Google taps markets for $30bn AI cash call June 2, 2026 Alphabet will raise up to $80bn (£59bn) from investors to fund its AI expansion, marking one of the largest equity fundraisings in history and a major shift for a company that has traditionally relied on its vast cash generation to finance growth. The Google parent said on Monday it would use the proceeds to expand [...]
Lime trialled fast-food lane that let Deliveroo riders bypass speed limits June 2, 2026 Lime has scrapped a trial that allowed Deliveroo riders to bypass speed restrictions on its rental e-bikes after questions were raised over the policy. The scheme, first reported by London Centric, gave riders using Lime’s new Delivery Pass access to areas where ordinary users would automatically be slowed down by the company’s “turtle mode” system. [...]
Wayve: London robotaxis will make passengers forget there’s no driver June 2, 2026 Wayve believes Londoners will stop noticing they are sitting in driverless cars within minutes of using them, as the British AI startup prepares to launch autonomous vehicles on Uber’s network in the capital. Kaity Fischer, Wayve’s vice president of commercial and operations, said the company expected passengers to move quickly from novelty to habit once [...]
Bluesky bets on the end of X and Meta’s social media grip June 2, 2026 Social media is moving beyond platforms controlled by a “few billionaires”, according to Bluesky’s chief operating officer, as governments in the UK and Europe step up scrutiny of X, Meta, and other Big Techs. Speaking at SXSW London, Rose Wang said Bluesky was built in response to a social media market dominated by a handful [...]
Anthropic files for IPO as race with OpenAI heats up June 1, 2026 Anthropic has confidentially filed for a US stock market listing, setting up what could become one of the biggest technology IPOs in history and intensifying its rivalry with OpenAI. The Claude maker confirmed on Monday that it had submitted a draft registration statement on Form S-1 to the Securities and Exchange Commission, giving the company [...]
Sadiq Khan: London tech boom can weather ‘dizzying’ AI risks June 1, 2026 Sadiq Khan has insisted London is “busy writing” the future of AI despite the “dizzying” risks posed by the technology, as fresh figures show the capital has reclaimed its position as Europe’s leading tech hub. The Mayor of London said AI presents both “impacts and opportunities”, but argued the capital was well placed to benefit [...]
Labour voters lead AI adoption as public remains split on impact June 1, 2026 Labour supporters are more likely to use AI tools such as ChatGPT and Claude than voters of any other major political party, new polling has found. The latest CityAM/Freshwater Strategy poll of UK voters found Labour backers are the heaviest users of AI assistants, while two-thirds (66 per cent) of voters overall have used [...]
Inside Celonis, the German tech unicorn that won over a fifth of the FTSE 100 June 1, 2026 For a company valued at more than $13bn (£9.58bn), Celonis remains relatively unknown in Britain. Founded in Munich in 2011, the software company has become one of Europe’s most valuable private tech firms, with customers including AstraZeneca, ASOS, BMW and the UK Cabinet Office. The UK has become one of its three largest markets globally. [...]
Revolut, Wayve and Elevenlabs join European tech sovereignty push June 1, 2026 The founders behind some of Europe’s biggest technology success stories, including Revolut, Wayve and ElevenLabs, have launched a new push for European tech sovereignty as the continent seeks to build homegrown rivals to Silicon Valley. More than 100 startup founders and chief executives have joined a new ‘built in Europe’ campaign spearheaded by venture capital [...]
UK music tech faces scale-up crunch as growth funding collapses June 1, 2026 Britain’s music tech sector is facing a scaling crisis, with funding for growth-stage firms collapsing by 90 per cent over the last five years despite the rapid rise of AI and growing investor interest in music licensing infrastructure. A new report from industry body Music Technology UK (MTUK) found investment into growth-stage music tech companies [...]