Marketing consulting firms

Swedish payments firm Trustly said on Monday it intends to list its shares on the Nasdaq Stockholm exchange. In January, Reuters reported that Trustly's owner, buyout group Nordic Capital, was in the process of hiring more banks with a view to launching an IPO in late April or early May that could value the firm at up to 9 billion euros ($10.70 billion). "We are going to raise 8 billion Swedish crowns primary proceeds that we will use to pay off existing debt facilities, and then we want to have a net cash positive balance sheet," Chief Executive Officer Oscar Berglund told Reuters. The appeal of financial technology companies has increased during the COVID-19 pandemic as more people shop online and make payments digitally to avoid physical contact. Other European fintech firms such as Wise and Klarna are also planning for a stock market listing. "This is sort of a process that we have been working on for a year now to prepare the company and make it ready for the … [Read more...] about Payments firm Trustly plans Nasdaq Stockholm listing

The PC market had a great first quarter, despite the global shortage of semiconductor chips . Research firm Gartner estimates that shipments of “traditional PCs,” meaning laptops and desktops, are up by 32 percent compared to Q1 2020 ( via CNBC ). IDC puts the number even higher , estimating 55 percent growth year-over-year. This seems to be the continuation of a trend — the PC market had a great 2020 as well . Both firms agree that the growth is atypical — Gartner says that the growth is the fastest it’s seen since it started tracking the market in 2000, and IDC says that the drop in shipments from Q4 to Q1 is the smallest it’s seen since 2012. The raw numbers are also impressive — Gartner estimates that just under 70 million PCs were shipped, while IDC estimates around 84 million. Of course, these numbers don’t exist in a vacuum — you may have already realized that the time period being compared against, Q1 2020, was rough for... well, everything, which includes the … [Read more...] about The PC market isn’t slowing down after an amazing 2020, despite chip shortages

Darktrace, the British cyber security firm backed by tech entrepreneur Mike Lynch , said on Monday it intended to float on the London Stock Exchange to raise new funds to accelerate product development and strengthen its balance sheet. The company, founded in 2013, uses AI to understand IT networks and detect attacks by identifying aberrations to normal behaviour. Revenue grew from $79.4 million to $199.1 million between its 2018 and 2020 fiscal years, it said, while core earnings improved from a $27 million loss to a $9 million profit over the same period. Lynch was the founder and chief executive of Autonomy, the software company sold to Hewlett-Packard in an ill-fated $11 billion deal in 2011. He is fighting a U.S. extradition request to face fraud charges related to the deal, and is waiting for the verdict of a multi-billion dollar civil claim by HP at London's High Court. Lynch denies the charges. Darktrace joins a flurry of deals, with Madrid-based Allfunds … [Read more...] about Cyber security firm Darktrace announces intention to float

Google has worked for years to position itself as a responsible steward of AI. Its research lab hires respected academics, publishes groundbreaking papers, and steers the agenda at the field’s biggest conferences. But now its reputation has been badly, perhaps irreversibly damaged, just as the company is struggling to put a politically palatable face on its empire of data. The company’s decision to fire Timnit Gebru and Margaret Mitchell — two of its top AI ethics researchers, who happened to be examining the downsides of technology integral to Google’s search products — has triggered waves of protest. Academics have registered their discontent in various ways. Two backed out of a Google research workshop, a third turned down a $60,000 grant from the company, and a fourth pledged not to accept its funding in the future. Two engineers quit the company in protest of Gebru’s treatment and just last week, one of Google’s top AI employees, a research manager named Samy Bengio who … [Read more...] about Google is poisoning its reputation with AI researchers

Food delivery company Menulog has announced it plans to give its couriers access to insurance cover, fair pay, leave entitlements, and superannuation. The program is part of the company's plans to shift all its food couriers in Australia from working under a contractor model to an employment model. The company has dubbed this shift as a move to "enhance the life standards of couriers". "Historically, the contractor model was well suited for the Australian market, but as the gig economy continues to evolve, we believe we need to make improvements for couriers that align with our philosophies and values and those of our new European parent group, Just Eat Takeaway.com," Menulog managing director Morten Belling said. "We are committed to the safety of our couriers, providing them with insurance cover and a fair income. While we are compliant with local laws, we believe there is more we can do for couriers, to better meet our evolved values and moral standards. "We owe it to our … [Read more...] about Menulog moves to give couriers access to fair pay and job entitlements