Tech – Page 60

The UK counts down to its first ever orbital satellite launch

Next Featured, Tech / Rejus Almole / January 9, 2023

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Ioanna Lykiardopoulou

Ioanna is a writer at SHIFT. She likes the transition from old to modern, and she’s all about shifting perspectives. Ioanna is a writer at SHIFT. She likes the transition from old to modern, and she’s all about shifting perspectives.

The first ever orbital satellite launch from the UK — and Europe — is set for takeoff tonight (Monday, January 9). The so-called “Start Me UP” mission, led by US-based Virgin Orbit, will set out from Spaceport Cornwall at Newquay Airport at around 21: 15 UTC.

You can watch the launch via Virgin Orbit’s livestream below:

space</a> sector, marking the beginning of a domestic-based launch industry.</p> <p>“The development of new orbital launch capabilities is already generating growth, catalyzing investment, and creating jobs in Cornwall and other communities across the United Kingdom,” Ian Annett, Deputy CEO at the UK Space Agency, said in a <a href="https://virginorbit.com/the-latest/virgin-orbit-completes-final-successful-end-to-end-rehearsal-all-systems-currently-green-proceeding-toward-historic-u-k-launch/" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">statement</a>.</p> <p>“I look forward to seeing more launches from other UK spaceports over the next year, putting us firmly on the map as Europe’s leading destination for commercial small satellite launch,” he added.</p> </p></div> <h3>Also tagged with</h3> <p></br> </main> </article> </p></div> </div> <p class="ast-blog-single-element ast-read-more-container read-more"> <a class="" href="https://theverysoon.com/the-uk-counts-down-to-its-first-ever-orbital-satellite-launch/"> <span class="screen-reader-text">The UK counts down to its first ever orbital satellite launch</span> Read More »</a></p> <div class="entry-content clear" itemprop="text" > </div> </div> </div>  </article> <article class="post-78008 post type-post status-publish format-standard has-post-thumbnail hentry category-next-featured category-tech tag-next-featured tag-tech ast-grid-common-col ast-full-width ast-article-post" id="post-78008" itemtype="https://schema.org/CreativeWork" itemscope="itemscope"> <div class="ast-post-format- blog-layout-1 ast-article-inner"> <div class="post-content ast-grid-common-col" > <div class="ast-blog-featured-section post-thumb ast-blog-single-element"><div class="post-thumb-img-content post-thumb"><a href="https://theverysoon.com/french-startup-uses-hi-fi-speakers-to-develop-eco-friendly-heat-pumps/" ><img width="796" height="417" src="https://theverysoon.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/01/78008-french-startup-uses-hi-fi-speakers-to-develop-eco-friendly-heat-pumps.jpg-26amp-3Bsignature-3D19f61543d521714cc956af7f7583fb57" class="attachment-large size-large wp-post-image" alt="french-startup-uses-hi-fi-speakers-to-develop-eco-friendly-heat-pumps" itemprop="image" decoding="async" srcset="https://theverysoon.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/01/78008-french-startup-uses-hi-fi-speakers-to-develop-eco-friendly-heat-pumps.jpg-26amp-3Bsignature-3D19f61543d521714cc956af7f7583fb57 796w, https://theverysoon.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/01/78008-french-startup-uses-hi-fi-speakers-to-develop-eco-friendly-heat-pumps-300x157.jpg-26amp-3bsignature-3d19f61543d521714cc956af7f7583fb57 300w, https://theverysoon.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/01/78008-french-startup-uses-hi-fi-speakers-to-develop-eco-friendly-heat-pumps-768x402.jpg-26amp-3bsignature-3d19f61543d521714cc956af7f7583fb57 768w, https://theverysoon.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/01/78008-french-startup-uses-hi-fi-speakers-to-develop-eco-friendly-heat-pumps-260x136.jpg-26amp-3bsignature-3d19f61543d521714cc956af7f7583fb57 260w" sizes="(max-width: 796px) 100vw, 796px" /></a></div></div><h2 class="entry-title ast-blog-single-element" itemprop="headline"><a href="https://theverysoon.com/french-startup-uses-hi-fi-speakers-to-develop-eco-friendly-heat-pumps/" rel="bookmark">French startup uses Hi-Fi speakers to develop eco-friendly heat pumps</a></h2> <header class="entry-header ast-blog-single-element ast-blog-meta-container"> <div class="entry-meta"><span class="ast-taxonomy-container cat-links default"><a href="https://theverysoon.com/category/next-featured/" rel="category tag">Next Featured</a>, <a href="https://theverysoon.com/category/tech/" rel="category tag">Tech</a></span> / <span class="posted-by vcard author" itemtype="https://schema.org/Person" itemscope="itemscope" itemprop="author"> <a title="View all posts by Rejus Almole" href="https://theverysoon.com/author/airflowsupply/" rel="author" class="url fn n" itemprop="url" > <span class="author-name" itemprop="name" > Rejus Almole </span> </a> </span> / <span class="posted-on"><span class="published" itemprop="datePublished"> January 9, 2023 </span></span></div> </header> <div class="ast-excerpt-container ast-blog-single-element"> <div id="article-main-content"> <p>Amidst the climate and energy crisis, heat pumps have emerged on the housing heating market as a technology that can replace gas and oil, while lowering the energy bills. Yet, their air compression systems require refrigerants to work. These refrigerants, also known as hydrofluorocarbons (HFCs), are amongst the most potent greenhouse gasses.</p> <p>Founded in 2017 and having <a href="https://www.informateurjudiciaire.fr/actualites/entretien-cedric-francois-fondateur-dequium-le-son-est-une-nouvelle-energie/" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">raised </a><span>€5 million,</span> French deeptech startup <a href="https://www.equium.fr/" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">Equium</a> is seeking to provide a more ecological alternative. With this aim, it has developed a novel, acoustic heat pump core that harnesses the energy of sound.</p> <p>The so-called Acoustic Heat Pump (AHP) can cover a household’s heating needs without the use of refrigerants. Instead, its operation is based on the phenomenon of thermoacoustics — the convergence of thermics, acoustics, and fluid mechanics.</p> <p>The core works with a high-fidelity (Hi-Fi) speaker powered by electricity, which generates an acoustic wave in tubes filled with helium — a neutral and non-toxic gas that accelerates the propagation of sound. The acoustic wave causes the gas to compress or expand, producing heat or cold, respectively. It remains confined within the system, which allows the machine to be silent.</p> <figure><img loading="lazy" alt="acoustic heat pump " data-src="https://cdn0.tnwcdn.com/wp-content/blogs.dir/1/files/2023/01/Screen-Shot-2023-01-09-at-13.54.45.png" data- decoding="async" height="664" loading="lazy" src="data:image/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAIAAAAAAAP///yH5BAEAAAAALAAAAAABAAEAAAIBRAA7" width="589"></img><figcaption>Equium’s acoustic heat pump. Credit: Equium</figcaption></figure> <p>According to Equium, the heat pump isn’t just greenhouse gas-free, but also made from 100% recyclable materials, boasting overall a very low carbon footprint. At the same time, the machine’s ecological mode of operation is claimed to provide the same efficiency of a conventional heat pump, while increasing <a href="https://thenextweb.com/topic/energy" rel="noopener" target="_blank">energy</a> savings and overall cost.</p> <p>A big part of that is the pump’s modulation, which allows users to increase or decrease the speaker’s volume to achieve the desired power output. Apart from that, the system is easy to install, doesn’t require maintenance and has a lifespan of around 30 years — about <a href="https://postonbrothers.com/how-long-should-a-heat-pump-last/#:~:text=How%20Long%20Does%20a%20Heat,about%2010%20to%2015%20years." rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">twice as long as a conventional heat pump</a>.</p> <p><a href="https://www.informateurjudiciaire.fr/actualites/entretien-cedric-francois-fondateur-dequium-le-son-est-une-nouvelle-energie/" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">As per the startup’s founder, Cédric François</a>, for an equivalent cost and size, the AHP’s advantage translates to a 50% lower CO2 impact and a 20% lower energy consumption.</p> <p>Equium’s aim is to sell its acoustic cores to heat pump manufacturers, seeking to develop a French acoustic HP industry. The first integration will be processed by the startup’s strategic partner <a href="https://www.arkteos.com/" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">Arkteos</a>, a regional manufacturer. The company is currently conducting field tests and expects to <a href="https://www.informateurjudiciaire.fr/actualites/entretien-cedric-francois-fondateur-dequium-le-son-est-une-nouvelle-energie/" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">market its product in 2024</a>.</p> <p>To date, the young French startup has only one competitor in this brand new market: Netherlands-based <a href="https://www.blueheartenergy.com/" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">BlueHeart Energy</a>. But hopefully, more companies will start tapping into the capabilities of thermoacoustics to revolutionize heat pump technology.</p> </p></div> </div> <p class="ast-blog-single-element ast-read-more-container read-more"> <a class="" href="https://theverysoon.com/french-startup-uses-hi-fi-speakers-to-develop-eco-friendly-heat-pumps/"> <span class="screen-reader-text">French startup uses Hi-Fi speakers to develop eco-friendly heat pumps</span> Read More »</a></p> <div class="entry-content clear" itemprop="text" > </div> </div> </div>  </article> <article class="post-78010 post type-post status-publish format-standard has-post-thumbnail hentry category-entrepreneur category-europe category-growth-quarters category-tech tag-entrepreneur tag-europe tag-growth-quarters tag-tech ast-grid-common-col ast-full-width ast-article-post" id="post-78010" itemtype="https://schema.org/CreativeWork" itemscope="itemscope"> <div class="ast-post-format- blog-layout-1 ast-article-inner"> <div class="post-content ast-grid-common-col" > <div class="ast-blog-featured-section post-thumb ast-blog-single-element"><div class="post-thumb-img-content post-thumb"><a href="https://theverysoon.com/6-ways-eu-startups-can-cut-spending-during-the-recession/" ><img width="796" height="417" src="https://theverysoon.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/01/78010-6-ways-eu-startups-can-cut-spending-during-the-recession.jpg-26amp-3Bsignature-3Dd9420e244b94193d4c5c9484ba3ca862" class="attachment-large size-large wp-post-image" alt="6-ways-eu-startups-can-cut-spending-during-the-recession" itemprop="image" decoding="async" srcset="https://theverysoon.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/01/78010-6-ways-eu-startups-can-cut-spending-during-the-recession.jpg-26amp-3Bsignature-3Dd9420e244b94193d4c5c9484ba3ca862 796w, https://theverysoon.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/01/78010-6-ways-eu-startups-can-cut-spending-during-the-recession-300x157.jpg-26amp-3bsignature-3dd9420e244b94193d4c5c9484ba3ca862 300w, https://theverysoon.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/01/78010-6-ways-eu-startups-can-cut-spending-during-the-recession-768x402.jpg-26amp-3bsignature-3dd9420e244b94193d4c5c9484ba3ca862 768w, https://theverysoon.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/01/78010-6-ways-eu-startups-can-cut-spending-during-the-recession-260x136.jpg-26amp-3bsignature-3dd9420e244b94193d4c5c9484ba3ca862 260w" sizes="(max-width: 796px) 100vw, 796px" /></a></div></div><h2 class="entry-title ast-blog-single-element" itemprop="headline"><a href="https://theverysoon.com/6-ways-eu-startups-can-cut-spending-during-the-recession/" rel="bookmark">6 ways EU startups can cut spending during the recession</a></h2> <header class="entry-header ast-blog-single-element ast-blog-meta-container"> <div class="entry-meta"><span class="ast-taxonomy-container cat-links default"><a href="https://theverysoon.com/category/entrepreneur/" rel="category tag">Entrepreneur</a>, <a href="https://theverysoon.com/category/europe/" rel="category tag">Europe</a>, <a href="https://theverysoon.com/category/growth-quarters/" rel="category tag">Growth Quarters</a>, <a href="https://theverysoon.com/category/tech/" rel="category tag">Tech</a></span> / <span class="posted-by vcard author" itemtype="https://schema.org/Person" itemscope="itemscope" itemprop="author"> <a title="View all posts by Paul Patrick" href="https://theverysoon.com/author/davidponcetechreviewers-net/" rel="author" class="url fn n" itemprop="url" > <span class="author-name" itemprop="name" > Paul Patrick </span> </a> </span> / <span class="posted-on"><span class="published" itemprop="datePublished"> January 9, 2023 </span></span></div> </header> <div class="ast-excerpt-container ast-blog-single-element"> <div id="article-main-content"> <p>With a global recession impending, <a href="https://thenextweb.com/topic/europe" rel="noopener" target="_blank">Europe</a>’s startups are feeling the pressure. Investment opportunities are dwindling and customer acquisition is getting harder. So what can <a href="https://thenextweb.com/topic/startup" rel="noopener" target="_blank">startups</a> do to survive during this time?</p> <p>From hiring freezes to spending cuts, <a href="https://thenextweb.com/topic/founder" rel="noopener" target="_blank">founders</a> are making preparations to get through the recession unscathed. There are many ways to cut spending during this time that don’t involve layoffs, it’s just about being a little savvy and thrifty, and looking out for programs that are designed to give startups a boost.</p> <p>Here’s your go-to checklist for smart ways startups can cut spending and save during the recession: </p> <h2>1. Scrap the office and go fully remote</h2> <div> <div id="hs-embed-tnw"> <p><img decoding="async" src="https://s3.amazonaws.com/events.tnw/hardfork-2018/uploads/companies/tnw-black.svg"></img></p> <div> <h2>The new TNW Newsletter</h2> <p>Getting to the heart of the European tech and startup scene</p> </div> </div> </div> <p>Thanks to the pandemic, most people are now accustomed to working remotely and interacting with their teams virtually. Although many businesses have been navigating back towards being in-office at least a few days a week, it costs a lot to hold a space that’s not being used all the time.</p> <p>Either ditching the office altogether or moving to a co-working space can save a lot of money. Kate Lister, President of <a href="https://globalworkplaceanalytics.com/work-at-home-after-covid-19-our-forecast" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">Global Workplace Analytics</a> estimates, “a typical employer can save about $11,000/year for every person who works remotely half of the time.” For those that go fully remote, asynchronous working will help employees maintain flexibility during the day, and create a work-life balance that suits them and allows them to be most productive.</p> <p>If you’re worried about maintaining your company culture, gaining some tips and inspiration from businesses who were operating remote models before the pandemic can be useful. <a href="https://buffer.com/" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">Buffer</a> and <a href="https://zapier.com/learn/remote-work/" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">Zapier</a>, for example, are both remote-first businesses, with global teams collaborating together from all over the world. Both businesses find that maintaining frequent, open communication is essential for the success of their remote teams.</p> <p>One important thing to remember is that fully remote companies should always factor in some budget for in person team-building events throughout the year to foster team spirit and connection.</p> <h2>2. Choose your cloud provider wisely</h2> <p><a href="https://thenextweb.com/topic/cloud-computing" rel="noopener" target="_blank">Cloud</a> services are used by many startups for everything from basic tasks like data storage, to the more advanced functions like AI and machine learning. But many also end up in a situation where they accept free cloud credits and end up taking on products and services they don’t necessarily need.</p> <p>Choosing the right cloud provider can be tricky, especially as the business develops and your needs change. Ideally, you’d want the flexibility to be able to reconfigure your cloud architecture or even switch providers as these needs change, however, <a href="https://thenextweb.com/news/dependence-clouds-eu-startup-growth-new-approach" rel="noopener" target="_blank">many startups get locked into contracts with high egress fees</a>.