Uber adds another ex-government adviser to its team April 6, 2016 Ride-hailing app Uber has added another former government adviser to its staff, with a new addition to its policy team. Guy Levin, who was a government adviser between 2010 and 2014, has joined the company's policy research team, based in Amsterdam. Levin, who is moving from his role as executive director at startup policy group [...]
Chinese Uber rival Didi Chuxing raises another $600m – one month after it got $1bn from Apple June 13, 2016 Chinese Uber rival Didi Chuxing has just unveiled another $600m (£423m) round of funding – exactly one month after Apple ploughed $1bn into it. China Life made an equity investment of $300m and a long-term debt investment of two billion yuan, about $305m. Didi Chuxing said the two companies had committed to a partnership on internet-powered financial innovation and other initiatives – [...]
CitySprint cycle courier wins workers’ rights in a key gig economy ruling January 7, 2017 A courier for same-day delivery firm CitySprint has won the rights to paid holidays and minimum pay in a landmark ruling by the central London employment tribunal. CitySprint claimed its couriers were not employed but were independent freelancers, meaning they aren't covered by statutory protections like holiday pay. But the tribunal ruled Margaret Dewhurst was not self-employed and is therefore [...]
Metro Bank boss: Branchless banking reduces customer choice January 25, 2017 Like Deliveroo and Uber, banks should mix the physical and digital according to Metro Bank chief executive Craig Donaldson. The challenger bank boss said not giving customers the opportunity for face to face interaction is taking away choice. Metro Bank has 48 branches at present, but Donaldson said its target is 250 or maybe 300 [...]
Why crowd-based capitalism has changed the economy June 14, 2017 Technological advances are reshaping our jobs and the nature of work. How will the global economic system evolve? What will the future of work look like? As an observer of digital disruption, Arun Sundararajan, author of The Sharing Economy and Professor of Information, Operations and Management Sciences at the NYU Stern School of Business, noticed [...]
Competition works as cabbies up their game in the long-running battle with Uber April 6, 2016 The long-running battle between Uber and black cabs may be drawing to a civilised conclusion, and we can thank the beneficial forces of market competition for calming this mighty feud. Faced with the realisation that Uber isn’t going anywhere, the black cab industry has taken the sensible and welcome step of deciding to compete with [...]
Cab Wars: Research shows Uber is growing despite negative headlines April 6, 2016 As the London mayoral election approaches, it seems like a good time to consider Uber, a company that has divided opinion in the capital. The black cab industry has suffered since the emergence of Uber and its online app. Rows have arisen over regulation, metres and customer safety. City streets have seen several gridlock-causing protests. [...]
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 [...]
These are the 100 most disruptive startups in the world (and a third are from the UK): Roman Abramovich-backed Storedot, AI chip maker Graphcore and cancer detection scientists at Grail top list June 1, 2017 A Bristol-based startup developing computer chips for artificial intelligence, an app for helping kids manage money, and a fintech just backed by Aviva, are among the UK startups to be named the most disruptive in the world. AI chip firm Graphcore was ranked second in the annual list identifying companies with the potential to “influence, [...]
Interiors: Weather-proof furniture ideas to decorate terraces, patios and balconies for the British summertime May 22, 2017 This year, the outdoor room comes of age. Not just a Big Green Egg and some deckchairs, but a full-blown lounge, as if we lived in Palm Springs. Just as we now love to bring the outside in we are discovering that a raft of technical innovations mean we can bring the inside out. The [...]