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 [...]
London leads the way as an artificial intelligence tech talent hub November 15, 2018 Investment in London’s artificial intelligence (AI) sector from venture capital firms skyrocketed more than 200 per cent between 2015 and 2017, with funding for the capital’s startups so far this year already surpassing last year’s numbers. New figures released today by Pitchbook revealed the fast growth of London’s AI scene, which is home to more [...]
The Royal Air Force can teach business how to do digital transformation right November 15, 2018 When my dad asked me, “What do you do?”, I said “digital transformation”. I described it like this: “I work with teams, and we ask ‘why’ a lot. We help companies to shape ideas and gain the confidence to change their direction.” His response surprised me: “I used to do that, or something very similar. [...]
Monzo needs a dose of Spotify boldness to go from UK unicorn to Silicon Valley titan November 15, 2018 The end of October saw startup bank Monzo confirmed as the latest British unicorn, hitting a valuation of $1.2bn three years after launching. This isn’t London’s first unicorn by any means, with Deliveroo and Funding Circle leading the way. But so far none have come close to the achieving the global domination or $100bn valuations [...]