</p> <p><a href="https://thenextweb.com/news/relying-on-a-single-cloud-provider-is-hella-risky-heres-a-smarter-strategy" rel="noopener" target="_blank">Adopting a multi-cloud strategy</a> could be a good solution allowing you to select the services most suited to each of your team’s needs and take advantage of reserved instances and other discounts. There are also some new cost-saving cloud technologies on the market now, such as Serverless technology and Kubernetes autoscaling.</p> <p>Also be sure to check out Scaleway’s <a href="https://www.scaleway.com/en/100-startups-program/" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">Next 100 Startups Shaping Europe’s Future Program</a> designed to support up and coming startups during the recession. If selected, Scaleway will cover up to 80% of your cloud infrastructure costs over a period of 24 months.</p> <h2>3. Optimize organic reach, rather than paying for a boost</h2> <p>Did you know, around <a href="https://www.insiderintelligence.com/chart/240418/search-ad-spending-us-by-device-2019-2024-billions" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">$70 billion</a> was spent on paid search ads in the US in 2021?</p> <p>Instead of throwing money at ads, focus on organic marketing strategies that will reap the same benefits at no cost.</p> <p>Best SEO practices to help with organic traffic include staying on top of keyword targeting: monitoring analytics of keyword performance will help you to continuously have oversight of what’s working and what can be improved, so you can keep optimizing your approach and improving your reach.</p> <p>Another strategy is to optimize the landing page itself: making sure it has a load-friendly design and user experience (UX), that the content provides value to the audience, and that you have backlinks to help the user move across different pages of your site.</p> <p>All of these factors will improve your search engine ranking. In addition to being a cheaper option, organic marketing has a lot of business benefits over paid ads too. When your content is optimized more strategically, it’s likely to last longer and see a prolonged flow of traffic, unlike paid ads that are only profitable when they’re live. It also helps to build a more loyal following as you’re engaging the audience at every step of the funnel.</p> <h2>4. Cast your net in the freelance talent pool</h2> <p>Most companies are introducing hiring freezes, but what if you have some talent gaps in your team that need to be filled for the business to continue developing?</p> <p>Instead of hiring full-time, consider contracting freelancers or agencies to take on jobs on a project basis. Consider which positions you need on an ongoing basis and which you only need on an occasional or seasonal basis. Hiring freelancers instead of full-timers can <a href="https://www.websiteplanet.com/blog/freelance-stats/" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">save employers around $11.6</a> an hour per employee.</p> <p>In addition to monetary benefits, outsourcing is a great way to access different skill sets, expertise, and strengths tailored to specific projects in a way that’s not possible otherwise.</p> <p>There’s a wide pool of options to choose from all over the world and, of course, when you find a good and reliable freelancer, there’s no reason why you can’t hire them for additional projects and build up a good relationship as you would with a full-time worker.</p> <h2>5. Declutter your box of tools and subscriptions</h2> <p>In the digital age, companies are using multiple tools and apps for their business operations. Sometimes we have so many tools and subscriptions that we don’t even remember what they all are or what they’re for. Having a good clear out and canceling subscriptions for anything that’s not being used will reduce unnecessary spending.</p> <p>There are a lot of tools that have similar functions, so having a browse to compare the offerings might mean that you’re able to find a better deal that suits you and saves a bit of money. Some multi-use platforms and tools additionally consolidate and integrate functions, so you get more bang for your buck rather than having a separate tool for every task/team.</p> <h2>6. Take advantage of funding opportunities</h2> <p>You might be taking all the measures you can to save money, but sometimes an extra helping hand can provide a bit more security. There are several open programs, both EU-funded and privately sponsored, to support startups during the recession and enable them to continue growing and scaling: </p> <ul> <li>The <a href="https://eic.ec.europa.eu/eic-funding-opportunities_en" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">European Innovation Council</a> (EIC) for example, has a range of funding opportunities to back everything from research and mentoring to building business plans to scale and develop for market.</li> <li>As mentioned earlier, Scaleway’s <a href="https://thenextweb.com/news/dependence-clouds-eu-startup-growth-new-approach" rel="noopener" target="_blank">100 Startups program</a> is providing cloud funding support for 24 months.</li> <li><a href="https://www.climate-kic.org/get-involved/apply-for-a-grant/" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">Climate-KIC</a> has a number of grants available specifically for startups that are accelerating the transition to zero-carbon and climate resiliency.</li> <li>For low-tech SMEs wanting to develop AI techniques, <a href="https://stairwai.fundingbox.com/" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">StairwAI</a> is a good option.</li> <li><a href="https://www.euresearch.ch/en/our-services/inform/open-calls-137.html" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">Eurosearch</a> is a great place to find a range of funding opportunities, specifically tailored to different types of startups.</li> </ul> <p>There’s no need to panic as the recession approaches. Instead, it’s time to get smart about spending, find the best options and discounts available, and always be on the lookout for the many funding programs and opportunities out there!</p> </p></div> </div> <p class="ast-blog-single-element ast-read-more-container read-more"> <a class="" href="https://theverysoon.com/6-ways-eu-startups-can-cut-spending-during-the-recession/"> <span class="screen-reader-text">6 ways EU startups can cut spending during the recession</span> Read More »</a></p> <div class="entry-content clear" itemprop="text" > </div> </div> </div>  </article> <article class="post-77976 post type-post status-publish format-standard has-post-thumbnail hentry category-next-featured category-tech tag-next-featured tag-tech ast-grid-common-col ast-full-width ast-article-post" id="post-77976" itemtype="https://schema.org/CreativeWork" itemscope="itemscope"> <div class="ast-post-format- blog-layout-1 ast-article-inner"> <div class="post-content ast-grid-common-col" > <div class="ast-blog-featured-section post-thumb ast-blog-single-element"><div class="post-thumb-img-content post-thumb"><a href="https://theverysoon.com/evernote-has-been-acquired-heres-how-its-new-owner-can-fix-it/" ><img width="796" height="417" src="https://theverysoon.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/01/77976-evernote-has-been-acquired-heres-how-its-new-owner-can-fix-it.jpg-26amp-3Bsignature-3D0d425a37b9c8953873591a6c9657fc99" class="attachment-large size-large wp-post-image" alt="evernote-has-been-acquired-—-here’s-how-its-new-owner-can-fix-it" itemprop="image" decoding="async" srcset="https://theverysoon.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/01/77976-evernote-has-been-acquired-heres-how-its-new-owner-can-fix-it.jpg-26amp-3Bsignature-3D0d425a37b9c8953873591a6c9657fc99 796w, https://theverysoon.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/01/77976-evernote-has-been-acquired-heres-how-its-new-owner-can-fix-it-300x157.jpg-26amp-3bsignature-3d0d425a37b9c8953873591a6c9657fc99 300w, https://theverysoon.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/01/77976-evernote-has-been-acquired-heres-how-its-new-owner-can-fix-it-768x402.jpg-26amp-3bsignature-3d0d425a37b9c8953873591a6c9657fc99 768w, https://theverysoon.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/01/77976-evernote-has-been-acquired-heres-how-its-new-owner-can-fix-it-260x136.jpg-26amp-3bsignature-3d0d425a37b9c8953873591a6c9657fc99 260w" sizes="(max-width: 796px) 100vw, 796px" /></a></div></div><h2 class="entry-title ast-blog-single-element" itemprop="headline"><a href="https://theverysoon.com/evernote-has-been-acquired-heres-how-its-new-owner-can-fix-it/" rel="bookmark">Evernote has been acquired — here’s how its new owner can fix it</a></h2> <header class="entry-header ast-blog-single-element ast-blog-meta-container"> <div class="entry-meta"><span class="ast-taxonomy-container cat-links default"><a href="https://theverysoon.com/category/next-featured/" rel="category tag">Next Featured</a>, <a href="https://theverysoon.com/category/tech/" rel="category tag">Tech</a></span> / <span class="posted-by vcard author" itemtype="https://schema.org/Person" itemscope="itemscope" itemprop="author"> <a title="View all posts by Rejus Almole" href="https://theverysoon.com/author/airflowsupply/" rel="author" class="url fn n" itemprop="url" > <span class="author-name" itemprop="name" > Rejus Almole </span> </a> </span> / <span class="posted-on"><span class="published" itemprop="datePublished"> January 6, 2023 </span></span></div> </header> <div class="ast-excerpt-container ast-blog-single-element"> <div id="article-main-content"> <p>For a while, Evernote was on top of the world. The Californian note-taking app surfed the 2000s tech productivity boom to become the leader in its field. But then <a href="https://nira.com/evernote-history/" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">it fell from grace</a>, becoming sluggish, buggy, and expensive. Users abandoned the platform, heading in droves to other note-taking apps.</p> <p>And it looks like more change is afoot. On January 3, <a href="https://evernote.com/blog/new-phase-in-evernote-history/" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">the sale of Evernote to the Italian company Bending Spoons was finally confirmed</a>.</p> <p>On one hand, this could be concerning for remaining users. Evernote will no longer be an independent company, meaning there could be huge changes to its current direction. But on the other hand… good?</p> <p>I was an Evernote user for close to a decade before I switched last year. Things had simply gotten too bad with the bloated, slow, and cumbersome software, <a href="https://thenextweb.com/news/best-apple-macos-apps-software-for-new-macbook-pro-imac" rel="noopener" target="_blank">so I turned to Bear</a>, a streamlined and beautiful bit of app.</p> <p>With a new owner, Evernote now has an opportunity for a clean start. Bending Spoons already has <a href="https://bendingspoons.com/products" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">a suite of consumer apps</a> that are modern, powerful, and intuitive, and we have to believe the Italian company will use its expertise to shape a new Evernote.</p> <p>The question is what should it do? How can Bending Spoons bring Evernote to its former glory? Well, we have some ideas.</p> <h2>Speed up Evernote apps</h2> <p>This was one of the main reasons why I moved away from Evernote. While I used and loved some of the app’s features (such as <a href="https://evernote.com/features/webclipper" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">web clipping</a> and <a href="https://evernote.com/features/document-scanning" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">document scanning</a>), the main reason I used Evernote was for, well, notes.</p> <p>While the speed of writing and searching on desktop was acceptable, the same wasn’t true on mobile devices — especially if they were a few years old.</p> <p>If Bending Spoons wants to bring the shine back to Evernote, making its range of apps as lightning fast as possible would be a good start.</p> <figure><img loading="lazy" alt="Evernote Meetup Paris" data-src="https://cdn0.tnwcdn.com/wp-content/blogs.dir/1/files/2023/01/Evernote_Meetup_Paris_8248451090.jpg" data- decoding="async" height="1068" loading="lazy" src="data:image/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAIAAAAAAAP///yH5BAEAAAAALAAAAAABAAEAAAIBRAA7" width="1600"></img><figcaption>This is a photo of the old Evernote app from a meetup in Paris. Credit: <a href="https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=38317968" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">Heisenberg Media</a></figcaption></figure> <h2>Remove the bloat…</h2> <p>In the mid-2010s, as Evernote was in the midst of accepting <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Evernote#Company" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">huge amounts of VC funds</a>, the company diversified its offerings in order to open up more revenue streams. What that buzzwordy sentence means in human speak is Evernote jammed a whole load of features into the app and tried to be active on as many stores as possible.</p> <p>Much of this was poorly planned and tested, leading to the software being infamously described as a “<a href="https://jasonkincaid.net/evernote-the-bug-ridden-elephant/" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">bug-ridden elephant</a>” by Jason Kincaid.</p> <p>While there have been upgrades to Evernote since that have improved overall performance, it still feels that the app is trying to do too much. Of course, having multimedia capabilities and integration into multiple apps is great for some people, but Evernote’s core mission should be note-taking. Instead, it feels focused on things like chat, calendar, and tasks, despite these areas of its software performing far worse than competitors.</p> <p>Bending Spoons should either look at shearing back Evernote’s features, or allowing people to easily deselect certain features so the app can act as seamlessly as possible.</p> <h2>…but combine app functionality</h2> <p>Evernote has an array of different apps outside of its core bit of software — and some of these should be folded back into the main product.</p> <figure><img loading="lazy" alt="a list of the evernote apps currently available" data-src="https://cdn0.tnwcdn.com/wp-content/blogs.dir/1/files/2023/01/evernote-apps.png" data- decoding="async" height="1166" loading="lazy" src="data:image/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAIAAAAAAAP///yH5BAEAAAAALAAAAAABAAEAAAIBRAA7" width="742"></img><figcaption>Aside from Web Clipper. That’s still an excellent extension and app.</figcaption></figure> <p>On one hand, combining these apps into Evernote is antithetical to the above point of reducing bloat, but hear me out.</p> <p>The software has tried to do many of the things you don’t want a note-taking app to do. Why, for example, would I ever want to chat on the same thing I’m writing on?</p> <p>But look at those apps above again. They include a sketcher, a document scanner, and a handwriting app — all things that are useful to taking notes. Instead of being walled off from Evernote and largely forgotten about, these should be key features to make the process of taking notes as powerful as possible.</p> <h2>Reduce Evernote’s price</h2> <p>Cost was a huge element of me abandoning Evernote. At the time, I was paying €70 a year to take notes. That’s a silly amount of money — especially with how I used it.</p> <p>I never got anywhere near the allocated 10GB a month of storage, had no need of calendar integration or task management, and never found a reason to connect to Google Drive. So what was I paying €70 a year for?</p> <p>Bear — my current app — costs me around €14 ($15) for the same period, and I can’t say I’ve missed any of Evernote’s features since my transition.</p> <p>I understand there will be some power users who want to use a full suite of features, but I guarantee there are scores more who just want to clip sites and store notes. So why not introduce a tier that’s closer to €20 a year? Something that offers all the basic features that people need?</p> <h2>Finally, Evernote must respect users</h2> <p>If Bending Spoons wants to save Evernote and for it to reclaim some its former glory, the first thing it should do is respect users. Stop pushing upgrades on people at every single possible opportunity. Stop being so overly restrictive on the number of devices individuals can use the free version with. Stop ignoring users’ complaints.</p> <p>Instead, there needs to be a culture of respect and dialogue, treating those who use Evernote like people, rather than walking dollar signs.</p> <p>Yes, Evernote has taken a fall, but it still has a strong enough brand and enough fans to become special again. The days of the unbridled tech boom are done, but there’s still a place for excellent apps doing simple things well. Let’s see if Bending Spoons can make that happen.