Letter: Entrepreneurs urge government to consider access to tech talent after Brexit October 18, 2016 Entrepreneurs at the UK's fastest growing startups have signed an open letter urging government to consider the tech industry's need to access international talent in the wake of Brexit. Dear Editor, Britain’s digital industries are expanding at an extraordinary pace, creating jobs and contributing some £161bn in turnover to the economy. Companies like Just Eat, Mimecast, Shazam, Skyscanner, Mimecast and [...]
Yahoo beats Wall Street estimates ahead of Verizon takeover October 18, 2016 Yahoo beat Wall Street earnings estimates in its third quarter earnings, which was a welcome bit of good news for Marissa Mayer’s firm. The company said it earned 20 cents per share on an adjusted basis, above analyst predictions of 14 cents and reported a 6.5 per cent rise in quarterly revenue. But although Yahoo reported [...]
Quiz: Who said it – real Trump or robot Trump? October 18, 2016 Can you tell the difference between Donald Trump and a robot? The Presidential hopeful's Tweets are increasingly erratic as voting day approaches, although, he has always had a peculiar way with 140 characters. Following along with the Presidential election race, there's a Trump Twitter bot that aims to recreate the magic of his tweets using artificial intelligence. Read [...]
Surprise, surprise: Oil majors face a “resoundingly negative” threat from the rise of electric cars October 18, 2016 A leap forward in battery technology could pose a "resoundingly credit negative" threat to the oil sector and disrupt global credit markets, according to a report from Fitch Ratings. Falling demand for fuel could scupper oil majors' prospects in particular as transport accounts for 55 per cent of total oil consumption. "Widespread adoption of battery-powered vehicles is [...]
Skyscanner believed to be considering sale or IPO October 18, 2016 UK unicorn Skyscanner is believed to be exploring a sale or flotation. The travel search company was valued at £1bn in January when it raised $192m (£158m) from five investors in a financing round. Read more: Investment lets 'unicorn' Skyscanner accelerate its global expansion plans Founded in 2003, Skyscanner employs 770 staff, with offices in Edinburgh, Glasgow, [...]
PA to use robots to write market reports and election coverage October 18, 2016 Hello Siri, can you write me a story please? This could be the future of digital journalism after the Press Association said they are looking at using robots to report some stories in the next few months, Press Gazette reported today. Speaking at the Society of Editor's conference this morning, the agency's editor-in-chief, Pete Clifton, [...]
The most powerful man in tech believes the world will become cashless October 18, 2016 The man in charge of the biggest company in the world and arguably the most powerful man in technology – Apple's Tim Cook – has weighed in with his two cents on the future of money. Apple may be rolling around in cash reserves of more than $100bn, but Cook won't be doing a Scrooge McDuck style [...]
Vodafone is heading to Iran with new connection October 18, 2016 Vodafone is entering the newly opened Iranian market in a new tie up after sanctions were eased in the country. The mobile carrier will partner with Iran's HiWEB to offer business customers service in the country while Vodafone will support various parts of HiWEB's business, including marketing, sales, distribution and Internet of Things services. "Vodafone’s corporate customers will get the benefit [...]
UK tech investors are incredibly happy about Softbank’s $100bn fund October 17, 2016 Venture capital investors in London have welcomed the arrival of the world’s biggest ever tech investment fund and the decision to locate it in the capital. Softbank unveiled plans last week to create a huge new fund for investing in technology companies along with the Saudi Arabian sovereign wealth fund to the tune of as much as $100bn [...]
UK firms could face £122bn in cyber security fines in 2018 October 17, 2016 Businesses across the UK could face up to £122bn in regulatory penalties for cyber security breaches when new EU legislation comes into effect in 2018. Last year, 90 per cent of large organisations and 74 per cent of SMEs reported suffering a security breach, according to a government survey. That added up to an estimated total of [...]