Uber faces UK legal action from GMB union over driver employee rights July 29, 2015 The GMB union has launched legal action against Uber over the way it treats drivers. The union claims drivers should be considered employees and has a legal duty to provide them with working rights on pay, holiday, health and safety, and grievances. Uber considers drivers as self-employed "partners". Now GMB has instructed law firm Leigh [...]
Baidu share price down more than 16 per cent after disappointing earnings July 28, 2015 Shares in Baidu, often dubbed "China's answer to Google", plummeted 16.8 per cent to $164.99 this afternoon, after less-than-encouraging results were released. Read more: Baidu confirms it's buying a stake in Uber During the second quarter, the Nasdaq-listed company's revenues went up 38 per cent from a year earlier to $2.7bn (£1.7bn), resulting in a fourth [...]
Now Gett lets you order Veuve Clicquot champagne in London as it expands on-demand services July 27, 2015 Londoners will be able to order champagne and have a bottle delivered in just 10 minutes with a new service from taxi app Gett. The partnership with Veuve Clicquot will deliver champagne in the same way as ordering a taxi, as Gett explores a tranche of new product deliveries and on-demand services in a bid to [...]
Uber’s getting sued again, and this time it’s in Canada July 24, 2015 The Canadian province of Ontario is the latest place where ride-sharing app Uber is being sued by disgruntled taxi drivers. Toronto taxi drivers have launched a class action suit seeking more than C$400m (£198m) in damages and an injunction to stop it operating. Law firm Sutts, Strosberg LLP, which is representing the taxi drivers, told Reuters [...]
The UK must digitally disrupt to grow the economy and create jobs, or be disrupted July 23, 2015 Not many things are guaranteed in life, but the power of technology to disrupt our lives is one that is. Whether we look at the creation of the first personal computer in the 60s, the arrival of the World Wide Web in the 80s, or the smartphone connected world we now occupy; digital technology has [...]
The EU risks damaging consumer interests in its push against Google dominance July 22, 2015 Jean Tirole won last year’s Nobel prize for economics for his work on a new type of market – and one that has grown with the meteoric rise of the internet. So-called two-sided markets arise when a company brings together suppliers and consumers. Google is a classic example: it provides browsers with web pages, and [...]
Is Apple planning an iCar? Tim Cook hires Chrysler executive Doug Betts as it eyes Tesla, Google and Uber over electric cars July 21, 2015 Not content with taking over our ears (Apple Music) and wrists (Apple Watch) this year, Apple may now have its sights set on taking over our roads. Tim Cook has hired the an executive from Chrysler, fueling speculation that there may be an iCar coming down the road. Doug Betts, a former senior vice president [...]
Disruption is the main concern that keeps chief executives awake at night – although global confidence is returning July 20, 2015 What with Uber, Airbnb and their ilk wreaking havoc in their respective industries, you can't help but sympathise: a new study has shown the main worry keeping chief executives awake at night is the prospect of disruption in their industry. According to the Global CEO Outlook Study, by accounting giant KPMG, 74 per cent of chief [...]
Building the next five years in alternative finance: How marketplace lending is becoming part of industry furniture July 15, 2015 When we look back, 2015-16 will be seen as the watershed moment: when peer-to-peer (P2P) lending and crowdfunding made the big time, transitioning from quirky innovation to a respected alternative source of finance and investment opportunities. The government has clearly been persuaded of the potential benefits of so-called alternative finance – especially as a [...]
Apple Pay: How does it work and is it any quicker? A guide for the new contactless payment system July 15, 2015 Apple Pay has finally arrived in the UK. Well, sort of. If you have the right iPhone and the right bank and you shop in the right place and if the sun is shining at just the right angle – then you can use Apple Pay (okay, we made the bit about the sun up). [...]