Workspace hub Knotel thinks it’s solved Wework’s business model problems September 26, 2019 Wework’s ill-fated initial public offering (IPO) will have only a “limited” impact on the fortunes of flexible workspace rival Knotel, the firm’s boss has said. Tom Dugarin, Knotel’s UK general manager, played down concerns about Wework’s troubled listing, saying his company had a more sustainable business model. Read more: Wework rival Knotel expands London presence [...]
Boaty McBoatface: Antarctic vessel officially named the RSS Sir David Attenborough September 26, 2019 A polar research vessel that the public voted to name Boaty McBoatface is ready to be launched today on the River Mersey. The ship will be called the RRS Sir David Attenborough after the famous naturalist, and will allow scientists to undertake more advanced explorations in the Arctic and Antarctic. Read more: Attenborough and the [...]
Reality is finally catching up with overblown Silicon Valley rhetoric September 26, 2019 Rhetoric, the art of persuasion, was the backbone of a classical education. Today the term is more often pejorative: rhetoric is found wherever reality isn’t. No fantasy, however, can be long sustained. If rhetoric is to deliver its original purpose and persuade, it cannot escape reality for long. So Silicon Valley is discovering. For over [...]
Gone phishing: How easy is it to fall for a fake email? September 26, 2019 Some time ago, I received an odd email allegedly from Google, saying that it had received a request to delete my Gmail account. According to the message, I had just 48 hours to cancel the request. All I had to do was click on a link and enter my account details. I had not made [...]
Ecommerce needs a new approach to fraud prevention September 26, 2019 In 2018, global ecommerce sales reached £2.27 trillion – a staggering number, and an 18 per cent increase over 2017. That growth will continue, as ecommerce reaches new markets and consumers become more comfortable with shopping online. It’s a huge opportunity for retailers, but there’s a risk that threatens to hold it back – fraud. Ecommerce purchases [...]
US proposes $1bn fund to replace Huawei network equipment September 25, 2019 US politicians have outlined plans for a $1bn (£805m) fund that would allow small telecoms firms to replace network equipment made by controversial Chinese tech giant Huawei. The proposed bipartisan legislation comes after a bill approved by the US Senate Commerce Committee in July that would allow roughly $700m in grants to remove Huawei equipment. [...]
FDM Group taps Tech UK chair Jacqueline de Rojas to join board September 25, 2019 Recruitment firm FDM Group today said it has appointed tech titan Jacqueline de Rojas as a non-executive director. Read more: London overtakes New York to steal global fintech investment crown De Rojas, who is president of trade associations Tech UK and Digital Leaders, will join the board of the FTSE 250 firm from the beginning [...]
Google refuses to pay European publishers for news story previews September 25, 2019 Google will not pay European news publishers to show previews of their content in its search results, the tech giant has revealed. In a blog post published today, Google said its news search service in France will only display previews of articles when the publisher has given permission for it to be used for free. [...]
Microsoft issues emergency security fix for Internet Explorer September 24, 2019 Microsoft has released an emergency patch for its ageing Internet Explorer browser to fix a bug that hackers have used to exploit web users. Read more: Microsoft invests $1bn in Elon Musk’s Open AI The US tech giant warned users that cyber thieves could use the bug to take over people’s devices and install malware. [...]
Softbank executives bristle at Vision Fund investment scheme September 24, 2019 Some executives at Japanese technology titan Softbank have reportedly expressed concerns about an incentive scheme whereby employees can take out large personal loans to invest in the group’s Vision Fund. The investment scheme is designed to align the interests of employees with the $97bn technology fund, but the Financial Times reported the scheme is described [...]