Welcome to Tech World, your quick roundup of some the top technology news stories from across the globe. This month, we have Jaguar Land Rover’s $25m investment in Lyft, news that Uber’s CEO is taking a break, Amazon’s $13.7bn acquisition of Whole Foods Market, and more.
For this episode’s Hot Topic interview, we spoke with Daniel Lyons from EY about how technology is revolutionising modern transport. From driverless cars to parking sensors and ride hailing to fuel cell technology, we discuss it all. First though, here are your top international stories.
Uber CEO takes time out
Uber CEO Travis Kalanick announced he was taking time away from the ride-hailing firm following numerous recent controversies centering on company culture.
Former US Attorney General Eric Holder conducted an investigation into the company and suggested a reduction in Kalanick’s sweeping authority. He has since announced his resignation.
Jaguar Land Rover invests $25m in Lyft
Britain’s biggest carmaker, Jaguar Land Rover, invested $25m (£20m) in Lyft, becoming the latest car giant to pick a side in the battle between the taxi-hailing app and its arch-rival, Uber.
JLR will also provide Lyft with a fleet of vehicles and work with it to develop driverless car technology.
Hexagon AB eyes acquisition
Swedish-headquartered Hexagon AB held talks about a possible acquisition by an unnamed rival. The Wall Street Journal reported that the acquisition could value the industrial-technology company at $20bn.
Amazon to buy Whole Foods Market for $13.7bn
Amazon is to acquire organic food chain Whole Foods Market for $13.7bn (£10.7bn). Amazon has long had ambitions to move into the grocery business and its acquisition of Whole Foods will see it gain around 460 stores, including nine in the UK.
Slack raising $500m round
Business communications company Slack is in the midst of raising a $500m round at a $5bn post-money valuation.
The firm is also rumoured to have attracted a number of potential buyers, including Amazon, Microsoft, Google and Salesforce.
That’s it for our top global tech news roundup, but keep watching to see this episode’s Hot Topics interview. We spoke with Daniel Lyons from EY about how technology is revolutionising modern transport.
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