</p> </p></div> </div> <p class="ast-blog-single-element ast-read-more-container read-more"> <a class="" href="https://theverysoon.com/evernote-has-been-acquired-heres-how-its-new-owner-can-fix-it/"> <span class="screen-reader-text">Evernote has been acquired — here’s how its new owner can fix it</span> Read More »</a></p> <div class="entry-content clear" itemprop="text" > </div> </div> </div>  </article> <article class="post-77962 post type-post status-publish format-standard has-post-thumbnail hentry category-next-featured category-tech tag-next-featured tag-tech ast-grid-common-col ast-full-width ast-article-post" id="post-77962" itemtype="https://schema.org/CreativeWork" itemscope="itemscope"> <div class="ast-post-format- blog-layout-1 ast-article-inner"> <div class="post-content ast-grid-common-col" > <div class="ast-blog-featured-section post-thumb ast-blog-single-element"><div class="post-thumb-img-content post-thumb"><a href="https://theverysoon.com/heres-how-we-can-make-gadgets-more-sustainable-in-2023/" ><img width="796" height="417" src="https://theverysoon.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/01/77962-heres-how-we-can-make-gadgets-more-sustainable-in-2023.jpg-26amp-3Bsignature-3Db6d870320ca6849f5cdf6e5cc467a011" class="attachment-large size-large wp-post-image" alt="here’s-how-we-can-make-gadgets-more-sustainable-in-2023" itemprop="image" decoding="async" srcset="https://theverysoon.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/01/77962-heres-how-we-can-make-gadgets-more-sustainable-in-2023.jpg-26amp-3Bsignature-3Db6d870320ca6849f5cdf6e5cc467a011 796w, https://theverysoon.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/01/77962-heres-how-we-can-make-gadgets-more-sustainable-in-2023-300x157.jpg-26amp-3bsignature-3db6d870320ca6849f5cdf6e5cc467a011 300w, https://theverysoon.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/01/77962-heres-how-we-can-make-gadgets-more-sustainable-in-2023-768x402.jpg-26amp-3bsignature-3db6d870320ca6849f5cdf6e5cc467a011 768w, https://theverysoon.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/01/77962-heres-how-we-can-make-gadgets-more-sustainable-in-2023-260x136.jpg-26amp-3bsignature-3db6d870320ca6849f5cdf6e5cc467a011 260w" sizes="(max-width: 796px) 100vw, 796px" /></a></div></div><h2 class="entry-title ast-blog-single-element" itemprop="headline"><a href="https://theverysoon.com/heres-how-we-can-make-gadgets-more-sustainable-in-2023/" rel="bookmark">Here’s how we can make gadgets more sustainable in 2023</a></h2> <header class="entry-header ast-blog-single-element ast-blog-meta-container"> <div class="entry-meta"><span class="ast-taxonomy-container cat-links default"><a href="https://theverysoon.com/category/next-featured/" rel="category tag">Next Featured</a>, <a href="https://theverysoon.com/category/tech/" rel="category tag">Tech</a></span> / <span class="posted-by vcard author" itemtype="https://schema.org/Person" itemscope="itemscope" itemprop="author"> <a title="View all posts by Rejus Almole" href="https://theverysoon.com/author/airflowsupply/" rel="author" class="url fn n" itemprop="url" > <span class="author-name" itemprop="name" > Rejus Almole </span> </a> </span> / <span class="posted-on"><span class="published" itemprop="datePublished"> January 5, 2023 </span></span></div> </header> <div class="ast-excerpt-container ast-blog-single-element"> <div id="article-main-content"> <p>Did you know that the world is <a href="https://ewastemonitor.info/wp-content/uploads/2020/11/GEM_2020_def_july1_low.pdf" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">predicted</a> to produce more than 50 million metric tons of e-waste this year? And, according to the <a href="https://www.unep.org/news-and-stories/press-release/un-report-time-seize-opportunity-tackle-challenge-e-waste" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">latest statistics</a>, less than 20% of this is recycled properly, meaning that huge amounts end up in landfills.</p> <p>Gadgets play a big part in this. Just consider that <a href="https://weee-forum.org/ws_news/of-16-billion-mobile-phones-possessed-worldwide-5-3-billion-will-become-waste-in-2022/" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">5.3 billion smartphones</a> are expected to be thrown away in 2022.</p> <p>But here’s the good news: gadgets will get more sustainable in 2023, and that’s all thanks to the emerging trend of circularity.</p> <p>“In major markets such as Europe, consumers are looking for more durable, long-lasting products,” Stanton Thomas, Senior Vice President, Sustainability Solutions at <a href="https://o9solutions.com/" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">o9 Solutions</a>, told TNW.</p> <p>More durable products will likely result in fewer sales over time due to “lower replacement rates.” This is something that manufacturers will need to accommodate in their business models, as these types of economic trade-offs — Stanton explained — are expected to mark “the transition to a sustainable, circular economy.”</p> <p><figure><img loading="lazy" alt="how to make our gadgets more sustainable in 2023" data-src="https://cdn0.tnwcdn.com/wp-content/blogs.dir/1/files/2022/12/computer-g41fe95068_1920.jpg" data- decoding="async" height="1091" loading="lazy" src="data:image/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAIAAAAAAAP///yH5BAEAAAAALAAAAAABAAEAAAIBRAA7" width="1640"></img></figure> </p> <p>According to <a href="https://www.matthew-cockerill.com/" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">Matthew Cockerill</a> — an innovation consultant — manufacturers are already starting to focus on making their tech products last longer. And that’s because of three reasons: pressure from <a href="https://repair.eu/news/what-if-all-electronics-lasted-at-least-10-years/" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">advocacy groups</a>, changes in customer behavior, and recent legislation regarding <a href="https://www.europarl.europa.eu/news/en/headlines/society/20220331STO26410/why-is-the-eu-s-right-to-repair-legislation-important" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">the right to repair in Europe</a>.</p> <p>As Cockerill noted, this explains <a href="https://petapixel.com/2022/04/08/google-and-samsung-partner-with-ifixit-for-smartphone-repairs/" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">Samsung’s and Google’s partnership with iFixit</a> to supply spare parts, and Apple’s rollout of the <a href="https://selfservicerepair.com/home" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">Self Service Repair Store</a> for its products.</p> <p>“Moving forward, these forces will start to shape the very architecture of our technology products and how they are sold, maintained, and regenerated, whilst also changing our attitudes to some of our established technology products,” he told TNW.</p> <p>This, he believes, will turn some of “our established tech products” into “product classics,” which will maintain their “validity” and “desirability” for up to ten years — instead of being disposed of, or prematurely recycled.</p> <p>The further we get into next year, the more we’ll see these sort of schemes picking up, with companies trying to design their devices to last as long as possible.</p> <p>But beyond durability and repair, there’s another big trend that will make gadgets more sustainable in 2023.</p> <h2>The opportunity in refurbishing</h2> <p>“Reselling <a href="https://thenextweb.com/topic/gadget" rel="noopener" target="_blank">gadgets</a> to refurbishers elongates the life of technology, as they can then be professionally repaired and re-sold,” Thibaud Hug de Larauze, CEO and co-founder of <a href="https://www.backmarket.com/en-us" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">Back Market</a> — a Paris-based marketplace for refurbished devices — told TNW. This is because “recycling isn’t advanced enough yet” to save every part of a device.</p> <p>In fact, consumer interest in refurbished devices is growing. A <a href="https://www.kearney.com/sustainability/article/-/insights/why-consumers-are-ready-for-refurbished" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">recent survey</a> by Keany found that 28% of more than 5,000 consumers across <a href="https://thenextweb.com/topic/europe" rel="noopener" target="_blank">Europe</a> and North America would opt for a high-quality refurbished product over a lower-quality brand-new product. And the global refurbished electronics market <a href="https://www.transparencymarketresearch.com/refurbished-electronics-market.html" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">is forecasted</a> to advance at an annual 12.1% rate of compound growth between 2022 and 2031.</p> <figure><img loading="lazy" alt="back market refurbished " data-src="https://cdn0.tnwcdn.com/wp-content/blogs.dir/1/files/2022/12/back-market-1.jpeg" data- decoding="async" height="676" loading="lazy" src="data:image/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAIAAAAAAAP///yH5BAEAAAAALAAAAAABAAEAAAIBRAA7" width="806"></img><figcaption>The French Revolution’s motto from a “refurbished” perspective. Credit: <a href="https://www.facebook.com/backmarket/photos/3027760314139597" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">Back Market</a></figcaption></figure> <p>But while startups such Back Market and <a href="https://swappie.com/nl/?utm_source=google&utm_medium=cpc&utm_campaign=10293365406&utm_term=swappie&campaignId=10293365406&gclid=CjwKCAiAheacBhB8EiwAItVO2zym_RXBl5qbCYsvHxZc5KzDZ18JfP1ig9yFTy-u_TB4Y2Nf7xYq9BoC-csQAvD_BwE" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">Swappie</a> are among those that are currently leading the transition, big tech manufacturers are expected to follow suit.</p> <p>So far a mindset focused on constant updates, new launches, and profit-making has kept such companies back, de Larauze explained. But this is changing.</p> <p>“As the climate crisis continues, we are starting to see major players investing more in refurbishment, as <a href="https://thenextweb.com/topic/sustainability" rel="noopener" target="_blank">sustainability</a> starts to become a lynchpin for success,” he noted.</p> <h2>Making gadgets more sustainable in 2023 with remanufacturing</h2> <p>Beyond refurbishing, Peter Bragg — <a href="https://www.canon-europe.com/" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">Canon’s</a> EMEA Sustainability & Government Affairs Director — believes that remanufacturing is the “missing link” in circular economy practices.</p> <p>While there’s a rising trend in refurbished tech products, consumers are still hesitant due to optimal performance expectations and the simple feeling of wanting something “new and shiny,” he told TNW. And this is where remanufacturing comes in.</p> <p>Remanufacturing maintains as much of the old device as possible and it rebuilds it so as to perform as a new product, Bragg explained. It’s an improvement on refurbishing “through its focus on performance and extensive testing which ensures that consumers are receiving what is essentially a new product, as opposed to simply extending the life of an existing one.”</p> <p>That way, it can also address consumer demand for new, high-quality products, while reducing their environmental impact.</p> <p>Nevertheless, the responsibility for more sustainable gadgets falls on users as well. And the ways to contribute to limiting the amount of e-waste are simple: consider second-hand products, invest in those that are durable, and take care of your device so you can hold to it for longer.</p> <p>Just imagine that by extending the life of our smartphones by a single year, we would <a href="https://eeb.org/revealed-the-climate-cost-of-disposable-smartphones/" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">save Europe as much CO2 emissions</a> as taking two million cars off the road annually.</p> <p>And, hopefully, with companies making more durable devices, the rise of refurbishing, and a renewed focus on remanufacturing, we can make our gadgets more sustainable in 2023.</p> </p></div> </div> <p class="ast-blog-single-element ast-read-more-container read-more"> <a class="" href="https://theverysoon.com/heres-how-we-can-make-gadgets-more-sustainable-in-2023/"> <span class="screen-reader-text">Here’s how we can make gadgets more sustainable in 2023</span> Read More »</a></p> <div class="entry-content clear" itemprop="text" > </div> </div> </div>  </article> <article class="post-77938 post type-post status-publish format-standard has-post-thumbnail hentry category-europe category-tech tag-europe tag-tech ast-grid-common-col ast-full-width ast-article-post" id="post-77938" itemtype="https://schema.org/CreativeWork" itemscope="itemscope"> <div class="ast-post-format- blog-layout-1 ast-article-inner"> <div class="post-content ast-grid-common-col" > <div class="ast-blog-featured-section post-thumb ast-blog-single-element"><div class="post-thumb-img-content post-thumb"><a href="https://theverysoon.com/how-the-eu-plans-to-take-on-big-tech-in-2023/" ><img width="796" height="417" src="https://theverysoon.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/01/77938-how-the-eu-plans-to-take-on-big-tech-in-2023.jpg-26amp-3Bsignature-3D187082cdce7a8336687cefd96f542296" class="attachment-large size-large wp-post-image" alt="how-the-eu-plans-to-take-on-big-tech-in-2023" itemprop="image" decoding="async" srcset="https://theverysoon.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/01/77938-how-the-eu-plans-to-take-on-big-tech-in-2023.jpg-26amp-3Bsignature-3D187082cdce7a8336687cefd96f542296 796w, https://theverysoon.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/01/77938-how-the-eu-plans-to-take-on-big-tech-in-2023-300x157.jpg-26amp-3bsignature-3d187082cdce7a8336687cefd96f542296 300w, https://theverysoon.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/01/77938-how-the-eu-plans-to-take-on-big-tech-in-2023-768x402.jpg-26amp-3bsignature-3d187082cdce7a8336687cefd96f542296 768w, https://theverysoon.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/01/77938-how-the-eu-plans-to-take-on-big-tech-in-2023-260x136.jpg-26amp-3bsignature-3d187082cdce7a8336687cefd96f542296 260w" sizes="(max-width: 796px) 100vw, 796px" /></a></div></div><h2 class="entry-title ast-blog-single-element" itemprop="headline"><a href="https://theverysoon.com/how-the-eu-plans-to-take-on-big-tech-in-2023/" rel="bookmark">How the EU plans to take on big tech in 2023</a></h2> <header class="entry-header ast-blog-single-element ast-blog-meta-container"> <div class="entry-meta"><span class="ast-taxonomy-container cat-links default"><a href="https://theverysoon.com/category/europe/" rel="category tag">Europe</a>, <a href="https://theverysoon.com/category/tech/" rel="category tag">Tech</a></span> / <span class="posted-by vcard author" itemtype="https://schema.org/Person" itemscope="itemscope" itemprop="author"> <a title="View all posts by Rejus Almole" href="https://theverysoon.com/author/airflowsupply/" rel="author" class="url fn n" itemprop="url" > <span class="author-name" itemprop="name" > Rejus Almole </span> </a> </span> / <span class="posted-on"><span class="published" itemprop="datePublished"> January 2, 2023 </span></span></div> </header> <div class="ast-excerpt-container ast-blog-single-element"> <div id="article-main-content"> <p><span>The European Union is on a mission to curb the power of big <a href="https://thenextweb.com/topic/tech" rel="noopener" target="_blank">tech</a>. In recent years, the bloc has doled out </span><a href="https://thenextweb.com/news/google-eu-antitrust-android-fine-5billion-europe" rel="noopener" target="_blank"><span>vast antitrust fines</span></a><span> to Silicon Valley giants, set </span><a href="https://thenextweb.com/topic/general-data-protection-regulation" rel="noopener" target="_blank"><span>global standards for data privacy</span></a><span>, and proposed a raft of digital regulations. Yet critics say the rules have been ineffective.