Showing 31 - 40 of 55
Political correctness won't help sort out Uber's woes
News, Leonid Bershidsky, Published on 16/06/2017
» There's a disconnect between the way Uber, the ride-hailing company, is trying to transform itself and what it really needs to fix to become a sustainable business. Instead of reconsidering its business model and protecting itself against a regulatory backlash, it has decided to go politically correct.
Russia has no reason to undermine Qatar
News, Leonid Bershidsky, Published on 09/06/2017
» The ubiquitous "Russian hackers" are now accused of providing the spark for a diplomatic fire between Saudi Arabia and Qatar. While the facts in the case remain in the shadows, it's hard to understand why it would be in Russia's interest to undermine Qatar.
Blockchain test could change Russia
News, Leonid Bershidsky, Published on 08/06/2017
» Russian President Vladimir Putin and his economic team have long been under the impression that, to wean the country off its oil dependence, they needed a major leap in some specific area of technology that wasn't yet dominated by Western, Chinese or Japanese tech giants. Their latest hopes are being pegged to the Ethereum blockchain platform.
Brexit parade is in the EU's favour
News, Leonid Bershidsky, Published on 03/05/2017
» Leaked details of a dinner conversation between UK Prime Minister Theresa May and European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker suggest that the Brexit talks won't just be contentious -- they'll be brutal. At this point, the perception helps Ms May as much as it does the EU leaders. After the June election in the UK, however, Ms May will be at a disadvantage.
Some democracies resist populism
News, Leonid Bershidsky, Published on 03/04/2017
» Recent and upcoming political upheavals in a number of countries provide some evidence that the institutional design of democracies can be critically important. A clear advantage is emerging for countries that don't directly elect a president: They are more likely to resist the wave of populism sweeping the West.
Facebook can't have it both ways
News, Leonid Bershidsky, Published on 24/03/2017
» Nearly everyone has criticism for German Justice Minister Heiko Maas's proposal to impose fines on social networks and their workers for failure to delete hateful content. Internet freedom advocates hate it for imposing censorship. The European Union is concerned for the same reason and the German union of judges and prosecutors criticise it for not going far enough because the posters of hate-speech themselves escape punishment.
Happy nations don't only focus on economic growth
News, Leonid Bershidsky, Published on 22/03/2017
» The Socialist candidate for the French presidency, Benoit Hamon, says he doesn't believe in the "myth" and "quasi-religion" of growth -- it's part of the "consumerist, productivist and materialist model" of development, he argues.
Forcing the EU to make a bold move
News, Leonid Bershidsky, Published on 03/03/2017
» In trademark EU style, European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker outlined a vision for the bloc's future on Wednesday by presenting five of them. While some will see an attempt to shape the agenda without taking responsibility, it sounded more like an impatient call for members to find the courage to rally around an actual strategic decision.
Keep your children well away from connected toys
News, Leonid Bershidsky, Published on 02/03/2017
» How dangerous is a teddy bear or a doll? In the Internet of Things era, it's not an idle question but one for parents and regulators to ponder seriously.
US tech must beat Trump's policies
News, Leonid Bershidsky, Published on 08/02/2017
» Few tech workers come from the seven countries affected by President Donald Trump's entry ban. But the 97 US companies, most of them from the tech sector, that lent their support to the State of Washington's lawsuit aiming to block Mr Trump's executive order, have good reasons to fight it every step of the way.