WPP to merge JWT and Wunderman as part of streamlining plan November 26, 2018 Advertising giant WPP is merging its J Walter Thompson (JWT) and Wunderman agencies as the company attempts to streamline its complex business structure. The deal to combine the two subsidiaries will create a new entity called Wunderman Thompson, which will have headquarters in New York and London. The new company will employ roughly 20,000 people in 200 [...]
Russian watchdog opens civil case against Google November 26, 2018 Russia's communications watchdog has formally opened a civil case against Google for failure to comply with state requirements to remove search results for banned websites. The watchdog Roskomnadzor said Google had not yet joined the state registry that lists all banned websites which the Kremlin believes could contain illegal information. As this leaves Google in contravention [...]
Tech giants criticised for lack of transparency over political lobbying November 26, 2018 Tech behemoths Amazon, Facebook and Google are among the worst companies for failing to offer transparency over their political lobbying efforts, according to Transparency International UK. The organisation's report into corporate political engagement, published today, included assessments of UK companies’ political contributions and lobbying, as well as the so-called revolving door between corporations and politics. Transparency [...]
MPs and businesses urged to boycott Google and Facebook over alleged failure to tackle UK terror November 22, 2018 Tech firms such as Google and Facebook have come under fire from the UK's parliamentary security committee, as a report published today urged businesses to boycott the social media platforms until they do more to tackle extremism. The Intelligence and Security Committee (ISC) said continuous appeals to social media firms to stop their systems from being [...]
Google updates European policy on political ads to fight fake news ahead of elections November 22, 2018 Google has said it will roll out new features and policies across Europe to provide deeper transparency around companies who take out political advertisements on its platform, ahead of the European Parliament elections next year. Google's director of EU public policy Lie Junius said Google will now require any ads that mention a political party, candidate [...]
Buzzfeed founder hints at media mega-merger as the publisher launches new membership scheme November 20, 2018 Buzzfeed’s chief executive has said he would consider a merger with other media organisations as the publisher launches a shake-up of its business model. Jonah Peretti, who co-founded the website in 2006, said on Monday a series of mergers between online media companies could be the answer to the current challenges faced by news organisations. [...]
Meet London’s 25 under 25 up and coming tech stars November 20, 2018 Industry network Tech London Advocates has today launched its first 25 under 25 list, highlighting the best and brightest of the UK's next generation of tech talent. Gathering insight and nominations from its community of over 6,000 technology leaders, founders and investors, the list aims to recognise the breadth of tech expertise in the UK and [...]
Imposter syndrome is real, but don’t let it make you feel like a fraud November 20, 2018 I have a confession. My whole working life, I have carried a secret: I feel like I’m going to be found out. This feeling is called “imposter syndrome”, and through telling my story, I have learned that I am not alone. Some of the best of us have experienced it: Albert Einstein, American poet and [...]
European tech stocks slump in worst fall for seven years on Apple woes November 20, 2018 European technology stocks have been hit by their biggest quarterly drop since 2011, after production worries for Apple caused a global industry wobble. Stocks on the pan-European stoxx 600 tech index fell more than 1.8 per cent in trading this morning, hitting its lowest level since February 2017 and charting a quarterly loss of more than 14 [...]
Banks should watch out – the fintech era has barely begun November 20, 2018 The fintech sector makes a lot of noise in London. There’s an endless stream of news about open banking and challenger banks, while the traditional finance sector watches on with a mixture of admiration and suspicion. Banks have come under attack, not only from the hype-machine, but more meaningfully from startups. Traditional finance providers that assumed [...]