</span></p> <p><a href="https://papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers.cfm?abstract_id=4017504" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank"><span>Analysts claim</span></a><span> the legislation has failed to protect competition, while giving companies </span><a href="https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2022/jun/28/i-saw-first-hand-tech-giants-seduced-eu-google-meta" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank"><span>routes to avoid enforcement</span></a><span>. In 2023, the bloc has grand ambitions to change that. </span></p> <p><span>A key component of the plans is the new Digital Markets Act (DMA). The landmark legislation prohibits platforms from ranking their own products more favorably than those of third parties, and from processing data collected from different services. Fines for single infringements can reach 10% of the offenders’ global turnover, and up to 20% for repeated violations. In May 2023, the new rules will start to apply. </span></p> <p><span>The act is the cornerstone of two complementary objectives for the EU: reducing big tech’s dominance and fostering <a href="https://thenextweb.com/topic/europe" rel="noopener" target="_blank">European</a> challengers. </span></p> <p><span>To find out how these plans will unfold next year, TNW asked an array of tech experts for their predictions for 2023. </span></p> <h2>Building competition<span></span></h2> <p><span>The impact of the DMA was a common topic in our experts’ forecasts. </span><a href="https://www.euractiv.com/section/digital/podcast/dma-the-interoperability-question/" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank"><span>Amandine Le Pape</span></a><span>, COO of secure messaging and collaboration app </span><a href="https://www.wired.co.uk/article/matrix-encrypted-messaging-app-governments" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank"><span>Element</span></a><span>, and </span><a href="https://www.protocol.com/newsletters/sourcecode/messaging-apps" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank"><span>Matthew Hodgson</span></a><span>, technical co-founder of the </span><a href="https://venturebeat.com/2021/07/27/element-bolsters-decentralized-team-messaging-with-30m-raise/" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank"><span>Matrix</span></a><span> open standard, both lobbied for the regulation. The duo is optimistic about the impact on competition.</span></p> <p><span>“Big tech is being forced to embrace interoperability, which will unleash a new era of innovation,” said Le Pape. “Consumers and businesses will have more choice, better features, and improved privacy. Messaging is finally catching up with the openness of the web and email.”</span></p> <figure><img loading="lazy" alt="Amandine Le Pape, COO of secure messaging and collaboration app Element" data-src="https://cdn0.tnwcdn.com/wp-content/blogs.dir/1/files/2022/12/Amandine-Le-Pape-COO-of-secure-messaging-and-collaboration-app-Element.jpg" data- decoding="async" height="720" loading="lazy" src="data:image/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAIAAAAAAAP///yH5BAEAAAAALAAAAAABAAEAAAIBRAA7" width="1280"></img><figcaption>Amandine Le Pape, COO of Element.</figcaption></figure> <p><span>Hodgson, meanwhile, pointed to the effects on opening up access.</span></p> <p><span>“The DMA stipulates that big tech must open up its APIs to enable widespread interoperability,” he said. “It’s a huge step forwards, but the best interoperability comes from a widely adopted open standard rather than a tangle of bridges — as demonstrated by both the web and email.”</span></p> <p><span></p> <blockquote> <p>“The DMA will force a change in behavior.</p> </blockquote> <p></span></p> <p><span>Supporters and opponents alike agreed that the DMA will have deep repercussions.</span> <span>Geoff Blaber, the CEO of analyst firm </span><a href="https://www.ccsinsight.com/" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank"><span>CCS Insight</span></a><span>, envisions its influence extending far beyond European borders.</span></p> <p><span>“We predict that the DMA will force a change in behavior from large tech players in Europe that is likely to ripple through business operations globally,” Blaber wrote in </span><a href="https://www.ccsinsight.com/company-news/ccs-insights-predictions-for-2023-and-beyond-revealed/#:~:text=This%20year%20the%20research%20team,connected%20devices%20and%20virtual%20worlds." rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank"><span>a recent report</span></a><span>. “It will also further motivate US politicians keen to avoid a scenario in which Europe defines the antitrust agenda without US involvement. A degree of harmony and consistency between US and EU legislation would be a clear advantage but is by no means assured.”</span></p> <h2>Making business plans</h2> <p><span>Increasing competition could leave gaps for European challengers to enter. The EU, however, has historically struggled to turn its world-leading research into big tech companies. </span></p> <p><span>One barrier is the notoriously slow and inefficient transfer of IP from academia to the economy. This problem is illustrated by the EU producing more research papers than the US, but turning far fewer into commercial applications.</span></p> <p><span>According to </span><a href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/luigicongedo" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank"><span>Luigi Congedo</span></a><span>, a venture capitalist and Innovation Advisor at marketing firm </span><a href="https://clarity.global/?utm_term=clarity%20global&utm_campaign=S_Brand_Global_EN&utm_source=google&utm_medium=cpc&hsa_acc=4084961366&hsa_cam=12356087710&hsa_grp=150194557868&hsa_ad=626974318007&hsa_src=g&hsa_tgt=kwd-878177048598&hsa_kw=clarity%20global&hsa_mt=e&hsa_net=adwords&hsa_ver=3&gclid=Cj0KCQiA99ybBhD9ARIsALvZavXpDZavv9Z9JufLtDkJeML9W8kLnjo-NHU84adv3-MfuMSrQPMCvz0aAox-EALw_wcB" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank"><span>Clarity</span></a><span>, this weakness can be reduced by changing the EU’s investment framework. This, he argues, could stimulate a more effective technology transfer — and prevent promising startups from being acquired by Silicon Valley giants.</span></p> <p><span>“We need to create our Google, Facebook, and Microsoft, and, in order to do it, create a better environment to compete and do business across the continent,” he said. “If we fail in creating a real European platform for innovation and instead maintain the current ‘country-based model,’ all our emerging businesses will end up becoming M&A targets for American multinational companies.”</span></p> <p><span></p> <blockquote> <p>“I expect more openness.</p> </blockquote> <p></span></p> <p><span>Another issue for tech businesses in the EU is integration across member states. Companies have long complained about the complexity of navigating the union’s tax and employment requirements. Congedo predicts the bloc will address these challenges.</span></p> <p><span>“I expect more openness to make recruitment and hiring easier across states, and also for foreigners like American businesses to hire in the EU,” he said.</span></p> <figure><img loading="lazy" alt="Luigi Congedo, a venture capitalist and Innovation Advisor at marketing firm Clarity" data-src="https://cdn0.tnwcdn.com/wp-content/blogs.dir/1/files/2022/12/Luigi-Congedo-a-venture-capitalist-and-Innovation-Advisor-at-marketing-firm-Clarity.jpg" data- decoding="async" height="720" loading="lazy" src="data:image/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAIAAAAAAAP///yH5BAEAAAAALAAAAAABAAEAAAIBRAA7" width="1280"></img><figcaption>Luigi Congedo, a venture capitalist and Innovation Advisor at Clarity.</figcaption></figure> <h2>Deeper tech</h2> <p><span>In its effort to nurture homegrown businesses, the EU has targeted legislation at specific areas of tech. A notable example is the European Chips Act. Proposed in February 2022, the framework aims to encourage semiconductor production in the union. </span></p> <p><span>As of 2022, Europe accounts for less than 10% of the global production of semiconductors. The European Commission wants to ramp that up to 20%, by plowing €43 billion into the sector. </span></p> <p><span>Mark Lippett, CEO of chip specialist </span><a href="https://www.xmos.ai/" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank"><span>XMOS</span></a><span>, has mixed expectations for the legislation. While he welcomes the investment, he’s worried that the bloc will wrap the sector in red tape.</span></p> <p><span>“Providing funding for businesses in a supply-threatened environment offers some obvious fail-safes in times of trouble,” he said. “However, EU projects can become somewhat mired in bureaucracy, and the velocity can be sucked out as a result.”</span></p> <p><span></p> <blockquote> <p>“This will help fuel innovation.</p> </blockquote> <p></span></p> <p><span>Another focus area for the EU is artificial intelligence. The European Parliament is currently finalizing its flagship AI Act, which will place stringent rules on high-risk artificial intelligence systems.</span></p> <p><span>IT companies hope the legislation boosts European innovation. Matt Peake, Global Director of Public Policy at </span><a href="https://onfido.com/" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank"><span>Onfido</span></a><span>, an ID verification firm, believes it could provide regulatory clarity, without the burdens of excessive compliance and operational costs.</span></p> <p><span>“This will ultimately help fuel innovation in AI, which helps to reduce bias, and drive more inclusive online services,” he said.</span></p> <p><span>Ultimately, the EU hopes to stimulate innovation by leveling the playing field. It’s an approach that’s attracting imitators around the world.</span></p> <p><span>“The question is whether innovation is best fostered broadly through open competitive marketplaces or determined by a minority of platforms operating at significant scale,” said Geoff Blaber, CEO of CCS Insights. “Consensus has undoubtedly shifted to the former.”</span></p> </p></div> </div> <p class="ast-blog-single-element ast-read-more-container read-more"> <a class="" href="https://theverysoon.com/how-the-eu-plans-to-take-on-big-tech-in-2023/"> <span class="screen-reader-text">How the EU plans to take on big tech in 2023</span> Read More »</a></p> <div class="entry-content clear" itemprop="text" > </div> </div> </div>  </article> <article class="post-77934 post type-post status-publish format-standard has-post-thumbnail hentry category-europe category-next-featured category-tech tag-europe tag-next-featured tag-tech ast-grid-common-col ast-full-width ast-article-post" id="post-77934" itemtype="https://schema.org/CreativeWork" itemscope="itemscope"> <div class="ast-post-format- blog-layout-1 ast-article-inner"> <div class="post-content ast-grid-common-col" > <div class="ast-blog-featured-section post-thumb ast-blog-single-element"><div class="post-thumb-img-content post-thumb"><a href="https://theverysoon.com/eu-tech-policy-predictions-what-to-expect-in-2023/" ><img width="796" height="417" src="https://theverysoon.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/12/77934-eu-tech-policy-predictions-what-to-expect-in-2023.jpg-26amp-3Bsignature-3De6cf0314513517268c3d01f287f592ee" class="attachment-large size-large wp-post-image" alt="eu-tech-policy-predictions:-what-to-expect-in-2023" itemprop="image" decoding="async" srcset="https://theverysoon.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/12/77934-eu-tech-policy-predictions-what-to-expect-in-2023.jpg-26amp-3Bsignature-3De6cf0314513517268c3d01f287f592ee 796w, https://theverysoon.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/12/77934-eu-tech-policy-predictions-what-to-expect-in-2023-300x157.jpg-26amp-3bsignature-3de6cf0314513517268c3d01f287f592ee 300w, https://theverysoon.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/12/77934-eu-tech-policy-predictions-what-to-expect-in-2023-768x402.jpg-26amp-3bsignature-3de6cf0314513517268c3d01f287f592ee 768w, https://theverysoon.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/12/77934-eu-tech-policy-predictions-what-to-expect-in-2023-260x136.jpg-26amp-3bsignature-3de6cf0314513517268c3d01f287f592ee 260w" sizes="(max-width: 796px) 100vw, 796px" /></a></div></div><h2 class="entry-title ast-blog-single-element" itemprop="headline"><a href="https://theverysoon.com/eu-tech-policy-predictions-what-to-expect-in-2023/" rel="bookmark">EU tech policy predictions: What to expect in 2023</a></h2> <header class="entry-header ast-blog-single-element ast-blog-meta-container"> <div class="entry-meta"><span class="ast-taxonomy-container cat-links default"><a href="https://theverysoon.com/category/europe/" rel="category tag">Europe</a>, <a href="https://theverysoon.com/category/next-featured/" rel="category tag">Next Featured</a>, <a href="https://theverysoon.com/category/tech/" rel="category tag">Tech</a></span> / <span class="posted-by vcard author" itemtype="https://schema.org/Person" itemscope="itemscope" itemprop="author"> <a title="View all posts by Rejus Almole" href="https://theverysoon.com/author/airflowsupply/" rel="author" class="url fn n" itemprop="url" > <span class="author-name" itemprop="name" > Rejus Almole </span> </a> </span> / <span class="posted-on"><span class="published" itemprop="datePublished"> December 31, 2022 </span></span></div> </header> <div class="ast-excerpt-container ast-blog-single-element"> <div id="article-main-content"> <p><span>The European Union has an unusual IT strategy. While the US prioritizes the development of global <a href="https://thenextweb.com/topic/tech" rel="noopener" target="_blank">tech</a> giants, the EU focuses on becoming the sector’s leading regulator.</span></p> <p><span>In 2022, the bloc launched two sweeping sets of stringent new rules: the Digital Markets Act (DMA), which seeks to bolster competition in online services, and the Digital Services Act (DSA), which aims to protect people from online harm. Analysts expect the regulatory drive to accelerate next year.</span></p> <p><span>“The only thing we can be certain about is that there will be more regulation next year, and increased enforcement of it,” said Alan Calder, CEO of </span><a href="https://www.grci.group/" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank"><span>GRC International Group</span></a><span>, a global provider of IT governance, risk management, and compliance solutions. </span></p> <p><span>To gauge the details, TNW asked IT experts across the bloc what they predict from the EU’s policies in 2023. All expect significant changes in legislation, with certain technologies particularly prominent in their forecasts.</span></p> <h2>Tighter security</h2> <p><span>Our experts expect significant developments in cyber security regulation. </span><span>Kostas Rossoglou, </span><a href="https://www.shopify.com/" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank"><span>Shopify’s</span></a><span> Head of Public Policy and Government Affairs for EMEA and International, highlighted the importance of the Digital Operational Resilience Act (DORA).</span></p> <p><span>The recently-adopted regulation aims to harmonize the financial sector’s approach to cybersecurity. To comply with the rules, organizations will need to review legacy IT systems and potentially invest in new software potential investment in new software. This may be costly in the short term, but Rossoglou is optimistic that it will pay off. He expects levels of security to increase, thereby limiting attacks, reducing downtime, and saving cash.</span></p> <p><span>“Although it will be a couple of years before mandatory compliance, it will eventually put financial organizations in a much stronger position for handling outages, leaks, unauthorized access, and data loss,” he said. “Within the highly sensitive information that the financial sector holds, this is incredibly important.”</span></p> <blockquote> <p>“It’s never too soon to be aware.</p> </blockquote> <p><span>Another proposal working its way through the EU is the Cyber Resilience Act. This regulation will establish cybersecurity requirements for connected devices, which will provide consumers with transparency on practices, testing, and general functions.</span></p> <p><span>The legislation is currently going through a consultation process. Rossoglou recommends organizations keep a close eye on its progress next year.</span></p> <p><span>“It is likely to be a year or two before it is finalized and then organizations will be given a 24-month transition period to comply,” he said. “However, it is never too soon to be aware of upcoming changes. Regularly monitoring for updates will ensure that businesses are prepared for the changes in good time.” </span></p> <figure><img loading="lazy" alt="Kostas Rossoglou, Shopify’s Head of Public Policy and Government Affairs for EMEA and International" data-src="https://cdn0.tnwcdn.com/wp-content/blogs.dir/1/files/2022/12/Kostas-Rossoglou-Shopifys-Head-of-Public-Policy-and-Government-Affairs-for-EMEA-and-International.jpg" data- decoding="async" height="720" loading="lazy" src="data:image/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAIAAAAAAAP///yH5BAEAAAAALAAAAAABAAEAAAIBRAA7" width="1280"></img><figcaption>This is a picture of Kostas Rossoglou, Shopify’s Head of Public Policy and Government Affairs for EMEA and International.</figcaption></figure> <p><span>Indeed, these preparations could become increasingly crucial. Calder predicts new EU rules to be accompanied by stricter enforcement.</span></p> <p><span>“The whole area of cyber security will, in particular, experience a ratcheting up in terms of regulation, and regulatory enforcement as the EU Commission moves to force organizations to take cyber security steps they’re failing to take voluntarily,” he said.