Volkswagen embarks on $50bn plan to mass produce electric cars November 17, 2018 German car manufacturer Volkswagen has said it will become the most profitable manufacturer of electric cars in the world, under the terms of a new plan to mass produce battery-powered vehicles. Chief executive Herbert Diess said the company will spend almost €44bn (£39.1bn) on developing the technology for a fleet of electric and self-driving vehicles, [...]
Facebook shares hit near 20-month low as Sandberg defends its reputation November 17, 2018 Shares in social media giant Facebook dropped to their lowest point in 19 months last night, as its operations chief Sheryl Sandberg stepped in to defend the company's position on fake news and Russian interference. In an interview with CBS, Sandberg denied claims from a New York Times investigation that Facebook hired a Republican opposition research [...]
Court documents suggest Wikileaks founder Julian Assange has been charged in secret November 16, 2018 Julian Assange, the founder of website Wikileaks, may have been criminally charged in secret, according to an apparent mistake in court documents filed in the US. Suggested by Wikileaks to be a "cut and paste" error, Assange's surname appeared in a filing submitted by US authorities in an unrelated case. A section of the filing mentioned the need [...]
Angry Birds maker Rovio shares spike on rising profits November 16, 2018 Rovio, the firm behind popular smartphone game Angry Birds, has more than doubled its third-quarter profits beyond analyst expectations. Its share price almost 13 per cent on the news, despite the company warning it would need new games to drive further growth. The figures For the three months to September, the Helsinki-based firm reported adjusted [...]
Blackberry buys artificial intelligence firm Cylance for $1.4bn November 16, 2018 Blackberry has today confirmed it is acquiring Cylance, a US artificial intelligence and cyber security firm, for $1.4bn (£1.1bn). The deal is expected to close before the end of Blackberry's current financial year in February 2019, pending regulatory approval. It is thought Cylance will work as part of Blackberry's Enterprise of Things (EoT) division, Blackberry Spark, [...]
Debate: As businesses start to implant their employees with microchips, should this be allowed? November 16, 2018 Debate: As businesses start to implant their employees with microchips, should this be allowed? Yes – Richard Skellett is a future of work expert and digital anthropologist. From smartphones to the media hubs we have at home, microchips are already collecting data on us which is uncontrollable. Surely, then, it makes sense to have your own [...]
Nintendo hit by largest share price drop in two years November 16, 2018 Game-maker Nintendo's share price dropped more than 10 per cent in trading overnight, after its Switch console's chipmaker took a tumble. Shares in US chip designer Nvidia crashed nearly 17 per cent in after-hours trading last night, after it disappointed Wall Street by missing sales estimates in its third quarter and forecasting lower sales for [...]
Let there be light – entrepreneurs are making the world a brighter place November 16, 2018 I can only assume that Netflix is bidding for rights to Brexit: The Saga. You might as well download the past 48 hours’ worth of news coverage, upload to the streaming site, and advertise it as how Breaking Bad would have unfolded if set in Westminster instead of New Mexico. The news is pure entertainment. [...]
Facebook blasted by Soros foundation for ‘smear campaign’ November 15, 2018 Social media giant Facebook has reportedly severed ties with a public relations firm that allegedly linked its left wing critics to US billionaire George Soros. A story in the New York Times revealed that Facebook had employed Definers, a Republican PR firm, to discredit activist protestors, in part by linking them to Soros. The Open [...]
Ford opens itself up to investors on driverless car tech November 15, 2018 The chief executive of Ford Motors has said the company is open to discussions with rival firms and investors on funding its self-driving technology unit, but played down ongoing talks with Volkswagen about a potential deal. Ford and Volkswagen have previously acknowledged that they are in talks on a partnership, however Ford boss Jim Hackett said today [...]
