News

  • Europe’s $3.1B satellite merger won’t rival Musk’s Starlink
    by Siôn Geschwindt on June 5, 2025 at 2:49 pm

    Two satellite heavyweights are about to form a European rival to Starlink. But they’ll face an uphill battle to compete with Elon Musk’s firm. Luxembourg-based SES’ proposed $3.1bn takeover of Intelsat is set to get the green light from EU officials, Reuters reports. A final verdict is expected by June 10.   SES first announced plans to acquire Luxembourgish-American rival Intelsat in April 2024, calling it a “transformational merger” that could reshape the satellite internet market. The merged company would have a fleet of more than 100 geostationary and 26 medium Earth orbit satellites. Intelsat would contribute 75 of those probes,…This story continues at The Next Web […]

  • Exclusive: New autonomous tractor can shift from farming to warfare
    by Siôn Geschwindt on June 5, 2025 at 11:34 am

    Spanish startup Voltrac has emerged from stealth with an autonomous tractor that lives a double life.  In peacetime, the 3.5-tonne electric vehicle zips around farms, hauling heavy goods and using cameras to gather data on crop health. But when enlisted, the tractor is equally capable of navigating enemy assaults to deliver critical supplies to frontline soldiers. “In Ukraine, for instance, many lives are lost in non-combat situations, including frontline resupply missions,” Voltrac’s cofounder and CTO, Francisco Infante Aguirre, told TNW in an interview. “That’s where we see a machine like ours making a difference: it’s built for tough terrain, and…This story continues at The Next Web […]

  • ‘World’s first’ autofocus glasses could spell the end of reading specs
    by Siôn Geschwindt on June 5, 2025 at 7:00 am

    While Mark Zuckerberg was hyping Meta’s latest Ray-Ban smartglasses and Apple was promoting its Vision Pro mixed reality headset in 2023, Finnish startup IXI was quietly crafting high-tech specs for more practical purposes.  Founded in 2021, the company emerged from stealth in April with $36mn in funding to commercialise what it claims are the world’s first autofocus glasses. The prescription specs promise to change the way visually-impaired people see the world around them.  “None of the tech giants are fixing eyesight,” Niko Eiden, IXI’s cofounder and CEO, told TNW in an interview. “They’re looking at smart eyewear as a new…This story continues at The Next Web […]

  • Why changemakers burn out — and how to burn bright instead
    by Santa Meyer-Nandi on June 5, 2025 at 5:06 am

    This piece is part of our “Ask the Expert,” series where experts share their insights into some of the most pressing questions facing our tech ecosystem. Sign-up for your spot on Santa Meyer-Nandi’s Ask the Expert session about “How to burn bright, not out” at TNW2025 on June 20 at 15:30. In our work — whether shaping sustainable management frameworks, advising climate innovation funds, or guiding impact entrepreneurs — we see the same silent barrier appear again and again: People are burning out, even as their ideas succeed. And it’s not because they’re disorganised or weak. Quite the opposite. What we see is…This story continues at The Next Web […]

  • Klarna CEO: Engineers risk losing out to business people who can code
    by Thomas Macaulay on June 4, 2025 at 6:28 pm

    Klarna’s CEO has warned that software engineers risk being left behind in the AI era — unless they’re also business-savvy. Speaking at SXSW London, Sebastian Siemiatkowski said the talent “who have really accelerated their careers at Klarna” are “business people who have learned to code.” The reason? “They can take their business understanding and turn it into deterministic or probabilistic statements with AI.” This shift, he warned, poses a threat to engineers. “A lot of them have allowed themselves to be isolated with technical challenges only, and not been that interested in what the business actually does,” he said. His message…This story continues at The Next Web […]

  • European tech founders slam ‘unbelievably toxic’ calls for 7-day work weeks
    by Siôn Geschwindt on June 4, 2025 at 4:21 pm

    European tech leaders are pushing back against high-profile VCs urging founders to work seven days a week — slamming the grindset mentality as everything from “toxic” to “childish.”  “Calling on founders to work insane hours nonstop is just bad advice,” Suranga Chandratillake, general partner at Balderton Capital and former CEO of video search engine Blinkx, told TNW. “Even sprinters don’t sprint all the time — rest and reflection is just as important as putting in the work.” His comments follow a LinkedIn post on Saturday by Harry Stebbings, podcast host and 28-year-old founder of London-based venture firm 20VC. “What European…This story continues at The Next Web […]

  • EU approves first mixed reality flight simulator for pilot training
    by Siôn Geschwindt on June 4, 2025 at 1:33 pm

    The European Union Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) has certified a mixed reality (MR) headset for civil aviation training for the first time — potentially signalling a shift in how pilots are taught.  Built by Finnish startup Varjo, the headset — called XR-4 — replaces the screens in a flight training cockpit, which are smaller, cheaper versions of the full-flight simulators used in the final phases of pilot training.  The MR tech blends digital environments with the physical cockpit and the pilot’s real hands and body. Using a process known as “masking,” everything outside the cockpit is digitally rendered, while the…This story continues at The Next Web […]

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