</span></p> <h2>Algorithmic accountability</h2> <p><span>The EU is also developing new regulation for artificial intelligence, which is based on the technology’s potential to cause harm. Named the AI Act, the legislation will force anyone who wants to use, build, or sell AI products and services within the EU to follow the rules.</span></p> <p><span>“It is expected that the legislation will set a precedent for other jurisdictions to evolve or follow,” said Matt Peake, Global Director of Public Policy at ID verification firm </span><a href="https://onfido.com/" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank"><span>Onfido</span></a><span>. “The framework is designed to be risk-based, so that the level of regulation will depend on the level of risk.”</span></p> <p><span>According to </span><a href="https://www.accenture.com/content/dam/accenture/final/a-com-migration/r3-3/pdf/pdf-179/accenture-responsible-by-design-report.pdf#zoom=40" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank"><span>a global survey by Accenture</span></a><span>, the rules will have a deep impact. Some 95% of respondents said at least part of their business will be affected by the EU regulations.</span></p> <p><span>Accenture’s researchers expect a risk management framework to become necessary for compliance with the AI Act. They also predict the regulation will be adopted before the end of 2023, with a two-year grace period before the rules come into force. That timetable, however, may be less generous than it appears.</span></p> <p><span>“Our experience working with large organizations on major enterprise-wide compliance programs (e.g. GDPR, Responsible AI) suggests that it could easily take as long as two years to establish all the necessary controls they will need to be compliant,” the research team wrote in a report.</span></p> <h2>Follow the money</h2> <p><span>Cryptocurrencies are becoming a focal point of tech regulation. In the EU, a growing <a href="https://thenextweb.com/news/crypto-bonnie-and-clyde-a-bitcoin-love-story-on-social-media" rel="noopener" target="_blank">range of controversies</a> has led the bloc to develop new legislation for the sector.</span></p> <p><span>“I think 2023 will be a landmark year for crypto regulation,” said Ivan Liljeqvist, cofounder and CEO of</span> <a href="https://moralis.io/" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank"><span>Moralis</span></a><span>, a Web3 API provider.</span></p> <p><span>Liljeqvist highlights the importance of the Market in Crypto Assets (MiCA) bill. In February, the European Parliament is expected to vote on the bill — the first comprehensive crypto regulation in the continent. </span></p> <figure><img loading="lazy" alt="Ivan Liljeqvist, cofounder and CEO of Moralis" data-src="https://cdn0.tnwcdn.com/wp-content/blogs.dir/1/files/2022/12/Ivan-Liljeqvist-cofounder-and-CEO-of-Moralis.jpg" data- decoding="async" height="720" loading="lazy" src="data:image/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAIAAAAAAAP///yH5BAEAAAAALAAAAAABAAEAAAIBRAA7" width="1280"></img><figcaption>Ivan Liljeqvist, cofounder and CEO of Moralis.</figcaption></figure> <p><span>With Big Tech getting into Web3 and the metaverse, competition is likely to heat up over the next few years — which could invite more regulatory scrutiny. The European Union recently introduced its Markets in Crypto Assets (MiCA) legislation, but even insiders from the EU Commission agree some of the phrasing around NFTs is ambiguous and even </span><a data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://streaklinks.com/BSCIquerq101ANB8IQB1nIQl/https%253A%252F%252Fwww.coindesk.com%252Fpolicy%252F2022%252F10%252F26%252Fnew-nft-rules-possible-if-lawmakers-ask-eu-official-says%252F&source=gmail&ust=1671733832358000&usg=AOvVaw1xILfEXHOsT-W9NFpTsBZC" href="https://streaklinks.com/BSCIquerq101ANB8IQB1nIQl/https%3A%2F%2Fwww.coindesk.com%2Fpolicy%2F2022%2F10%2F26%2Fnew-nft-rules-possible-if-lawmakers-ask-eu-official-says%2F" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank"><span>straight-up inaccurate</span></a><span>.</span></p> <p><span>The proposals could become integral to the European Commission’s <a href="https://thenextweb.com/topic/future-2" rel="noopener" target="_blank">future</a> digital finance strategy. In addition, they may provide a reference point for other regulatory bodies.</span></p> <p><span>“While the bill is unlikely to be rolled out until the end of the year, whenever we are dealing with legislative firsts I think the expectancy is for legislators to be cautious and over-regulate rather than under-regulate,” said Liljeqvist.</span></p> <p><span>“What I want to see, and what I think others in the market want to see, is regulation that is sensible rather than stifling, protecting the principles of innovation and competition. I believe the most important thing is for the bill to be open-minded and flexible enough to be revised depending on how markets develop.”</span></p> <p><span><span>Liljeqvist wasn’t alone in expressing caution. </span>Jake Stott, CEO of Web3 creative agency </span><a data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://streaklinks.com/BSCIquafX0xn8dDWygmFGOt2/https%253A%252F%252Fhy.pe%252F&source=gmail&ust=1671733832357000&usg=AOvVaw0Rr13tSRzSSx5aruNQxgxU" href="https://streaklinks.com/BSCIquafX0xn8dDWygmFGOt2/https%3A%2F%2Fhy.pe%2F" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank"><span>Hype</span></a><span>, is concerned about the impact on the market. </span></p> <p><span>“As tech behemoths like Meta, Reddit, Google and Apple continue to venture into Web3 and NFTs, the regulatory situation could quickly escalate, triggering even more uncertainty in the market.”</span></p> <blockquote> <p>“They must move at a faster pace.</p> </blockquote> <p><span>Some critics, however, argue that the EU needs to be quicker to regulate the sector. Martin Magnone, co-founder and CEO of credit company </span><a href="https://tymit.com/" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank"><span>Tymit</span></a><span>, believes the new legislation will only start to make an impact in 2024.</span></p> <p><span>“If the EU is to successfully take a stronger stand, they must move at a faster pace in line with industry movements,” he said.</span></p> <h2>Opening access</h2> <p><span>The payment sector, meanwhile, is preparing for the European Commission’s review of the PSD2, an EU regulation for online transactions.</span></p> <p><span>Industry insiders have high hopes for the review, which is slated for 2023. They believe it could lead European SMEs and consumers to receive better payment outcomes — at a better price.</span><span> </span></p> <p><span>Under the current rules, only credit institutions can access European payment schemes. As a result, non-banks and more innovative firms must go through traditional banks to benefit from the schemes.</span></p> <p><span>“This creates dependencies on credit institutions and their legacy systems; single points of failure; and increases the cost of payment services offered by non-credit institutions to European SMEs and consumers,” said Elanie Steyn, Director of Operations at payments platform </span><a href="https://www.modulrfinance.com/" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank"><span>Modulr</span></a><span>.</span></p> <p><span>“Should the PSD2 review include consideration on which institutions can directly access and settle European payments, the impact could be seismic. Opening access has the potential to level the playing field, create greater competition, and lower payment costs for all Europeans.”</span></p> <p><span>Indeed, many of the experts we spoke to expect the EU to prioritize open access.</span></p> <p><span>“The EU’s main focus for 2023 will still be the Big Tech platforms and achieving their goal of making them more open and interoperable,” said Tymit CEO</span> <span>Martin Magnone</span><b>. </b></p> <p><span>“The measures introduced so far to moderate the monopoly of large tech companies, from labor laws to taxes, have only been partially effective and not yet produced the desired effects. In 2023, we will see the EU make further strides to remedy this and achieve its open access goals.”</span></p> </p></div> </div> <p class="ast-blog-single-element ast-read-more-container read-more"> <a class="" href="https://theverysoon.com/eu-tech-policy-predictions-what-to-expect-in-2023/"> <span class="screen-reader-text">EU tech policy predictions: What to expect in 2023</span> Read More »</a></p> <div class="entry-content clear" itemprop="text" > </div> </div> </div>  </article> <article class="post-77912 post type-post status-publish format-standard has-post-thumbnail hentry category-next-featured category-tech tag-next-featured tag-tech ast-grid-common-col ast-full-width ast-article-post" id="post-77912" itemtype="https://schema.org/CreativeWork" itemscope="itemscope"> <div class="ast-post-format- blog-layout-1 ast-article-inner"> <div class="post-content ast-grid-common-col" > <div class="ast-blog-featured-section post-thumb ast-blog-single-element"><div class="post-thumb-img-content post-thumb"><a href="https://theverysoon.com/its-not-easy-being-green-how-mobility-will-change-in-2023/" ><img width="796" height="417" src="https://theverysoon.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/12/77912-its-not-easy-being-green-how-mobility-will-change-in-2023.jpg-26amp-3Bsignature-3Db6c9728d4442fc60ca067d8fb8382de2" class="attachment-large size-large wp-post-image" alt="it’s-not-easy-being-green:-how-mobility-will-change-in-2023" itemprop="image" decoding="async" srcset="https://theverysoon.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/12/77912-its-not-easy-being-green-how-mobility-will-change-in-2023.jpg-26amp-3Bsignature-3Db6c9728d4442fc60ca067d8fb8382de2 796w, https://theverysoon.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/12/77912-its-not-easy-being-green-how-mobility-will-change-in-2023-300x157.jpg-26amp-3bsignature-3db6c9728d4442fc60ca067d8fb8382de2 300w, https://theverysoon.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/12/77912-its-not-easy-being-green-how-mobility-will-change-in-2023-768x402.jpg-26amp-3bsignature-3db6c9728d4442fc60ca067d8fb8382de2 768w, https://theverysoon.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/12/77912-its-not-easy-being-green-how-mobility-will-change-in-2023-260x136.jpg-26amp-3bsignature-3db6c9728d4442fc60ca067d8fb8382de2 260w" sizes="(max-width: 796px) 100vw, 796px" /></a></div></div><h2 class="entry-title ast-blog-single-element" itemprop="headline"><a href="https://theverysoon.com/its-not-easy-being-green-how-mobility-will-change-in-2023/" rel="bookmark">It’s not easy being green: How mobility will change in 2023</a></h2> <header class="entry-header ast-blog-single-element ast-blog-meta-container"> <div class="entry-meta"><span class="ast-taxonomy-container cat-links default"><a href="https://theverysoon.com/category/next-featured/" rel="category tag">Next Featured</a>, <a href="https://theverysoon.com/category/tech/" rel="category tag">Tech</a></span> / <span class="posted-by vcard author" itemtype="https://schema.org/Person" itemscope="itemscope" itemprop="author"> <a title="View all posts by Rejus Almole" href="https://theverysoon.com/author/airflowsupply/" rel="author" class="url fn n" itemprop="url" > <span class="author-name" itemprop="name" > Rejus Almole </span> </a> </span> / <span class="posted-on"><span class="published" itemprop="datePublished"> December 27, 2022 </span></span></div> </header> <div class="ast-excerpt-container ast-blog-single-element"> <div id="article-main-content"> <p>Few could have predicted the economic and geopolitical landscape that confronted the mobility sector in 2022. With the industry still reeling from materials shortages — particularly semiconductor chips — caused by COVID-19 lockdowns, the invasion of Ukraine has further tested the sector’s resiliency.</p> <p>This has led to companies scrambling to wean themselves off Russian oil. The outcome of this has created a strong focus on renewable energy, including preservation, optimization of operational efficiency, and electrification, topics that’ll extend across all areas of mobility in 2023.</p> <p>But there’s a lot more we can expect from the sector next year, and here are a few of those predictions.</p> <h2>Greater subsidized public transport</h2> <p>2022 saw countries like Spain and Germany subsidise <a href="https://thenextweb.com/news/germany-9e-ticket-is-over-berlin-introduces-e29-monhtly-public-transport" rel="noopener" target="_blank">public transport</a> and these initiatives will extend into 2023.</p> <p>France has <a href="https://thenextweb.com/news/europe-take-note-france-bans-short-haul-flights" rel="noopener" target="_blank">banned short-haul domestic flights</a>, reducing the cost of rail tickets along the way. We’ll likely see more countries investing in public transport to reduce citizens’ reliance on gas.</p> <h2>Solar electric vehicles (sEVs) will hit roads for the first time</h2> <figure><img loading="lazy" alt="sono motors" data-src="https://cdn0.tnwcdn.com/wp-content/blogs.dir/1/files/2022/12/sonomotors.jpg" data- decoding="async" height="1025" loading="lazy" src="data:image/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAIAAAAAAAP///yH5BAEAAAAALAAAAAABAAEAAAIBRAA7" width="1640"></img><figcaption>This is the Sono Motors Sion car.</figcaption></figure> <p>We can expect big things for <a href="https://thenextweb.com/news/the-next-big-mobility-innovation-is-solar-electric-vehicles-from-startups" rel="noopener" target="_blank">solar EVs</a> in 2023. <a href="https://sonomotors.com/" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">Sono Motors’</a> €25,000 solar electric hatchback, Sion, is expected to go into production in the second half of year. According to CEO Laurin Hahn, the company will begin fulfilling pre-orders within the EU after that. Although, the company is going through some issues.</p> <p>Lightyear’s €250,000 Model “0” solar electric vehicle — which is developed in the Netherlands — will probably hit the roads alongside the <a href="https://thenextweb.com/news/this-teensy-solar-ev-could-be-the-future-of-city-driving" rel="noopener" target="_blank">Squad Solar City</a>. Over in California, Aptera may also release its two-seater solar electric vehicle.</p> <p>According to Sono Motor’s CEO, Hahn, the availability of technologically-advanced, safe, energy-producing solar electric vehicles — as opposed to simple energy-consuming EVs — represents a great leap forward in the electric vehicle industry to date.</p> <p>He added: “Each of these companies are pioneers in an emerging industry that is committed to delivering on the dream of truly zero-emission mobility, which has evaded us for too long.”</p> <h2>Bidirectional charging to have its moment</h2> <figure><img loading="lazy" alt="bidirectional charging" data-src="https://cdn0.tnwcdn.com/wp-content/blogs.dir/1/files/2022/12/image.jpeg" data- decoding="async" height="720" loading="lazy" src="data:image/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAIAAAAAAAP///yH5BAEAAAAALAAAAAABAAEAAAIBRAA7" width="1280"></img><figcaption>Bi-directional charging is the ability for your car battery to receive energy from the electricity grid, as well as sharing the power it generates.</figcaption></figure> <p>Currently, <a href="https://thenextweb.com/news/bi-directional-charging-is-a-gamechanger-with-ev-charging" rel="noopener" target="_blank">EV bidirectional charging</a> is a nice-to-have feature, but, in 2023, it will become far more sought after.</p> <p>EV owners will want to reduce home and office energy costs, and using their EV as an alternative power source could be just the ticket.</p> <p>Bidirectional charging usually requires a hardware investment. But according to Hahn, Sion could be among the first European car makers to offer consumers the ability to charge other vehicles or put energy back into a public or private grid (e.g. home grid) — without any additional hardware.</p> <h2>Ebikes are at a point of inflexion</h2> <p>2022 has been a great year for ebikes, with the hardware even <a href="https://www.bicycling.com/news/a39838840/ebikes-are-outpacing-electric-car-sales-in-the-us/" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">outselling cars</a> in the US. In much of Europe, they are becoming the ubiquitous mode of transport for urban dwellers.</p> <p>Tanguy Goretti — co-founder and CTO of <a href="http://cowboy.com/" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">Cowboy</a> — predicts a wider adoption amongst families who will continue to ditch their second car as it becomes too expensive to run. Ebikes provide families with “a more affordable, practical transport option that the whole household can share.”</p> <p>TNW has <a href="https://thenextweb.com/topic/ebikes" rel="noopener" target="_blank">reviewed</a> many great ebikes for their great design and <a href="https://thenextweb.com/news/vanmoof-new-ebike-part-of-masterplan-to-become-tesla-s5-a5" rel="noopener" target="_blank">utility</a>, but there’s also a considerable amount of software innovation that Goretti expects to grow in 2023.