DEBATE: With Nick Clegg joining Facebook, can we expect a new revolving door between politics and Silicon Valley? October 23, 2018 With Nick Clegg joining Facebook, can we expect a new revolving door between politics and Silicon Valley? YES, says Leon Emirali, an entrepreneur and investor. Stifling regulation, immense political upheaval, and very deep pockets have created the perfect environment for a politics/tech merry-go-round. For the Silicon Valley giants, it makes perfect sense to use their [...]
A luddite levy on online shopping won’t help the high street October 23, 2018 Time and time again over the past few months, we’ve heard prominent figures in the retail world call for a special sales tax on online companies to help prop up their struggling sector, from the Tesco chief executive Dave Lewis, to the New West End Company that represents Selfridges and Marks & Spencer. Chancellor Philip [...]
Truth to power: Adtech has to stand up for journalism October 22, 2018 The future of the press is in doubt. If you need an example of just how powerful fake news has become, remember August, when even seasoned journalists accepted at face value a spoof campaign ironically titled “Don’t believe every tweet”, featuring bogus quotes from Twitter’s chief executive Jack Dorsey. The changes in journalism have not [...]
Who the heck is Nick Clegg? Seven facts about Facebook’s new spin chief October 20, 2018 Facebook’s decision to hire the UK’s former deputy prime minister Nick Clegg as its communications chief was one that seemed to come out of left field. Clegg had previously held a prominent role in British public life as head of the UK’s third party the Liberal Democrats between 2007 and 2015 and the UK’s deputy prime minister between [...]
What the Clegg? Facebook taps former Lib Dem leader as its next head of global affairs October 19, 2018 Facebook has hired former Liberal Democrats leader Nick Clegg to be its next head of global affairs and communications, with the ex-politician set to move to Silicon Valley in January. Clegg will take over from the role's former occupant Elliot Schrage, who personally led the search for his replacement after announcing he would be leaving Facebook following [...]
Facebook shareholders call on Zuckerberg to step down as chairman October 17, 2018 Facebook chief executive Mark Zuckerberg is facing pressure to resign his post as chairman following a series of scandals. Several US public funds who own shares in the company have called for Zuckerberg to step down from the role after the social media giant “mishandled” a series of controversies. Facebook was at the centre of [...]
Not everything was awesome at Instagram, co-founder says in first public remarks since stepping down October 16, 2018 Instagram’s Kevin Systrom said people do not leave their jobs “because everything is awesome”, three weeks after stepping down amid rumours of a fallout with Mark Zuckerberg. In his first public remarks since leaving the company, Systrom said there were reasons for his departure, but gave no details. Read more: Facebook loses $11bn after Instagram [...]
Central London commercial market booms as tech giants move in October 16, 2018 An influx of tech and creative giants has bolstered the capital’s buoyant commercial property market in the last three months, with business space under offer rising across central London. Facebook’s arrival in King's Cross significantly boosted office take-up levels, after the tech giant took more than 600,000 square feet (sq ft) as its new London [...]
It’s Google versus Facebook in the fight for video dominance October 15, 2018 There’s a battle brewing online. In search of more views, users, and lucrative ad money, Facebook wants to take on Google and steal YouTube’s crown as the dominant video platform. The social media giant is fighting on two fronts. It launched its first assault last year with Facebook Watch, a platform effectively identical to [...]
Nine Elms project One Embassy Gardens put on the market for £160m October 11, 2018 One Embassy Gardens, a flagship Nine Elms office block located next to the new US embassy, is being put up on the market for £160m today, as developers hope to lure in buyers for one of Europe’s largest regeneration zones. Ballymore's planned sale comes 10 months after the developer secured the tenancy of Penguin Random House, with [...]