The world’s five leading tech companies – Google (now Alphabet), Apple, Facebook (now Meta), Amazon and Microsoft – have taken steps to impose significant and (mainly) voluntary sanctions on Russia, in response to its invasion of Ukraine. But the decisions didn’t come unprompted. Ukraine has lobbied the major tech companies in the same way it… Read more »
Amazon drivers and transport unionists celebrated a win against the gig economy last week after the NSW Industrial Relations Commission agreed to give Amazon Flex drivers a minimum rate of $37.80 per hour. The new rate of pay will be incrementally phased-in starting from 1 March, beginning at $27.83 and reaching the full $37.80 per… Read more »
NASDAQ-listed Australian software venture Atlassian is looking at moving its parent company from the United Kingdom to the US. Atlassian (NASDAQ: TEAM) announced last week that it had undertaken an exploration of redomiciling the parent holding company across the Atlantic. The workplace collaboration software business originally set up in the UK in 2014 ahead of… Read more »
Western Australian billionaire Andrew Forrest has lodged criminal proceedings against Facebook over cryptocurrency scam ads that used his name and image. Dr Forrest, chair of Fortescue Metals Group, and a major tech startup investor, has alleged that Facebook breached federal anti-money laundering laws by failing to remove the ads, which have been appearing on the… Read more »
After all the bad press tech companies have received, would anyone still be surprised to learn the outwardly smiling face of social media conceals a sophisticated data-collection industry? Last year’s headlines delivered news of an array of concerning data and privacy violations from the world’s biggest tech players. But interestingly, it also seemed to be… Read more »
Biotech startup founder Elizabeth Holmes has been found guilty of four of 11 charges by a US Federal Court jury. Holmes, 37, was the high-profile CEO of Theranos, a supposedly revolutionary blood testing tech startup, which she dropped out of Stanford University, aged 19, to launch in 2003. The company’s ambitions ground to a halt… Read more »
We’ve probably all been there. We buy some new smart gadget and when we plug it in for the first time it requires an update to work. So we end up spending hours downloading and updating before we can even play with our new toy. But what happens when we can’t update our gadgets any… Read more »
Wearable fitness trackers will be on many Christmas shopping lists this year, with a vast range of devices (and an ever-increasing number of features) hitting the market just in time for the festive season. But what does the latest research say about how effective they are? Fitness trackers are trendy Currently, about one in five… Read more »
Google has announced a $1 billion investment in Australia over five years, bringing with it thousands of new jobs, along with ‘digital infrastructure’ to help businesses in the post-COVID recovery period. Prime Minister Scott Morrison amicably shook hands with Google Australia Managing Director, Mel Silva, at Google’s newly-expanded offices in Sydney, less than a year… Read more »
Google Australia has promised to invest $1 billion in Australian infrastructure, research and partnerships over the next five years to develop the country’s digital economy. The Digital Future Initiative also includes an Australian Google research hub and a range of partnerships, including a collaboration with the CSIRO. Google Australia managing director Mel Silva said the… Read more »
Google is being fined €2.4 billion (A$3.8 billion) for hindering competition in the EU after a 2017 decision has been upheld on appeal by the general court of the European Union. This is a saga dating back over 15 years, in which the European Commission has been accusing the tech giant of using its search… Read more »
Atlassian continues to grow rapidly, with quarterly revenue up 34% on 12 months ago. Releasing its first quarter FY22 results today, Nasdaq-listed Australian tech company posted revenue of US$614 million, with quarterly subscription revenue up 57% year-on-year to US$435 million. But the company’s losses remain equally impressive, with a net loss of US$400.1 million for… Read more »
The Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC) wants to end Google’s reign as the default search engine for Australians, saying its dominance has likely “stifled innovation and reduced consumer choice”. The consumer watchdog released the interim report of its Digital Platform Services Inquiry on Thursday and has taken aim at Google for penning deals to ensure its Search… Read more »
Few of us who have survived the last year aren’t grateful for technology. Zoom, email, connected workplaces and solid internet connections at home have made it possible to work, shop, study and carry on our lives in a way that wouldn’t have been possible had the pandemic hit, say, 20 years earlier. But parts of… Read more »
Drone delivery company Wing recently celebrated 100,000 deliveries with an unusual burst of media fanfare. Australia is at the forefront of Wing’s plans, with the company’s two biggest trial sites running in Canberra and Logan in Queensland. Wing tells a simple story of barista coffee and roast chooks dropped on your driveway at a… Read more »
‘Have I gone too far?’ How founders can beat their startup demons 
Tassie carbon accounting startup banks $5.3 million Seed round 
Smart hotels get even smarter: 72 Byte to launch in Australia with AI expert backing 
Eucalyptus head of growth Matt Rossi departs to launch his own marketing startup, Oodle 
Daily startup news and insights, delivered to your inbox.