</p> <p>He believes ebikes will have their iPhone moment, explaining that in the last 10 years, two significant hardware moments occurred: electrification and connectivity. He continued: “This is precisely what happened with iPhone or Tesla; hardware differences became less relevant, and software became the main element, and soon the ebike industry will follow suit.”</p> <h2>Micromobility will expand, but will struggle with profitability</h2> <p>2022 has been another big year for micromobility, as operators focused on expanding fleets and entering new markets. But the <a href="https://thenextweb.com/news/micromobility-expansion-is-in-order-now-time-for-profits" rel="noopener" target="_blank">challenge of profitability</a> has loomed large, leading to the layoffs we’ve seen across the entire tech ecosystem. This year major operators of shared micromobility services like <a href="https://www.linkedin.com/posts/mathiashermansson_voi-increases-focus-on-profitability-actions-activity-6945151927223508992-eAvn/?utm_source=linkedin_share&utm_medium=ios_app" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">Voi</a>, <a href="https://tech.hindustantimes.com/tech/news/tech-industry-cuts-jobs-some-of-the-worst-offenders-better-verizon-bird-to-robbs-71668331965987.html" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">Bird</a>, and <a href="https://techcrunch.com/2022/08/23/tier-mobility-lays-off-180-people-amid-poor-funding-climate/" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">Tier</a> have all significantly downsized.</p> <figure><img loading="lazy" alt="lime scooter in paris" data-src="https://cdn0.tnwcdn.com/wp-content/blogs.dir/1/files/2022/12/imagelime_escooter_paris.jpg" data- decoding="async" height="1373" loading="lazy" src="data:image/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAIAAAAAAAP///yH5BAEAAAAALAAAAAABAAEAAAIBRAA7" width="2058"></img><figcaption>A Lime escooter being driven around Paris.</figcaption></figure> <p>There’s also speculation that <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/world/2022/nov/23/pedestrian-jungle-the-row-in-paris-over-rented-e-scooters" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">Paris may ban escooters </a>in response to parking challenges and accidents, <a href="https://www.lemonde.fr/en/france/article/2022/11/10/france-s-electric-scooter-market-continues-to-explode_6003788_7.html" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">despite a boost</a> in both ownership and ridership. The city’s contracts with Lime, Dott, and Tier <a href="https://www.capital.fr/economie-politique/les-trottinettes-en-libre-service-vont-elles-bientot-disparaitre-des-rues-de-paris-1451771" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">are all up for renewal </a>in February 2023, so expect to see the dangers of escooters dominating the French media.</p> <p>Parking and sidewalk riding remain notable pain points, so expect to see more attention given to the <a href="https://luna.systems/" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">technology</a> that manages how escotoers are ridden and parked. Docking (and charging) solutions may become a critical part of city infrastructure in some public spaces to reduce clutter.</p> <p>And then there’s Berlin. Beginning on Jan 1, bikes, escooters, scooters and motorcycles (rental or otherwise) can be parked in regular spaces free of charge. While I like the elevation of their status in the parking food chain, I’m just waiting for the hordes of angry car owners to drive over them.</p> <p>There’s also good news in the UK with the Department for Transport <a href="https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c4ne265lvzro?xtor=AL-72-%5Bpartner%5D-%5Byahoo.north.america%5D-%5Blink%5D-%5Bnews%5D-%5Bbizdev%5D-%5Bisapi%5D" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">extending trials</a> of hire escooters until May 2024. This will be a litmus test as to whether vendors can improve rider behaviour and increase user numbers. That said, it’s unlikely we’ll see the ban lifted on private escooters, which are currently restricted to private land use.</p> <h2>The rise and rise of circular design</h2> <p>I <a href="https://thenextweb.com/news/why-circular-design-is-going-viral-in-mobility" rel="noopener" target="_blank">predicted</a> last year that circular design would be a key feature of 2022 — and this will continue.</p> <p>As a reminder, circular design completely reimagines product creation, from the original blueprints to various <a href="https://thenextweb.com/news/repairable-batteries-are-critical-to-the-ev-and-ebike-circular-economy" rel="noopener" target="_blank">lifecycle stages</a>, and what happens to each element after it has fulfilled its original purpose.</p> <p>Next year kicks off the expansion of global regulations for batteries and the origin of critical, but not infinite, materials like <a href="https://thenextweb.com/news/the-cobalt-free-electric-vehicle-batteries-are-here" rel="noopener" target="_blank">cobalt</a> and <a href="https://thenextweb.com/news/the-environmental-impact-of-lithium-mining" rel="noopener" target="_blank">lithium</a>.</p> <p>New <a href="https://www.europarl.europa.eu/RegData/etudes/BRIE/2021/689337/EPRS_BRI(2021)689337_EN.pdf" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">EU Battery Regulations</a> have created a series of mandatory incremental requirements. These force battery makers (and users like carmakers) to consider the <a href="https://thenextweb.com/news/evs-have-lower-green-house-gas-emissions-than-petrol-cars" rel="noopener" target="_blank">battery lifecycle</a>, from R&D to mining source materials, closing material recycling loops, and end-of-life battery management.</p> <p>In practice, in 2023, we’ll see car and bike makers focused on closed-loop circularity where end-of-life parts are reused to make new designs. We can also expect an expansion of R&D in battery innovation from <a href="https://thenextweb.com/news/solid-state-tech-can-reduce-ev-batteries-co2-emissions-nearly-40-percent" rel="noopener" target="_blank">materials design</a> to the development of <a href="https://thenextweb.com/news/repairable-batteries-are-critical-to-the-ev-and-ebike-circular-economy" rel="noopener" target="_blank">reusable and repairable batteries</a><span>.</span></p> <h2>Greater manufacturing of sustainable materials</h2> <p>In 2023, innovation will continue to grow in terms of the materials used to build our vehicles.</p> <figure><img loading="lazy" alt="Volvo Electric Amazon truck" data-src="https://cdn0.tnwcdn.com/wp-content/blogs.dir/1/files/2022/12/Volvo-FH-Electric-Amazon.jpg" data- decoding="async" height="683" loading="lazy" src="data:image/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAIAAAAAAAP///yH5BAEAAAAALAAAAAABAAEAAAIBRAA7" width="1024"></img><figcaption>the first electric trucks from Volvo with fossil-free steel are now being delivered to customers.</figcaption></figure> <p>This year, Swedish Volvo became the world’s first truck manufacturer to begin using <a href="https://www.volvotrucks.com/en-en/news-stories/press-releases/2022/nov/world-first-volvo-delivers-electric-trucks-with-fossil-free-steel-to-customers.html" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">fossil-free steel</a> in its electric trucks. The steel is made by using a completely new technology with green electricity and hydrogen. The result is a significantly lower climate impact and an important step towards a net-zero emissions value chain.</p> <p>Materials innovation also expands to bikes. <a href="https://cyclingindustries.com/" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">Cycling Industries Europe</a>, the industry trade body, is set to go all in on <a href="https://www.jobobikes.com/news/bike-industry-begins-to-consult-on-supply-chai-62344753.html" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">materials traceability and innovation</a> in 2023.</p> <p>Additionally, startup <a href="https://www.roetz.life/faq/" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">Roetz</a> is working on a modular bike called Life, something made up of swappable parts. Modules will be repaired or remanufactured, ready for the next lifecycle. Roetz’s modular ebike will be launched in 2023.</p> <p>Also, German company igus and Dutch company MTRL have partnered to create <a href="https://igus.bike/" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">igus:bike</a>, and what makes it so special is the fact that it is made from 90% recycled plastic waste, including the frame, bearings, brake levers, pedals, and belt.</p> <p>So there we have it, just a few predictions for 2023. We know that even with challenges, the mobility sector is forever improving and evolving product offerings and changing how we move people and products for the better.</p> </p></div> </div> <p class="ast-blog-single-element ast-read-more-container read-more"> <a class="" href="https://theverysoon.com/its-not-easy-being-green-how-mobility-will-change-in-2023/"> <span class="screen-reader-text">It’s not easy being green: How mobility will change in 2023</span> Read More »</a></p> <div class="entry-content clear" itemprop="text" > </div> </div> </div>  </article> <article class="post-77902 post type-post status-publish format-standard has-post-thumbnail hentry category-next-featured category-tech tag-next-featured tag-tech ast-grid-common-col ast-full-width ast-article-post" id="post-77902" itemtype="https://schema.org/CreativeWork" itemscope="itemscope"> <div class="ast-post-format- blog-layout-1 ast-article-inner"> <div class="post-content ast-grid-common-col" > <div class="ast-blog-featured-section post-thumb ast-blog-single-element"><div class="post-thumb-img-content post-thumb"><a href="https://theverysoon.com/how-to-make-our-homes-and-buildings-more-sustainable-in-2023/" ><img width="796" height="417" src="https://theverysoon.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/12/77902-how-to-make-our-homes-and-buildings-more-sustainable-in-2023.jpg-26amp-3Bsignature-3Dacc5556ee96cb37929ce2aa29f1e40d1" class="attachment-large size-large wp-post-image" alt="how-to-make-our-homes-and-buildings-more-sustainable-in-2023" itemprop="image" decoding="async" srcset="https://theverysoon.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/12/77902-how-to-make-our-homes-and-buildings-more-sustainable-in-2023.jpg-26amp-3Bsignature-3Dacc5556ee96cb37929ce2aa29f1e40d1 796w, https://theverysoon.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/12/77902-how-to-make-our-homes-and-buildings-more-sustainable-in-2023-300x157.jpg-26amp-3bsignature-3dacc5556ee96cb37929ce2aa29f1e40d1 300w, https://theverysoon.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/12/77902-how-to-make-our-homes-and-buildings-more-sustainable-in-2023-768x402.jpg-26amp-3bsignature-3dacc5556ee96cb37929ce2aa29f1e40d1 768w, https://theverysoon.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/12/77902-how-to-make-our-homes-and-buildings-more-sustainable-in-2023-260x136.jpg-26amp-3bsignature-3dacc5556ee96cb37929ce2aa29f1e40d1 260w" sizes="(max-width: 796px) 100vw, 796px" /></a></div></div><h2 class="entry-title ast-blog-single-element" itemprop="headline"><a href="https://theverysoon.com/how-to-make-our-homes-and-buildings-more-sustainable-in-2023/" rel="bookmark">How to make our homes and buildings more sustainable in 2023</a></h2> <header class="entry-header ast-blog-single-element ast-blog-meta-container"> <div class="entry-meta"><span class="ast-taxonomy-container cat-links default"><a href="https://theverysoon.com/category/next-featured/" rel="category tag">Next Featured</a>, <a href="https://theverysoon.com/category/tech/" rel="category tag">Tech</a></span> / <span class="posted-by vcard author" itemtype="https://schema.org/Person" itemscope="itemscope" itemprop="author"> <a title="View all posts by Rejus Almole" href="https://theverysoon.com/author/airflowsupply/" rel="author" class="url fn n" itemprop="url" > <span class="author-name" itemprop="name" > Rejus Almole </span> </a> </span> / <span class="posted-on"><span class="published" itemprop="datePublished"> December 26, 2022 </span></span></div> </header> <div class="ast-excerpt-container ast-blog-single-element"> <div id="article-main-content"> <p>According to the <a href="https://www.iea.org/reports/buildings" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">International Energy Association</a> (IEA), the buildings sector in 2021 was responsible for around one-third of global energy and process-related CO2 emissions.</p> <p>Specifically, 6% of these emissions resulted from the manufacture of cement, steel, and aluminium used for construction; 8% from the use of fossil fuels; and 19% from the generation of electricity and heat needed to maintain them.</p> <p>This makes one thing clear: more attention needs to be paid to making our buildings greener and more sustainable.</p> <p>Thankfully, 2023 will be the year when we start taking some significant steps towards this goal.</p> <p>“The building sector has not received nearly the amount of attention that it deserves given the havoc it wreaks on the environment,” <a href="https://www.newsnow.co.uk/h/Technology" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">Talia Rafaeli</a>, Partner at <a href="https://www.kompas.vc/" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">KOMPAS</a>, a Copenhagen-based early-stage VC firm, told TNW.</p> <p>“Next year, I think that the quicker we provide financing to scale sustainable technologies for the built environment, the faster we reach economies of scale to allow for widespread adoption,” she added.</p> <p>Rafaeli specified that the investments should focus on the following: lower-emission concrete, green steel, cooling technologies to improve HVAC systems (heating, ventilation, and air conditioning), and heat pumps.</p> <p>Optimistically, we’re already seeing European companies developing projects on lower-emission concrete and green steel production.</p> <p>Among them, is the Finnish <a href="https://www.betolar.com/home" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">Betolar</a>, a business is creating an alternative to cement-based concrete. There are also Swedish manufacturers <a href="https://www.h2greensteel.com/" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">H2 Green Steel</a> and <a href="https://www.ssab.com/en" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">SSAB</a>, which are developing hydrogen-based green steel solutions.</p> <figure><img loading="lazy" alt="Betolar" data-src="https://cdn0.tnwcdn.com/wp-content/blogs.dir/1/files/2022/12/BETOLAR-PHOTO-.jpeg" data- decoding="async" height="1000" loading="lazy" src="data:image/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAIAAAAAAAP///yH5BAEAAAAALAAAAAABAAEAAAIBRAA7" width="1500"></img><figcaption>Betolar’s Geoprime solution has up to 80% lower carbon footprint. Credit: Betolar</figcaption></figure> <p>Yet, there is a lot to be done with pre-existing buildings. Dr Aidan Bell, co-founder of UK-based <a href="https://www.envirobuild.com/" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">EnviroBuild</a> maintains this is a “significant” step which should start with ensuring a house is well-insulated. “Roof and wall cavity insulation [in particular is] very cost-effective,” Bell told TNW.</p> <p>There are also additional technologies for those who have already done the basics, he added, telling us about <a href="https://www.airex.tech/" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">Airex</a> a type of smart air brick that reduces heat loss.</p> <p>Bell foresees two more trends picking up in 2023: the increased installation of solar PV panels on rooftops and the use of smart meters, which enable “better awareness of electricity peaks and troughs.” Even simple steps such as using machines overnight can assist in lowering peak demand on the national grid, he noted.</p> <p>A way of encouraging this balance of energy consumption are flexibility services. Chantel Scheepers — CEO of <a href="https://oaktreepower.com/" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">OakTree Power</a> — believes these are likely to become mainstream in 2023. The goal os these schemes is to offer consumers financial compensation for using less <a href="https://thenextweb.com/topic/energy" rel="noopener" target="_blank">energy</a> during peak times, she told TNW.</p> <p>Scheepers noted that they’re gaining popularity in cities like London, where they’re being adopted by multinational companies, such as the Financial Times and Pinsent Masons — showing their “enormous potential” to optimize energy usage.</p> <p>Ultimately, making our buildings more sustainable won’t happen in 2023 alone, but every small action we take is crucial in the long term — and there’s no time like the present to begin.