These were the 10 biggest European tech stories this week
This week, Tech.eu tracked 12 technology M&A transactions, one IPO, and 86 funding deals (totaling €280 million, about $307 million) in Europe, Turkey, and Israel. Here’s an overview of the 10...
View ArticleUber and Lyft made up 52% of business travel transportation expenses in Q3
Another quarter has passed and Uber and Lyft have once again become the preferred method of transportation for business travelers. According to Q3 2016 numbers released by online travel and expense...
View ArticleUdacity adds 10 new hiring partners to its autonomous car nanodegree,...
Udacity, the online education platform founded in 2011 by computer scientist and former head of Google’s “moonshot” Google X program, Sebastian Thrun, has revealed a slew of new partners for the...
View ArticleLyft is testing paid memberships like Uber that offer discounted Line rides
Lyft announced on Monday that it’s testing out a membership plan for its Line carpooling service that promises riders cheaper prices per ride. Available in Los Angeles, Miami, San Diego, Chicago,...
View ArticleUber’s newest API lets developers reach and reward drivers
After more than two years introducing new ways for developers to build experiences for riders through its APIs, Uber is expanding to provide the same opportunity to drivers. Today, the on-demand...
View ArticleUber expands surge pricing to its food delivery service, UberEATS
Uber’s business has long relied on surge pricing: When there’s demand for rides, and not enough cars, the cost per ride goes up to incentivize drivers to meet the demand. That’s the company line and...
View ArticleU.K. says Uber drivers should be classed as workers in landmark ruling, Uber...
Uber has lost a landmark employment tribunal case against two U.K. drivers who argued they should be treated as workers rather than self-employed contractors, reports the Guardian. The case in question...
View ArticleComma.ai cancels self-driving car device after warning from U.S. regulators
(Reuters) – San Francisco entrepreneur George Hotz was so confident in his self-driving startup Comma.ai that he had T-shirts made that boldly proclaimed: “We are gonna be so rich.” But U.S. federal...
View ArticleUber is rolling out a big redesign powered by machine learning
For more than six years, Uber has been known as a mobile app that let you request a ride, and that was a simple enough concept. But the company has never considered itself to be a transportation...
View ArticleUber seeks organic growth as it expands into Southeast Asia
(Reuters) — Ride-hailing service Uber Technologies Inc will focus on organic growth as it expands into Southeast Asian markets, a senior vice president told Reuters on Friday. It will also seek to work...
View ArticleCadillac president: Self-driving cars ‘spell the demise of the traditional...
Detroit grew rich and fat on the one-person, one-car ethos of the American Dream. But new technologies for driving won’t just change how we get from A to B — they’ll also change how we pay for...
View ArticleUber now lets you thank drivers for that awesome ride
Most of us have at one time experienced exceptional service that brings a smile to our face and leaves us with a great impression. Uber feels the same way and has rolled out “Compliments,” a feature...
View ArticlePutin: Tech should not be demonized, but it is ‘an objective threat’ to...
Earlier this week Russian president Vladimir Putin said that, while new technologies such as Uber or Alibaba should not be demonized, they may still threaten the traditional economy in the future. “I...
View ArticleUber seeks EC ruling that it is a digital service, not a transportation company
(Reuters) – Uber will seek to convince Europe’s top court next week that it is a digital service, not a transport company, in a case that could determine whether app-based startups should be exempt...
View ArticleUber drivers join nationwide strike to demand $15 minimum wage
Uber riders may find available rides in short supply on Tuesday as “hundreds” of drivers in two dozen U.S. cities go on strike. The action is intended to raise awareness of a desire by not only Uber...
View ArticleTrump’s Secretary of Transportation could help Uber and Lyft
President-elect Donald Trump’s pick for U.S. Secretary of Transportation is likely a boon for ride-hailing companies like Uber and Lyft. On Tuesday, Trump announced that he’s selected Elaine Chao to...
View ArticleUber defends business model as a digital service before Europe’s highest court
(Reuters) – Uber defended its business model in Europe’s highest court on Tuesday, saying its service had made it easier for people to get around and cut pollution as it fights a case which could leave...
View ArticleRussia set to become BlaBlaCar’s biggest market in 2017
BlaBlaCar’s activity in Russia has reached a “phenomenal level,” said its cofounder and CEO Nicolas Brusson, in a recent interview with French business daily Les Echos. The French startup entered the...
View ArticleOn-demand ride service Gett receives $100 million loan from Russia’s Sberbank
On-demand ride service Gett has announced that it has received a $100 million loan facility from Sberbank CIB, the corporate and investment banking branch of Russian national savings Sberbank. This...
View ArticleInterfaces on demand: the new services inside chatbots, voice computing, and...
GUEST: We are at the very beginning of a fundamental shift in the way that humans communicate with computers. I laid out the beginning of my case for this in my essay The Hidden Homescreen, in which I...
View Article