Ashton Kutcher weighs into Uber spying debacle November 20, 2014 Actor-turned-Demi Moore toyboy-turned-tech investor, Ashton Kutcher gave his tuppence worth to the Uber spying story yesterday. The Dude, Where’s My Car star tweeted, “What is so wrong about digging up dirt on shady journalist?” The reaction from the twittersphere was swift, and it was hard. “Dude Where’s My Orwell,” was one particularly good retort. What [...]
Taxi app wars: Uber vs Hailo vs Maaxi vs Lyft – Emil Michael gaff is latest hurdle in startup battle November 19, 2014 Fast-growing “ridesharing” app firm Uber hit the headlines for all the wrong reasons again this week as senior executive Emil Michael was reported suggesting the company hire researchers to dig up dirt on its media critics. The blunder is the latest in a long line of controversies that have plagued the startup over [...]
Uber investor Ashton Kutcher: ‘What is so wrong about digging up dirt on journalists?” November 19, 2014 Actor and sometime tech VC Ashton Kutcher – who also happens to have a stake in Uber – has come out strongly in support of the taxi app in a rant on Twitter. Kutcher, who also has stakes in Spotify, Airbnb and Foursquare, according to Crunchbase, came out in apparent support of executive Emil Michael, [...]
Uber New York executive allegedly “tracked BuzzFeed journalist using God View tool” November 19, 2014 Troubles are mounting for taxi app company Uber after it confirmed it will investigate one its New York executives for allegedly tracking a Buzzfeed journalist without her permission. If true, the tracking would be in violation of Uber's own privacy policy, released on Tuesday. Earlier this month, BuzzFeed reporter Johana Bhuiyan travelled to interview Uber's [...]
Uber boss Travis Kalanick sorry over inhumane dirt-digging row November 18, 2014 The chief executive of Uber, Travis Kalanick, issued a grovelling apology on Twitter yesterday after a senior member of his team said the company should dig up dirt on hostile journalists to retaliate for bad publicity. Kalanick branded the comments made by senior vice president for business at the ride-sharing company Emil Michael “terrible”, adding: [...]
Uber CEO Travis Kalanick insists company is principled after executive threatens journalists November 18, 2014 Uber CEO Travis Kalanick is adamant the company is “principled” and a “positive member of the community” after a senior executive threatened to “dig dirt” on critcal journalists. Emil Michael, senior vice-president of business at Uber, said that the taxi app should “spend a million dollars” to hire a team of researches to dig [...]
Uber executive under fire after threatening to ‘dig dirt’ on journalists November 18, 2014 An executive at taxi app Uber has hit headlines after threatening to dig up dirt on journalists that had provided negative media coverage of the taxi app. Emil Michael, a senior vice president, said that Uber should spend a million dollars on a team of researchers and journalists to help Uber fight back against negative [...]
Uber’s in-car Spotify tie-up launches in London on Friday November 17, 2014 In a move which will surely prompt a rash of one-star ratings from irate Uber drivers tired of being subjected to death metal, the private hire cab app has announced it's teamed up with Spotify to allow passengers to stream their playlists through their cabs' soundsystems. In a joint press conference today, founders of the [...]
PwC, Uber and Zoopla win big at the 2014 City A.M. Awards November 13, 2014 From Legal & General boss Nigel Wilson to WPP boss Sir Martin Sorrell, you could barely move at the fifth annual City A.M. Awards – held last night at the Grange St Paul's Hotel – without bashing elbows with a few City grandees. The ceremony celebrated the brightest and best of the nation's money-makers – [...]
Uber taxi app wins the hearts of US Congress members in 2014 midterm elections November 12, 2014 As taxi app service Uber continues to soar in popularity it's finding support among a group not usually known for their embrace of disruptive businesses with a hostility to onerous regulation. In the recent US midterm elections, Uber accounted for 61 per cent of rides taken by members of Congress and their staff. An impressive [...]