Want proof of just how much app-based solutions can disrupt established businesses? Try the fact that Uber, the Android- and iOS-based alternative to traditional taxi services, has just been valued at $17 billion.
The valuation comes on the back of a new round of venture funding for the 5-year-old company, which saw investors pour in another $1.2 billion. This makes Uber one of the most valuable startups in tech history.
If you’re a Flickr user you might be annoyed by Yahoo’s latest power play, which removes third party logins — meaning that from June 30 you’ll no longer be able to log in to your account using your Facebook or Google ID.
Yahoo claims that it’s so that the service can offer “the best personalized experience to everyone,” but it seems a pretty shameless way of getting users to sign up for Yahoo accounts (which you’ll now need to sign up to, or keeping using, the service). While Yahoo announced that this would be happening earlier this year, this is the first time we’ve had an actual date to put with the report.
One year on from the Edward Snowden NSA leaks, a group backed by tech companies including Google and Apple, called Reform Government Surveillance, is publishing a letter demanding that the Senate strengthen its NSA reform bill as recently passed through the House.
In addition to Google and Apple, CEOs who signed the letter include the heads of AOL, Dropbox, Yahoo, Twitter, Microsoft, Facebook and LinkedIn. The letter, which will be published tomorrow, notes that the upper chamber of Congress has the “opportunity to demonstrate leadership and pass a version of the USA Freedom Act that would help restore the confidence of Internet users.”
Samsung Chairman Lee Kun-hee has regained consciousness for the first time after falling into a coma two weeks ago, according to The Korea Herald.
The 72-year-old suffered a heart attack earlier this month, before undergoing a 60-hour heart surgery related to acute myocardial infarction. The medical team at the Samsung Medical Center say that he is recovering well. Lee was reportedly awoken after hearing family members cheer a Samsung Lions baseball game on a nearby television.
Google has overtaken Apple as the world’s most valuable brand, according to a new survey.
As per Millward Brown’s BrandZ Top 100 Most Valuable Global Brands, Apple’s brand value fell by 20% in the past year to just under $148 billion, while Google’s value increased by 40% to $159 billion.
“Google has been extremely innovative this year with Google Glass, investments in artificial intelligence and a range of partnerships,” says Benoit Tranzer, regional managing director of Millward Brown Europe. “All these activities send a very strong signal to consumers about the essence of Google.”