</p> </p></div> </div> <p class="ast-blog-single-element ast-read-more-container read-more"> <a class="" href="https://theverysoon.com/how-to-make-our-homes-and-buildings-more-sustainable-in-2023/"> <span class="screen-reader-text">How to make our homes and buildings more sustainable in 2023</span> Read More »</a></p> <div class="entry-content clear" itemprop="text" > </div> </div> </div>  </article> <article class="post-77904 post type-post status-publish format-standard has-post-thumbnail hentry category-business category-house-of-talent category-tech category-twitter tag-business tag-house-of-talent tag-tech tag-twitter ast-grid-common-col ast-full-width ast-article-post" id="post-77904" itemtype="https://schema.org/CreativeWork" itemscope="itemscope"> <div class="ast-post-format- blog-layout-1 ast-article-inner"> <div class="post-content ast-grid-common-col" > <div class="ast-blog-featured-section post-thumb ast-blog-single-element"><div class="post-thumb-img-content post-thumb"><a href="https://theverysoon.com/surprise-business-leaders-should-be-compassionate-heres-the-evidence-to-prove-it/" ><img width="796" height="417" src="https://theverysoon.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/12/77904-surprise-business-leaders-should-be-compassionate-heres-the-evidence-to-prove-it.jpg-26amp-3Bsignature-3D7210149b0ed43cc406c25acf52222576" class="attachment-large size-large wp-post-image" alt="surprise:-business-leaders-should-be-compassionate-–-here’s-the-evidence-to-prove it" itemprop="image" decoding="async" srcset="https://theverysoon.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/12/77904-surprise-business-leaders-should-be-compassionate-heres-the-evidence-to-prove-it.jpg-26amp-3Bsignature-3D7210149b0ed43cc406c25acf52222576 796w, https://theverysoon.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/12/77904-surprise-business-leaders-should-be-compassionate-heres-the-evidence-to-prove-it-300x157.jpg-26amp-3bsignature-3d7210149b0ed43cc406c25acf52222576 300w, https://theverysoon.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/12/77904-surprise-business-leaders-should-be-compassionate-heres-the-evidence-to-prove-it-768x402.jpg-26amp-3bsignature-3d7210149b0ed43cc406c25acf52222576 768w, https://theverysoon.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/12/77904-surprise-business-leaders-should-be-compassionate-heres-the-evidence-to-prove-it-260x136.jpg-26amp-3bsignature-3d7210149b0ed43cc406c25acf52222576 260w" sizes="(max-width: 796px) 100vw, 796px" /></a></div></div><h2 class="entry-title ast-blog-single-element" itemprop="headline"><a href="https://theverysoon.com/surprise-business-leaders-should-be-compassionate-heres-the-evidence-to-prove-it/" rel="bookmark">Surprise: business leaders should be compassionate – here’s the evidence to prove it</a></h2> <header class="entry-header ast-blog-single-element ast-blog-meta-container"> <div class="entry-meta"><span class="ast-taxonomy-container cat-links default"><a href="https://theverysoon.com/category/business/" rel="category tag">business</a>, <a href="https://theverysoon.com/category/house-of-talent/" rel="category tag">House of Talent</a>, <a href="https://theverysoon.com/category/tech/" rel="category tag">Tech</a>, <a href="https://theverysoon.com/category/twitter/" rel="category tag">Twitter</a></span> / <span class="posted-by vcard author" itemtype="https://schema.org/Person" itemscope="itemscope" itemprop="author"> <a title="View all posts by Paul Patrick" href="https://theverysoon.com/author/davidponcetechreviewers-net/" rel="author" class="url fn n" itemprop="url" > <span class="author-name" itemprop="name" > Paul Patrick </span> </a> </span> / <span class="posted-on"><span class="published" itemprop="datePublished"> December 26, 2022 </span></span></div> </header> <div class="ast-excerpt-container ast-blog-single-element"> <div id="article-main-content"> <p>In the month after <a href="https://thenextweb.com/topic/elon-musk" rel="noopener" target="_blank">Elon Musk</a> triumphantly announced his takeover of Twitter with his now famous “the bird is freed” tweet, he implemented a large-scale cull of the social media platform’s global workforce. While Musk’s rationale for this move was to make <a href="https://thenextweb.com/topic/twitter" rel="noopener" target="_blank">Twitter</a> more efficient, how he carried out the cuts was widely criticised as showing a lack of compassion for employees.</p> <p>Luckily, the public have spoken and Musk has promised to step down after embarrassingly being voted out in his own poll. But what can we learn from this and what kind of leader does Twitter need moving forward?</p> <p>Twitter might instead benefit from a more thoughtful and caring approach to leadership. Research shows compassionate leaders boost staff morale and productivity, not to mention projecting a more positive image of an organisation and its brand to the world.</p> <p>Compassion in this context can be taken to mean a leader who is understanding, empathetic, and that strives to help their employees. This kind of leadership is needed now more than ever. Businesses are facing difficult times because of the lasting effects of the pandemic and the rising cost of living. The UK was already experiencing a slump in productivity growth since the 2008 financial crisis and a decline in the standard of living, which is set to continue over the next two years. Brexit hasn’t helped this situation.</p> <p>Such testing times warrant organizational leadership by compassionate and competent people with sound judgment and effective coordination skills. This also applies to political leadership. The UK has seen a lack of this in recent months while dealing with “<a href="https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-61560535" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">partygate</a>”, <a href="https://www.pbs.org/newshour/world/senior-member-of-uk-prime-ministers-government-resigns-amid-bullying-allegations" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">reported bullying</a>, and harassment in government offices, and the dire effect of recent leadership decisions around the economy.</p> <p>International leaders aren’t doing much better. The US appears to have become far more polarised, leading to the <a href="https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-us-canada-56004916" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">Capitol riots</a> and suffered accusations of a “<a href="https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2020/apr/27/us-states-councils-pacts-coronavirus-trump" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">leadership vaccum</a>” during the pandemic. In the EU, compassionate leadership appears to have been in short supply based on <a href="https://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/eu-slow-inefficient-and-hampered-by-bureaucracy-in-early-covid-19-response" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">slow responses to COVID</a> and <a href="https://www.euronews.com/my-europe/2022/09/05/it-took-too-long-michel-and-de-croo-criticise-late-eu-action-on-energy-crisis" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">the energy crisis</a>. All of these examples suggest a need for more compassionate leadership.</p> <h2>What is a good leader?</h2> <p>Research shows that good leadership helps companies to be more competitive and boost performance, particularly concerning innovation and flexibility. <a href="https://www.jstor.org/stable/116866" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">One study argues</a> that good leaders win followers because of three main attributes: sound judgment, expertise, and coordination skills. These qualities allow leaders to lead by example.</p> <p>Unfortunately, however, not all leaders fit this bill. A recent Europe-wide study found 13% of workers have “bad” bosses, although participants tended to score their bosses worse on competence than consideration. Still, poor leadership can negatively affect workers’ morale, wellbeing, and productivity. A <a href="https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/02678373.2021.1969476" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">review of studies</a> in this area reported that worker wellbeing tends to be better served when companies — and their leaders — allow workers to have some control and provide more opportunities for their voices to be heard and for greater participation in making decisions.</p> <p>In addition to the competence and coordination skills highlighted in a lot of research to date, <a href="https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/bjir.12711" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">my research shows</a> that “soft leadership skills” are also important. This is about being compassionate and making others — employees in particular, but also suppliers and customers — feel important. Leaders with such “<a href="https://globaldialoguecenter.com/conf_center/JUNE5live/8-SoftLeadership.pdf" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">people skills</a>” are not just technically competent, they can also look at an issue from a human perspective, thinking about how it might affect people.</p> <p>My recently published research used nationally representative data from the 2004 and 2011 workplace employment relations survey, which polls more than 3,000 organizations and over 35,000 workers. They were asked to score their managers on a five-point scale in terms of certain soft leadership skills, chosen to measure the impartiality, trustworthiness and empathy of leaders.</p> <p>These employees were asked whether their managers: </p> <ul> <li>could be relied on to keep their promises</li> <li>were sincere in attempting to understand employees’ views</li> <li>dealt with employees honestly</li> <li>understood that employees had responsibilities outside work</li> <li>encouraged people to develop their skills</li> <li>treated employees fairly</li> <li>and maintained good relations with employees.</li> </ul> <p>The results suggest that workers’ perception of good quality leadership is also positively affected by managers being upbeat when discussing organisational performance. This kind of leadership boosts workers’ wellbeing, helping employees experience greater job satisfaction and lower levels of job anxiety.</p> <p>This research suggests that compassionate leaders help to both enhance company performance and boost worker wellbeing. It shows that improving the quality of leadership is worthwhile. This can be achieved with recruitment, appraisal, and training of leaders that elevate soft leadership skills.</p> <p>Good leaders matter. As organizations and society in general face particularly difficult times, compassionate leadership could make a real difference to future business success.<img loading="lazy" alt="The Conversation" data-src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/195585/count.gif?distributor=republish-lightbox-basic" decoding="async" height="1" loading="lazy" src="data:image/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAIAAAAAAAP///yH5BAEAAAAALAAAAAABAAEAAAIBRAA7" width="1"></img></p> <p><em><a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/getinet-astatike-haile-191913" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">Getinet Astatike Haile</a>, Associate Professor in Industrial Economics, <a href="https://theconversation.com/institutions/university-of-nottingham-1192" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">University of Nottingham</a></em></p> <p><em>This article is republished from <a href="https://theconversation.com" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">The Conversation</a> under a Creative Commons license. Read the <a href="https://theconversation.com/elon-musk-business-leaders-should-be-compassionate-heres-the-evidence-to-prove-it-195585" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">original article</a>.</em></p> </p></div> </div> <p class="ast-blog-single-element ast-read-more-container read-more"> <a class="" href="https://theverysoon.com/surprise-business-leaders-should-be-compassionate-heres-the-evidence-to-prove-it/"> <span class="screen-reader-text">Surprise: business leaders should be compassionate – here’s the evidence to prove it</span> Read More »</a></p> <div class="entry-content clear" itemprop="text" > </div> </div> </div>  </article> <article class="post-77890 post type-post status-publish format-standard has-post-thumbnail hentry category-next-featured category-tech tag-next-featured tag-tech ast-grid-common-col ast-full-width ast-article-post" id="post-77890" itemtype="https://schema.org/CreativeWork" itemscope="itemscope"> <div class="ast-post-format- blog-layout-1 ast-article-inner"> <div class="post-content ast-grid-common-col" > <div class="ast-blog-featured-section post-thumb ast-blog-single-element"><div class="post-thumb-img-content post-thumb"><a href="https://theverysoon.com/mainland-europe-finally-gets-its-first-satellite-launch-facility/" ><img width="796" height="417" src="https://theverysoon.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/12/77890-mainland-europe-finally-gets-its-first-satellite-launch-facility.jpg-26amp-3Bsignature-3D23de81ccfdcc266b4d221a856cf31ceb" class="attachment-large size-large wp-post-image" alt="mainland-europe-finally-gets-its-first-satellite-launch-facility" itemprop="image" decoding="async" srcset="https://theverysoon.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/12/77890-mainland-europe-finally-gets-its-first-satellite-launch-facility.jpg-26amp-3Bsignature-3D23de81ccfdcc266b4d221a856cf31ceb 796w, https://theverysoon.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/12/77890-mainland-europe-finally-gets-its-first-satellite-launch-facility-300x157.jpg-26amp-3bsignature-3d23de81ccfdcc266b4d221a856cf31ceb 300w, https://theverysoon.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/12/77890-mainland-europe-finally-gets-its-first-satellite-launch-facility-768x402.jpg-26amp-3bsignature-3d23de81ccfdcc266b4d221a856cf31ceb 768w, https://theverysoon.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/12/77890-mainland-europe-finally-gets-its-first-satellite-launch-facility-260x136.jpg-26amp-3bsignature-3d23de81ccfdcc266b4d221a856cf31ceb 260w" sizes="(max-width: 796px) 100vw, 796px" /></a></div></div><h2 class="entry-title ast-blog-single-element" itemprop="headline"><a href="https://theverysoon.com/mainland-europe-finally-gets-its-first-satellite-launch-facility/" rel="bookmark">Mainland Europe finally gets its first satellite launch facility</a></h2> <header class="entry-header ast-blog-single-element ast-blog-meta-container"> <div class="entry-meta"><span class="ast-taxonomy-container cat-links default"><a href="https://theverysoon.com/category/next-featured/" rel="category tag">Next Featured</a>, <a href="https://theverysoon.com/category/tech/" rel="category tag">Tech</a></span> / <span class="posted-by vcard author" itemtype="https://schema.org/Person" itemscope="itemscope" itemprop="author"> <a title="View all posts by Paul Patrick" href="https://theverysoon.com/author/davidponcetechreviewers-net/" rel="author" class="url fn n" itemprop="url" > <span class="author-name" itemprop="name" > Paul Patrick </span> </a> </span> / <span class="posted-on"><span class="published" itemprop="datePublished"> December 23, 2022 </span></span></div> </header> <div class="ast-excerpt-container ast-blog-single-element"> <div> <article id="articleOutput"> <div> <figure> <img alt="Mainland Europe finally gets its first satellite launch facility" data-src="https://img-cdn.tnwcdn.com/image?fit=1280%2C720&url=https%3A%2F%2Fcdn0.tnwcdn.com%2Fwp-content%2Fblogs.dir%2F1%2Ffiles%2F2022%2F12%2FUntitled-design-97-11.jpg&signature=f55ff32603a03e305fa586d260dfa334" data- ></img> </figure> </p></div> <p> <main> </p> <header> <a data-event-action="Author" data-event-category="Article" data-event-label="Ioanna Lykiardopoulou" data-event-non-interaction="false" href="http://thenextweb.com/author/ioanna" rel="noopener" target="_blank"> <img alt="Ioanna Lykiardopoulou" data-src="https://img-cdn.tnwcdn.com/image/duotone?fit=240%2C240&gradient=%23660099-%2300CCAA&url=https%3A%2F%2Fsecure.gravatar.com%2Favatar%2F878e8f3d59fd6af6a57894e3f2a60b5d%3Fs%3D96%26d%3Dblank%26r%3Dg&signature=f1d004a74fc2d23dcd15df6fbaff0e59"></img> </a> </p> <div> <h6> Story by </h6> <h4> <a href="http://thenextweb.com/author/ioanna"> Ioanna Lykiardopoulou </a> </h4> <p> <span> Ioanna is a writer at SHIFT. She likes the transition from old to modern, and she’s all about shifting perspectives. </span> <span> Ioanna is a writer at SHIFT. She likes the transition from old to modern, and she’s all about shifting perspectives. </span> </p> </p></div> </header> <div id="article-main-content"> <p>On January 13, 2023, Spaceport Esrange — mainland Europe’s first satellite launch facility — will be <a href="https://sscspace.com/inauguration-of-mainland-europes-first-satellite-launch-complex/" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">inaugurated in Sweden</a>. This marks a critical milestone for the continent’s space industry.