Palantir founder hits out at claims unicorn startup is struggling May 8, 2016 A founder of one of the world's most highly valued startups has hit back at claims the company is struggling with the loss of clients and staff. Joe Lonsdale, a founder of the secretive startup Palantir along with PayPal pioneer Peter Thiel and others, which boasts the Bank of England as one of its clients, said it was [...]
Uber just increased its policy firepower with former EU competition boss Neelie Kroes among new Global Policy Advisory Group members May 5, 2016 The former Brussels official in charge of competition in Europe for more than a decade is among several high-profile names joining Uber's new team of policy advisors. The transport startup which has faced regulatory hurdles in several cities across the globe, including London, has formed a new board of heavyweights to advise on the matter. The former EU [...]
Signs of life in London’s flotation market as firms consider IPO options May 3, 2016 There are signs of life in London's flotation market after a slow start to the year. Furniture retailer The Range and store card maker NewDay are both considering initial public offerings (IPOs), which could value each company at more than £1bn. Today, audio visual and document solutions distributor Midwich announced it had raised £75m through a [...]
Google Ventures’ new silver bullet for team work – and how you can use it in your firm April 29, 2016 How do the best teams in the world achieve so much? What’s it like being part of a lead team at Google or Uber? Google Ventures Design partner Jake Knapp has spent years working out what makes a team the most effective and productive it can be. The result is his new book Sprint, co-authored with [...]
Baidu’s share price jumps in after hours trading after the company reports revenue to have soared April 28, 2016 Chinese search engine Baidu's share price jumped almost five per cent in after hours trading after the company reported strong financial results. Sometimes dubbed China's Google, Baidu reported first quarter total revenue had climbed 24.3 per cent year-on-year to 15.82bn yuan (£1.68bn). The company also said that online marketing revenue had risen to 14.93bn yuan in the three months [...]
Revenue jumps at advertising giant WPP following battle over Sir Martin Sorrell’s £63m pay deal April 28, 2016 Revenue spiked at advertising giant WPP in the first three months of the year, jumping 10.5 per cent to £3.1bn, well above forecasts off the back of strong performance in North America. The figures Reported revenue climbed 10.5 per cent in sterling terms to £3.1bn. On a constant current basis, revenue was up nine per cent [...]
Media mogul Arianna Huffington is joining the board of ride-hailing service Uber April 27, 2016 Media tycoon Arianna Huffington will join the board of directors of the ride-hailing app service Uber. Travis Kalanick, Uber's chief executive, announced Huffington's appointment to Uber, which was launched in 2009, in an article on The Huffington Post. "For those of us who know Arianna, it's clear she knows a thing or two about being an entrepreneur," [...]
Uber agrees $100m settlement as agreement reached that drivers are still contractors – not employees April 22, 2016 Uber has agreed a $100m (£69m) class-action settlement with its drivers, allowing the ride-sharing app to continue classifying its drivers as independent contractors rather than employees. The lawsuits – one in California and one in Massachusetts – will be settled with a payment of $84m to the two plaintiffs, while a second $16m payment will be [...]
Competition warnings over OnTheMarket were pretty much inevitable April 22, 2016 Anyone with even a passing interest in technology and its history could have predicted this one: just as the Luddites were eventually overwhelmed by power looms, online property portal OnTheMarket was destined to stumble. And lo, yesterday it came to pass: the Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) effectively took a sledgehammer to the site’s business [...]
Take a look inside five of London’s £35m homes April 19, 2016 We all know there are people who are are happy to fork out vast sums of money to snap up tiny parts of London. Which is why we hear stories of a shack in Peckham selling for £1m, or a garage in Chelsea being snapped up for £360,000. But some – London's highest net-worth individuals – are prepared to stump up [...]