Google workers to form union after string of protests January 4, 2021 Hundreds of Google employees in the US have formed a union, marking a rare example of organisation in Silicon Valley. More than 200 staff members have signed up to the Alphabet Workers Union (AWU), which also represents other companies owned by Google’s parent group. The union, which is supported by the Communications Workers of America, [...]
Where is Jack Ma? Chinese billionaire ‘missing’ after criticising Beijing January 4, 2021 Speculation has been mounting over the whereabouts of Chinese tech billionaire Jack Ma, who has not been seen in public for two months. Ma, who founded ecommerce behemoth Alibaba, hit the headlines in October when he made a speech criticising China’s financial regulators and state banks. The tycoon was reprimanded by Beijing and the $34bn [...]
Matt Hancock: South African coronavirus mutation ‘more of a problem’ than current strain January 4, 2021 The new South African coronavirus mutation is the fastest-spreading Covid strain yet and will likely present a “very, very significant problem” for the UK, the health secretary has warned. Speaking on the BBC’s Today programme, Hancock said he was “incredibly worried” about the South African variant. “That’s why we took the action that we did [...]
Software startup Ondato moves to London in post-Brexit boost December 31, 2020 Software startup Ondato is establishing new headquarters in London, marking a show of confidence in the UK’s booming tech scene after Brexit. Ondato, which operates biometric authentication software, said it was “undeterred” by the UK’s departure from the EU and would use its new base in Canary Wharf to drive further expansion in Europe. The [...]
British chipmaker Graphcore raises $222m as AI rivalry heats up December 29, 2020 UK chipmaker Graphcore has raised $222m (£164m) in fresh funding as it gears up for growing demand for its technology. The series E funding round takes the Bristol-based firm’s valuation to $2.8bn, making it one of the country’s most valuable unicorns. Graphcore specialises in so-called intelligence processing units (IPU) — a form of chip designed [...]
UK tech jobs bounce back as investment hits record high December 29, 2020 UK tech job vacancies have bounced back strongly as Britain’s booming tech sector shrugged off the Covid-19 pandemic to attract record levels of investment. While job vacancies in the industry dropped sharply at the height of the crisis in July, they have since climbed 50 per cent and are now accumulating at a rate of [...]
The top gadgets of 2020, from the iPhone 12 to the first next gen console December 27, 2020 It already feels like a cliche to describe 2020 as a year we’d rather forget. But it was also a year we found different ways to communicate with each other, and sought solace in digital escapism. In no particular order, here are our favourite gadgets of 2020, with links to our full reviews. Xbox Series [...]
10 video games that defined the strange year that was 2020 December 27, 2020 In a year that blockbuster movies were delayed en masse and people were confined to their homes for months at a time, video games played a more important role than ever in our lives. With the new Xbox Series X and PlayStation 5 finally making an appearance last month, 2020 was also a last hurrah [...]
Google CEO criticises antitrust regulation December 23, 2020 Google's chief executive officer, Sundar Pichai warns that "regulation can get it wrong" in an interview with the Financial Times.
Google employees to work from home until September December 22, 2020 Google has reportedly delayed a return to the office until next September but has ruled out a permanent move to remote working. In an email first seen by the New York Times, Sundar Pichai, chief executive of Google’s parent company Alphabet, told employees they will return to the office on 1 September but expects employees [...]