secrets. (Match Group denies the allegations.) Fortune

• Home state disadvantage. As a native Vermonter, it's surprising to me that the state has never sent a woman to Congress. While it's difficult to entirely dismiss sexism as a factor, this Bustle story makes a strong case for a dual cause: Vermont's tiny number of Congressional seats and the unusual power of its incumbents. Bustle

• Walk walks. After a two-month investigation, Charlie Walk, president of the Republic Group, is leaving the record label amid sexual harassment allegations. Walk, who has worked with artists including Lorde and Ariana Grande, was accused of persistent harassment and inappropriate touching by at least six women who had worked with him. New York Times

• ICE cold. The Daily Beast reports that Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) is ending its practice of automatically releasing pregnant women from detention. The change stems from an executive order issued by President Trump that requires stricter enforcement of immigration laws. Previously, the agency’s general practice was to release pregnant women from detention. Now, they will only be released based on case-by-case determinations by ICE officers. The Daily Beast

IN CASE YOU MISSED IT

• Slow sorry. Fox News host Laura Ingraham apologized for mocking Parkland school shooting survivor David Hogg yesterday—but only after Hogg started organizing an advertiser boycott of her show, The Ingraham Angle. Fortune

• 50+ and fab. Getting tired of lists promoting 20- and 30-something leaders? Check out this Good Housekeeping look at 10 women over 50 who are changing the world. Good Housekeeping

• He knows ratings. The premiere episode of the Roseanne revival was watched by a stunning 18.2 million viewers—a ratings coup that was not missed by President Trump. Trump even called producer and star Roseanne Barr, who is a supporter of the president, both IRL and as an on-screen character, to offer his congratulations. Fortune

Share today's Broadsheet with a friend.
Looking for previous Broadsheets? Click here.