Instagram to relocate staff and chief from London to New York April 20, 2023 Instagram is trimming or shifting some of its London-based staff to New York, as overhauls and layoffs continue to hit the tech sector. The photo app — owned by Meta — is asking UK-based workers to make the move after growing its London base and moving its leader, Adam Mosseri, to the UK last year. [...]
Virgin Media 02 could bag up to £750m from selling stake in masts business April 20, 2023 Telecoms company Virgin Media O2 has reportedly started the process to sell part or all of its stake in Cornerstone, the operator of Britain’s largest mobile tower network. Virgin Media O2 is set to sell at least half of its 25 per cent stake in the company and will use the funds to fuel its [...]
Jeremy Hunt throws out concerns over job losses and insists UK needs to “win” AI race April 20, 2023 Jeremy Hunt said he doesn’t “buy” the argument that artificial intelligence (AI) could create job losses as he insisted the UK should push ahead in harnessing the technology. Speaking at the Politico TechUK launch event in London, the Chancellor said use of artificial intelligence in technology was crucial to tackling the UK’s “growth challenge,” as [...]
Can Amazon Prime, Netflix and the streamers survive the UK’s recession fears? April 20, 2023 The number of British households signed up to streaming platforms has slumped so far this year, as more cash-strapped viewers trim their subscriptions to cut costs. The number of homes subscribed to at least one video streaming platform fell to 16.1 million between January and March this year, down from 16.91 million during the same [...]
Nokia profit slumps almost 20 per cent as consumers tighten belts April 20, 2023 Nokia reported a slump in operating profit as the company revealed demand was weighed down by economic uncertainty. The Finnish company saw comparable operating profit fall 18 per cent in the most recent quarter to €479m (£422m) from €583m (£514m) in the same period last year. Net sales grew by 10 per cent to €5.86 [...]
Google to change app store rules after UK competition agency flags concerns April 19, 2023 Google said it will allow app developers in the UK to use alternative payment options following an investigation by the UK’s competition regulator. The tech giant said it would present other payment options to Google Play’s billing system for in-app purchases “in a neutral manner” if its commitments are accepted by the UK Competition and [...]
Netflix ends DVD postal service: ‘Booster rocket’ for streaming wound down after 25 years April 19, 2023 Netflix is ending its postal DVD service after 25 years in a bid to boost subscribers and better its service amid an increasingly competitive streaming space. In a letter to shareholders, the company described the DVD service as “the booster rocket that got streaming to a leading position,” but added that the business was shrinking [...]
AI better than our staff, reckon half of business leaders – so what does that mean for jobs? April 19, 2023 NEARLY half of business leaders reckon AI could replace humans, new data out today shows, but experts think job losses caused by mass adoption of tools such as ChatGPT would be limited. Some 44 per cent of C-suite executives think AI could perform tasks to a similar or better quality than humans, according to a [...]
Whatsapp and Signal warn UK bill could open door to ‘indiscriminate surveillance’ April 18, 2023 Encrypted messaging apps, including Whatsapp, Signal and Viber, have warned that the Online Safety Bill could lead to “indiscriminate surveillance” of people’s personal messages and called for end-to-end encryption to be protected at all costs. The bill is intended to protect underage users on the internet by clamping down on illegal material and placing a [...]
Cineworld can’t find buyer for operations outside UK, US and Ireland as creditors set to take over April 18, 2023 Cineworld will halt efforts to sell its business outside of the UK, US, and Ireland after it failed to find a buyer. The London-listed firm — which filed for bankruptcy in the US last August — said that it had received offers for its “Rest of World” business but they “did not meet the value [...]