Black Monday: Tech stocks nosedive with Netflix share price leading the plunge, and Apple, Twitter, Facebook, Google following August 24, 2015 Tech stocks are taking a severe beating as US markets join today’s global stock market rout, with Netflix down over 11 per cent. The US’s tech-heavy Nasdaq index opened over four per cent down, following huge falls in both Asia and Europe amid investors’ fears that China’s slowing economy would lead a global slowdown. Media [...]
UK fights back at the Streisand Effect, orders Google to remove links to “right to be forgotten” stories August 21, 2015 How do you get the internet to forget something? Over a year after the EU’s “right to be forgotten” ruling against Google, there’s still a dilemma left unsolved, which the UK has now taken steps to tackle. The Information Commissioner’s office (ICO) has ordered the search giant to remove links to news stories about the [...]
Google spins off life sciences to become own company under Alphabet with Andy Conrad as chief exec August 21, 2015 Google’s life sciences team is about to become a standalone company. Formerly part of the tech giant’s secretive research organisation Google X, the company has now confirmed speculation that it’s to be spun off into a company of its own under Alphabet. Co-founder Sergey Brin wrote in a blog post today that the goal would [...]
From TfL Tube strike and VJ 70 Day to Google’s transformation and London’s Plague pits: Here’s what got us talking this week August 15, 2015 A tennis player got fined for not playing cricket. The Labour leadership contest turned nasty. And somewhere in Covent Garden was the sound of the house price market going super-sonic. Here's what got us talking this week 1. We are pretty tight when it comes to tipping Yep, turns out we're pretty stingy. But not [...]
What’s in a name? Why Google’s transition to Alphabet is great news for investors August 13, 2015 Companies change names and rebrand when they wish to turn over a new leaf, or refresh their perception amongst key stakeholders. Some work, some don’t – just think about Britain’s Royal Mail and its short-lived rebranding to “Consignia”. That name change quickly got lost in the post. And remember PwC’s abortive attempt to switch to [...]
Did Google forget to Google Alphabet? BMW owns Alphabet.com – and has no intention of selling August 12, 2015 Looks like Google forgot to Google Alphabet before radically restructuring their whole company. Google’s new parent company won’t be able to register alphabet.com, because it’s already owned by German carmaker BMW, who have a fleet of cars under the same name, and are unamused to say the least by Google’s surprise move. The two giants [...]
Quiz: How well do you know Google’s Alphabet? August 12, 2015 Is it as easy as ABC? As Google transformed into Alphabet, the rest of its vast empire that isn't the money-spinning search or advertising side took the spotlight. We've put together this fiendishly tough quiz so you can test just how well you know the mysterious and ever so slightly secretive Alphabet. Think you know [...]
Alphabet soup? Here’s what the new Google looks like August 12, 2015 No wonder Google bosses felt they needed to make the structure of the company a little more, well, structured. The span of the less than two-decades-old company is dizzying. The arrival of new finance chief Ruth Porat bringing new, and very experienced, eyes to the business may have spurred a clearer line for reporting earnings [...]
How Google is breaking the rules of corporate branding to get its Alphabet to pay off August 11, 2015 Google’s creation of its Alphabet parent is a future-looking, ambitious strategy that few others would have the boldness to do. But it’s bold for a reason: creating new challenges for Alphabet to make it a real success. What Google is doing breaks the normal rules of corporate branding. Read more: Three things you should know [...]
Google share price U (for up) after Alphabet restructure August 11, 2015 Wall Street's more than happy with Google's restructuring move. Google shares, or Alphabet shares as they should now be known, opened more than five per cent up continuing the trend in after-hours trading following Larry Page's blog post revealing the new company vision. Investors are likely pleased that the move brings more transparency to the [...]