Chinese ride-hailing firm Didi Chuxing suspends its carpooling service after a passenger was killed August 26, 2018 Chinese ride-hailing firm Didi Chuxing has suspended its Uber Pool-esque service Hitch nationwide, after a woman was raped and killed by a driver in Wenzhou. The company said in a statement that the suspension was the result of "disappointing mistakes", while it takes time to reevaluate Hitch's business model. A 20-year old woman only identified by [...]
Uber confirms Laurel Powers-Freeling as its new UK chair October 27, 2017 Uber has confirmed Laurel Powers-Freeling will be its new independent non-executive chair in the UK. Her appointment to the newly-created role comes as Uber fights to defend its right to operate in London. Columbia and MIT graduate Powers-Freeling is a senior independent director on the board of challenger bank Atom, and has previously held roles [...]
Uber licence appeal could take years, says London mayor Sadiq Khan November 16, 2017 Uber’s appeal against a decision not to renew its licence in the capital is likely to go on for years, the Mayor of London Sadiq Khan has said. “My understanding is that it could go on for a number of years,” said Khan, speaking at Mayor’s Question Time on Thursday morning. Read more: Uber’s targeting [...]
Uber appoints Barney Harford as its first ever chief operating officer – a Brit and former Orbitz chief executive December 20, 2017 Uber has appointed its first ever operating chief – a British executive from the travel world who previously worked with the startup’s newly installed chief executive Dara Khosrowshahi. Barney Harford will take on the leadership role which was first floated under former chief and founder Travis Kalanick to keep him in check. Read more: It’s [...]
Uber agrees multi-billion dollar Softbank deal after unpicking boardroom feud November 13, 2017 Uber has struck a deal with Japanese tech giant Softbank for a multi-billion dollar investment into the ride-sharing firm, according to overnight reports. Troubled board members have set aside their differences to agree an accord with a consortium led by Softbank and Dragoneer Investment to buy up to 17 per cent of the firm’s shares [...]
Netflix hires top Facebook communications executive ahead of international expansion August 27, 2018 Netflix has hired top Facebook executive Rachel Whetstone as its new chief communications officer. Whetstone joined Facebook in September last year to run communications for Whatsapp, Instagram and Facebook Messenger. The former head of policy at Uber and Google will run global communications for the streaming service as it looks to expand internationally. Netflix chief [...]
Uber admits failing to notify customers or authorities of 2016 hack compromising 57m accounts November 21, 2017 Uber has revealed that hackers gained access to the information of 57m customers late last year. Chief executive Dara Khosrowshahi, who took over as boss this summer, wrote on the company’s website that Uber had failed to notify individuals or regulators at the time of the breach. Following an investigation into the incident Khosrowshahi said [...]
Akyra Thonglor is the perfect hotel from which to explore Bangkok’s most happening entertainment district February 22, 2019 Often viewed by travellers as a mere stopover point on the way to discover Thailand’s tropical islands or Chiang Mai’s Golden Triangle, Bangkok should not be missed out as a destination in its own right. It’s currently experiencing an exciting renaissance with an abundance of forward-thinking hotels and innovative restaurants opening their doors, not to [...]
You can’t blame Brexit for the British car industry’s woes April 15, 2019 Quizzed by Nick Hewer on Honda’s decision to close its Swindon plant earlier this month on BBC radio, I suggested that blaming Brexit for the demise of the Japanese auto makers factory with the loss of 3,500 jobs was not the whole story. Certainly, Brexit plays havoc with the vehicle industry’s sophisticated just-in-time supply chain. [...]
Uber loses workers’ rights appeal: Here’s how employment experts have reacted November 10, 2017 Uber has lost an appeal against a tribunal ruling that it must give its drivers employment rights. The ride-hailing app went to the Employment Appeal Tribunal (EAT) to challenge an earlier ruling by the Employment Tribunal which said Uber drivers are entitled to basic workers’ rights. The EAT rejected Uber’s argument that it is merely [...]