Exclusive: “We are the anti-Uber”, says Kabbee CEO Justin Peters December 5, 2014 Yesterday, taxi app company Uber was valued at $40bn (£25.7bn) after it completed a $1.2bn funding round. This year, London has experienced an explosion in the growth of taxi apps, with different services dealing with black cabs, minicabs and other vehicles springing up all over the capital. Speaking to City A.M., Justin Peters, chief executive of [...]
Uber hires Goldman Sachs to power up its fundraising drive December 1, 2014 Uber has hired Goldman Sachs to help it raise funds from some of the bank's richest clients. It is offering financial products that could raise hundreds of billions of dollars, and help aid Uber's future international expansion plans, Fortune has said. This is separate to a previous report from Bloomberg, which said Uber was in [...]
BMW taps into London’s sharing economy: Who else is there? Airbnb, Uber and Zipcar December 1, 2014 Earlier this month, it was revealed the sharing economy could net up to £9bn a year for the UK by 2025. The independent review, commissioned by the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills, also laid out a road-map to ensure the UK becomes a center for this growing scene. Big businesses are eager to capitalise [...]
Dear Uber drivers: As its Spotify tie-up launches, you’re going to hear way more Kate Bush, One Direction – and Kirsty MacColl November 21, 2014 The tie-up between Spotify and Uber launches today, meaning anyone who gets in an Uber cab can listen to their own tunes. The system works using a feature inside Uber's app which connects to the driver's phone. As long as it is plugged into the sound system, it allows passengers to determine what plays over [...]
Uber hires Hogan Lovells to probe data policies November 21, 2014 Uber has hired Hogan Lovells to review its data policies, amid controversy surrounding its handling of users' private data. It has hired a team of Hogan Lovells lawyers who will review and make recommendations on its data policy. The team will be led by Harriet Pearson, a partner at the law firm's Washington office, who [...]
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: [...]