</p> <p>Spaceport Esrange will provide the <a href="https://thenextweb.com/topic/european-space-agency" rel="noopener" target="_blank">European Space Agency</a> (ESA) with an independent getaway to the stars, enhancing its <a href="https://www.esa.int/Enabling_Support/Space_Transportation/Europe_s_Spaceport" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">current capabilities in French Guiana</a>.</p> <p>At first, the spaceport will be used to launch satellites into orbit.</p> <p>“Satellites are decisive for many functions of the daily lives of today’s modern world, and the need for them will only increase in the years to come with space playing an even more important role,” Stefan Gardefjord, CEO of the Swedish Space Corporation (SSC), said in a <a href="https://sscspace.com/inauguration-of-mainland-europes-first-satellite-launch-complex/" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">press release</a>.</p> <p>According to the SSC’s data, around 10,000 new <a href="https://thenextweb.com/topic/satellite" rel="noopener" target="_blank">satellites</a> are expected to be launched over the next few years. By 2040, their total number could reach 100,000 — a 1,900% increase compared with the operational satellites in orbit today.</p> <figure><img loading="lazy" alt="Mainland Europe will get its first satellite launch facility" data-src="https://cdn0.tnwcdn.com/wp-content/blogs.dir/1/files/2022/12/LC3-2021-11-09.jpg" data- decoding="async" height="720" loading="lazy" src="data:image/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAIAAAAAAAP///yH5BAEAAAAALAAAAAABAAEAAAIBRAA7" width="1200"></img><figcaption>Spaceport Esrange under construction in November 2021. Credit: <a href="https://sscspace.canto.global/v/Press/album/V8J11?viewIndex=1&display=curatedView&column=image&id=gcj0feciht5mn7t1j47shs1c66" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">Copyright SSC</a></figcaption></figure> <p>Spaceport Esrange will also host testing of the ESA’s <a href="https://www.esa.int/ESA_Multimedia/Images/2020/12/Themis" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">Themis</a> program, which is Europe’s initiative for reusable rocketry. Themis’ reusable space launcher will start first-stage tests, seeking to achieve vehicle liftoff and recovery.</p> <p>Finally, the facility will be used for suborbital test launches of various next-gen rockets.</p> <p>Thanks to the above, Spaceport Esrange will help establish the continent’s resilience in space. As per Gardefjord, it will enable a “secure, competitive, and sustainable Europe.”</p> <p>The launch of Spaceport Esrange will also be a huge positive for startups working in this sector. Not only will there be ample business opportunities, there’s also the question of talent. Having a launch facility will require skilled operators, many of whom will move into different companies, spreading their expertise across the whole continent and helping accelerate and grow Europe’s space sector.</p> <p>At the moment, Spaceport Esrange is trying to attract satellite owners and orbital rocket manufacturers for potential partnerships. The first satellite launch is expected late 2023.</p> </p></div> <h3>Also tagged with</h3> <p></br> </main> </article> </p></div> </div> <p class="ast-blog-single-element ast-read-more-container read-more"> <a class="" href="https://theverysoon.com/mainland-europe-finally-gets-its-first-satellite-launch-facility/"> <span class="screen-reader-text">Mainland Europe finally gets its first satellite launch facility</span> Read More »</a></p> <div class="entry-content clear" itemprop="text" > </div> </div> </div>  </article> <article class="post-77874 post type-post status-publish format-standard has-post-thumbnail hentry category-next-featured category-tech tag-next-featured tag-tech ast-grid-common-col ast-full-width ast-article-post" id="post-77874" itemtype="https://schema.org/CreativeWork" itemscope="itemscope"> <div class="ast-post-format- blog-layout-1 ast-article-inner"> <div class="post-content ast-grid-common-col" > <div class="ast-blog-featured-section post-thumb ast-blog-single-element"><div class="post-thumb-img-content post-thumb"><a href="https://theverysoon.com/the-european-innovation-council-splashes-some-cash-on-another-78-startups/" ><img width="796" height="417" src="https://theverysoon.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/12/77874-the-european-innovation-council-splashes-some-cash-on-another-78-startups.jpg-26amp-3Bsignature-3Dc83fae2cba6d9ae04b5670c84cca20d7" class="attachment-large size-large wp-post-image" alt="the-european-innovation-council-splashes-some-cash-on-another-78-startups" itemprop="image" decoding="async" srcset="https://theverysoon.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/12/77874-the-european-innovation-council-splashes-some-cash-on-another-78-startups.jpg-26amp-3Bsignature-3Dc83fae2cba6d9ae04b5670c84cca20d7 796w, https://theverysoon.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/12/77874-the-european-innovation-council-splashes-some-cash-on-another-78-startups-300x157.jpg-26amp-3bsignature-3dc83fae2cba6d9ae04b5670c84cca20d7 300w, https://theverysoon.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/12/77874-the-european-innovation-council-splashes-some-cash-on-another-78-startups-768x402.jpg-26amp-3bsignature-3dc83fae2cba6d9ae04b5670c84cca20d7 768w, https://theverysoon.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/12/77874-the-european-innovation-council-splashes-some-cash-on-another-78-startups-260x136.jpg-26amp-3bsignature-3dc83fae2cba6d9ae04b5670c84cca20d7 260w" sizes="(max-width: 796px) 100vw, 796px" /></a></div></div><h2 class="entry-title ast-blog-single-element" itemprop="headline"><a href="https://theverysoon.com/the-european-innovation-council-splashes-some-cash-on-another-78-startups/" rel="bookmark">The European Innovation Council splashes some cash on another 78 startups</a></h2> <header class="entry-header ast-blog-single-element ast-blog-meta-container"> <div class="entry-meta"><span class="ast-taxonomy-container cat-links default"><a href="https://theverysoon.com/category/next-featured/" rel="category tag">Next Featured</a>, <a href="https://theverysoon.com/category/tech/" rel="category tag">Tech</a></span> / <span class="posted-by vcard author" itemtype="https://schema.org/Person" itemscope="itemscope" itemprop="author"> <a title="View all posts by Paul Patrick" href="https://theverysoon.com/author/davidponcetechreviewers-net/" rel="author" class="url fn n" itemprop="url" > <span class="author-name" itemprop="name" > Paul Patrick </span> </a> </span> / <span class="posted-on"><span class="published" itemprop="datePublished"> December 22, 2022 </span></span></div> </header> <div class="ast-excerpt-container ast-blog-single-element"> <div> <article id="articleOutput"> <div> <figure> <img alt="The European Innovation Council splashes some cash on another 78 startups" data-src="https://img-cdn.tnwcdn.com/image?fit=1280%2C720&url=https%3A%2F%2Fcdn0.tnwcdn.com%2Fwp-content%2Fblogs.dir%2F1%2Ffiles%2F2022%2F12%2FEEEIC.jpg&signature=d98d2133452e71c37b00bc3768bf4d6a" data- ></img> </figure> </p></div> <p> <main> </p> <header> <a data-event-action="Author" data-event-category="Article" data-event-label="Ioanna Lykiardopoulou" data-event-non-interaction="false" href="http://thenextweb.com/author/ioanna" rel="noopener" target="_blank"> <img alt="Ioanna Lykiardopoulou" data-src="https://img-cdn.tnwcdn.com/image/duotone?fit=240%2C240&gradient=%23660099-%2300CCAA&url=https%3A%2F%2Fsecure.gravatar.com%2Favatar%2F878e8f3d59fd6af6a57894e3f2a60b5d%3Fs%3D96%26d%3Dblank%26r%3Dg&signature=f1d004a74fc2d23dcd15df6fbaff0e59"></img> </a> </p> <div> <h6> Story by </h6> <h4> <a href="http://thenextweb.com/author/ioanna"> Ioanna Lykiardopoulou </a> </h4> <p> <span> Ioanna is a writer at SHIFT. She likes the transition from old to modern, and she’s all about shifting perspectives. </span> <span> Ioanna is a writer at SHIFT. She likes the transition from old to modern, and she’s all about shifting perspectives. </span> </p> </p></div> </header> <div id="article-main-content"> <p>As part of the 2022 European Innovation Council (EIC) Accelerator program, the Commission <a href="https://eic.ec.europa.eu/news/european-innovation-council-welcomes-78-high-potential-start-ups-and-smes-highly-competitive-2022-12-19_en" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">selected</a> 78 startups and SMEs to receive up to €470 million in funding.</p> <p>Depending on its needs, each company will get up to €17.5 million in grants and/or equity investments.</p> <p>The latter will be made through the EIC Fund, which is now “<a href="https://eic.ec.europa.eu/news/european-innovation-council-fund-set-be-fully-operational-2022-09-29_en" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">fully operational</a>” after appointing Luxembourg-based <a href="https://www.alterdomus.com/" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">Alter Domus</a> as an external fund manager to streamline the equity payment process and avoid <a href="https://sifted.eu/articles/eu-startup-financing-eic-alter-domus-news/" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">past delays</a>.</p> <p>The selected companies span across 17 EU and EEA nations, with the addition of Israel and the UK.</p> <p>Among them, 17% of startups and SMEs are located in Germany, 14% in the Netherlands, and 12% in France and Spain, respectively. These countries combined make up 53% of the total selection.</p> <p>Below you can see a detailed graph of the number of companies selected in each country: </p> <figure><img loading="lazy" alt="European Innovation Council's Accelerator funding or startups and SMEs in 2022" data-src="https://cdn0.tnwcdn.com/wp-content/blogs.dir/1/files/2022/12/GRAPH.jpg" data- decoding="async" height="595" loading="lazy" src="data:image/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAIAAAAAAAP///yH5BAEAAAAALAAAAAABAAEAAAIBRAA7" width="793"></img><figcaption>Source: <a href="https://eic.ec.europa.eu/system/files/2022-12/EIC%20Accelerator-October%205%202022%20Cut%20Off%20v2.pdf" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">EIC Accelerator </a></figcaption></figure> <p>And you can observe on the map below, the selected startups are mostly located in Western and Northern <a href="https://thenextweb.com/topic/europe" rel="noopener" target="_blank">Europe</a>, while Eastern countries in the EU/EEA aren’t represented at all: </p> <p><figure><img loading="lazy" alt="European Innovation Council Accelerator funding 2022 for startups and SMEs" data-src="https://cdn0.tnwcdn.com/wp-content/blogs.dir/1/files/2022/12/MAP-.png" data- decoding="async" height="1141" loading="lazy" src="data:image/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAIAAAAAAAP///yH5BAEAAAAALAAAAAABAAEAAAIBRAA7" width="1640"></img></figure> </p> <p>Notably, the sector that attracts most funding by the EIC is health — with 51% of the selected companies offering technologies for medical solutions. Other industries include mobility, climate management, energy storage, agriculture, manufacturing, and AI.</p> <p>Here are three notable examples of the finalists: </p> <ul> <li>Spanish <a href="https://www.inbrain-neuroelectronics.com/" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">Inbrain Neuroelectronics</a> is engineering graphene for the development of neural interfaces, seeking to revolutionize the treatment of neurological diseases.</li> <li>Estonia-based <a href="https://www.efenco.eu/" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">Efenco</a> is aiming to reduce natural gas needs and carbon emissions in industrial usage by enabling the industry’s transition to hydrogen with HERC, a novel plasma-assisted combustion (PAC) technology.</li> <li><a href="https://energydome.com/" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">Energy Dome</a> in Italy is working on a long-duration battery energy storage system based on a closed thermodynamic loop that uses CO2 as working fluid. Thanks to the properties of carbon dioxide, the system can store energy efficiently and cost effectively.</li> </ul> <p>These 78 companies will join the 314 selected for funding by the European Innovation Council so far. This is bound to grow, as the EIC’s Accelerator fund has secured <a href="https://thenextweb.com/news/eu-will-grant-e1-13bn-to-tech-startups-2023" rel="noopener" target="_blank">€1.13 billion</a> for 2023.</p> </p></div> <p> </main> </article> </p></div> </div> <p class="ast-blog-single-element ast-read-more-container read-more"> <a class="" href="https://theverysoon.com/the-european-innovation-council-splashes-some-cash-on-another-78-startups/"> <span class="screen-reader-text">The European Innovation Council splashes some cash on another 78 startups</span> Read More »</a></p> <div class="entry-content clear" itemprop="text" > </div> </div> </div>  </article> </div> </main> <div class='ast-pagination'> <nav class="navigation pagination" aria-label="Post pagination"> <span class="screen-reader-text">Post pagination</span> <div class="nav-links"><a class="prev page-numbers" href="https://theverysoon.com/category/tech/page/59/"><span class="ast-left-arrow">←</span> Previous</a> <a class="page-numbers" href="https://theverysoon.com/category/tech/">1</a> <span class="page-numbers dots">…</span> <a class="page-numbers" href="https://theverysoon.com/category/tech/page/59/">59</a> <span aria-current="page" class="page-numbers current">60</span> <a class="page-numbers" href="https://theverysoon.com/category/tech/page/61/">61</a> <span class="page-numbers dots">…</span> <a class="page-numbers" href="https://theverysoon.com/category/tech/page/63/">63</a> <a class="next page-numbers" href="https://theverysoon.com/category/tech/page/61/">Next <span class="ast-right-arrow">→</span></a></div> </nav></div> </div> </div>  </div> <footer class="site-footer" id="colophon" itemtype="https://schema.org/WPFooter" itemscope="itemscope" itemid="#colophon"> <div class="site-primary-footer-wrap ast-builder-grid-row-container site-footer-focus-item ast-builder-grid-row-full ast-builder-grid-row-tablet-full ast-builder-grid-row-mobile-full ast-footer-row-stack ast-footer-row-tablet-stack ast-footer-row-mobile-stack" data-section="section-primary-footer-builder"> <div class="ast-builder-grid-row-container-inner"> <div class="ast-builder-footer-grid-columns site-primary-footer-inner-wrap ast-builder-grid-row"> <div class="site-footer-primary-section-1 site-footer-section site-footer-section-1"> <div class="footer-widget-area widget-area site-footer-focus-item" data-section="section-footer-menu"> <div class="footer-bar-navigation"><nav class="site-navigation ast-flex-grow-1 navigation-accessibility footer-navigation" id="footer-site-navigation" aria-label="Site Navigation: Footer" itemtype="https://schema.org/SiteNavigationElement" itemscope="itemscope"><div class="footer-nav-wrap"><ul id="astra-footer-menu" class="ast-nav-menu ast-flex astra-footer-horizontal-menu astra-footer-tablet-vertical-menu astra-footer-mobile-vertical-menu"><li id="menu-item-44586" class="menu-item menu-item-type-post_type menu-item-object-page menu-item-44586"><a href="https://theverysoon.com/advertising-disclosure/" class="menu-link">Ad Disclosure</a></li> <li id="menu-item-42787" class="menu-item menu-item-type-post_type menu-item-object-page menu-item-42787"><a href="https://theverysoon.com/privacy/" class="menu-link">Privacy</a></li> <li id="menu-item-42788" class="menu-item menu-item-type-post_type menu-item-object-page menu-item-42788"><a href="https://theverysoon.com/terms/" class="menu-link">Terms</a></li> <li id="menu-item-81259" class="menu-item menu-item-type-post_type menu-item-object-page menu-item-81259"><a href="https://theverysoon.com/contact/" class="menu-link">Contact</a></li> </ul></div></nav></div> </div> </div> </div> </div> </div> <div class="site-below-footer-wrap ast-builder-grid-row-container site-footer-focus-item ast-builder-grid-row-full ast-builder-grid-row-tablet-full ast-builder-grid-row-mobile-full ast-footer-row-stack ast-footer-row-tablet-stack ast-footer-row-mobile-stack" data-section="section-below-footer-builder"> <div class="ast-builder-grid-row-container-inner"> <div class="ast-builder-footer-grid-columns site-below-footer-inner-wrap ast-builder-grid-row"> <div class="site-footer-below-section-1 site-footer-section site-footer-section-1"> <div class="ast-builder-layout-element ast-flex site-footer-focus-item ast-footer-copyright" data-section="section-footer-builder"> <div class="ast-footer-copyright"><p>© 2025 Los Angeles Herald Examiner. 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