8Jan2019
Salesforce appoints a co-CEO alongside Marc Benioff. Uber and Apple lose in court. Facebook’s terrible year. And other top news from the month of December.
1. It’s complicated: Facebook’s terrible 2018
The previous year wasn’t a fun one for Facebook: here’s a timeline of Facebook’s terrible 2018. Here’s another recap. Between privacy concerns and delayed features, scandal ran rampant at the company. And now Facebook is reportedly complaining that the NYT is picking on it, citing the fact that the newspaper took out an ad on Facebook for their article about how to delete the app from your life.
2. Uber loses UK appeal over benefits
In 2016, a UK court ruled that Uber drivers are employees entitled to benefits such as minimum wage and holiday pay. Uber didn’t like this and brought it to the Court of Appeal where it has just been upheld, with the courts saying that Uber’s drivers are not self-employed. Not to be told no, Uber is bringing its appeal to the Supreme Courte, all while preparing for its IPO.
3. France’s Vinci in £2.9 billion swoop on Gatwick airport
Vinci Airports (SGEF.PA) just cut a deal to buy a 50.01 percent stake in one of Britain’s busiest airports. Brexit negatively impacted UK asset prices and Vinci took full advantage. Vinci President Nicolas Notebaert said that “Just a few months ago we would not even have dreamed of being able to acquire an unlimited license in the London airports system for less than 20 times core earnings.”
4. Qualcomm against Apple remains one of the biggest ongoing patent disputes worldwide
Apple is dealing with an injunction against them in a district court in Munich that bans sales of older iPhones, including the 7, 8 and X. The court found that Apple had infringed on a Qualcomm patent which lead to ceasing some sales. The loss for Apple in Germany comes shortly after Qualcomm finalized a court order against Apple in China. Apple plans to appeal both rulings.
5. Salesforce’s Marc Benioff unplugged for two weeks, and had a revelation that could change the tech industry
Benioff realized that he was too busy, and that wasn’t going to change – so he appointed a co-CEO, Keith Block. With this new arrangement, Benioff can still stay involved in Salesforce’s day-to-day operations while having more time to dedicate to his side projects and passions. Others in tech are taking notice.
Editorial photo: Worawee Meepian / Shutterstock.com
