Alibaba’s Jack Ma steps down from Softbank board May 18, 2020 Softbank has announced that Alibaba co-founder Jack Ma will resign from its board, in the latest high-profile exit for the technology group. The resignation of Jack Ma, after 13 years on the board, is the latest departure of critics of Softbank founder Masayoshi Son’s pivot towards a £100bn investment fund. Ma did not give a [...]
The City View podcast: Why coronavirus is making the case for e-scooters May 15, 2020 London’s Olympic site now hosts a vast innovation campus, Here East, home to over 4,000 people working in technology, advanced manufacturing, transport and the creative industries. Subscribe to The City View Podcast: Apple / Google / Spotify / RSS It was a thriving, buzzing village but the lockdown has emptied its streets. CEO Gavin Poole talks about how they’re helping tenants and [...]
France to push ahead with tax on internet giants despite US anger May 14, 2020 France will push ahead with its tax on internet giants this year, its finance minister said today. In January France offered to suspend its tax on big digital companies’ income in until the end of the year while an international agreement on cross-border taxation was negotiated this year. “Never has a digital tax been more [...]
Domino’s slams Amazon’s £442m investment in Deliveroo May 14, 2020 Pizza takeaway chain Domino’s has slammed a watchdog’s decision to give the go-ahead to Amazon’s £442m investment in Deliveroo, saying the decision will harm competition and consumers. The Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) provisionally cleared the investment in April over concerns that Deliveroo could collapse without extra financial backing due restaurant closures during the coronavirus [...]
Donald Trump extends US Huawei ban by another year May 14, 2020 US President Donald Trump has extended his country’s ban on controversial Chinese tech firm Huawei for a further year. Trump last year declared a national emergency and signed an executive order banning US companies from using telecoms kit made by firms that posed a national security risk. The order, which is aimed primarily at Chinese [...]
Uber to spend $50m on safety kit as it tells drivers and passengers to wear masks May 13, 2020 Uber has set aside $50m (£41m) to buy personal protective equipment for drivers as it introduces new rules requiring all users to wear face masks. Chief executive Dara Khosrowshahi today told reporters that the ride-hailing app will roll out a string of new safety measures as it looks to address concerns about the Covid-19 pandemic. [...]
France to force tech giants to remove harmful content within the hour May 13, 2020 Social media companies will be forced to remove the most harmful content from their platforms within an hour or face hefty fines under new French laws passed today. Firms such as Facebook, Google and Twitter could be fined up to four per cent of their global revenue if they fail to comply with the new [...]
Tencent revenue rises as Covid-19 lockdown drives mobile gaming boom May 13, 2020 Tencent today posted a rise in revenue and profit for the first quarter as global coronavirus lockdowns boosted demand for its blockbuster mobile games. The Chinese tech conglomerate posted revenue of 108bn yuan (£12.4bn) in the first three months of the year — up 26 per cent year on year. Profit attributable to equity holders [...]
Interserve hit by cyber attack as hackers target hospital construction firms May 13, 2020 Outsourcing group Interserve has been left reeling from a cyber attack earlier this month as criminals target construction firms involved in the UK’s coronavirus response. Hackers broke into an HR database and stole details of current and former employees, the Telegraph reported, citing a company insider. It is not clear exactly what data was stolen, [...]
Twitter allows staff to work from home permanently May 13, 2020 Twitter has told employees they can work from home “forever” as the social media firm adapts to new working conditions caused by the Covid-19 pandemic. In a company-wide email yesterday chief executive Jack Dorsey said Twitter had been one of the first adopters of the flexible working model and would allow staff to continue to [...]