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It is with great sadness that we learned this weekend of the death of Jean Michel Billaut, an emblematic figure of our ecosystem.
Hello friend! It was with these words that he used to begin his conversations, just to immediately put his interlocutors at ease. He, who began in the polite framework of Compagnie Bancaire, where in 1978 he co-founded L’Atelier, a unique technological monitoring and experimentation laboratory, installed in the 2nd basement of 5 avenue Kléber in Paris. This “Gallic Google”, as he liked to call it, would later become a reference center for innovation, with a branch in San Francisco. It will have acculturated a large number of players from banking, commerce, and technology, who would profoundly transform these sectors.
A major promoter of very high speed, he is working to deploy fiber in Pau, and is digitalizing, with the arrival of blogs, his speaking engagements through the Billautshow, where he daily highlights Frenchtech entrepreneurs.
He is a pioneer who will have left his mark on all the generations who have encountered him with his curiosity and his desire to share.
Thank you, Jean-Michel, for everything you have offered us all these years with so much energy. All our thoughts are with your family and loved ones.
The United Kingdom accelerates on AI with an ambitious strategy
British government unveils“AI Opportunities Action Plan”a roadmap in 50 measures to make artificial intelligence a major economic and societal lever. Among the priorities: AI Growth Zones to attract investments, a 100,000 GPU supercomputer by 2030, and a national data library to use public data securely.
With flexible regulation promoting innovation and £14 billion of private investment announced, the United Kingdom wants to position itself as a key player in global AI. According to the IMF, this plan could generate 47 billion pounds per year over a decade.
Microsoft announces price increases for Microsoft 365 in Asia Pacific
Microsoft has informed customers in Australia, New Zealand, Malaysia, Singapore, Taiwan and Thailand of a price increase for Microsoft 365. Plans will see their prices increase by 30% to 45% in the coming months. This price revision reflects the company’s regional adjustments.
+ THE CYBER MINUTE With our partner Claranet, cloud, data, security and IT modernization.
Israeli cybersecurity startups double their fundraising in 2024
In 2024, Israeli cybersecurity companies raised $4 billion, an increase of more than 100% compared to 2023 ($1.89 billion). This financing was distributed across 89 rounds, including 50 in seed or early stage, representing a total of $400 million.
+ FRENCHWEB MARKET With our partner VANTA, finally automate your compliance, simplify your security management.
Ubisoft explores strategic options and postpones ‘Assassin’s Creed Shadows’
Ubisoft announced that it was examining “transformational strategic and capital options” in order to maximize the value of the company for all stakeholders. To reassure investors, Ubisoft is committed to reducing its costs by more than 200 million euros by the 2025-2026 financial year.
In October, Bloomberg reported that the Guillemot founding family and Tencent were exploring a potential acquisition of the company. This speculation caused Ubisoft shares to jump by more than 30%. However, Ubisoft has not confirmed any concrete discussions to date.
The launch of “Assassin’s Creed Shadows” has been postponed again, this time to March 20, 2025. This postponement adds to a series of disappointments in the release schedule, contributing to a 45% drop in Ubisoft shares on the Last 12 months.
Your employees are the first ambassadors of your company: employee advocacy trends in 2025
🥐 Previous editions of GOOD MORNING FRENCHWEB:
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- EU rejects criticism from Mark Zuckerberg / US authorized to liquidate 69,370 BITCOINS / new cybersecurity label in the United States
- META aligns with X in moderation / UK plans to criminalize deepfakes / series of acquisitions in Frenchtech
- META gets closer to TRUMP / The Pentagon targets TENCENT / Donald Trump finally supports Silicon Valley…
- APPLE settles a dispute over SIRI confidentiality / AI is coming to places of worship / HUAWEI trains 300,000 engineers per year
🚀 To read on FRENCHWEB.FR:
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- KAI raises 600,000 euros to tackle corporate document chaos
- CyGO Entrepreneurs raises 5 million euros to create its startup studio dedicated to cybersecurity.
- Bamboo Rose acquires French startup Verteego
- ISAGRI acquires Sencrop to accelerate the digitalization of agriculture
- KOLSQUARE acquires WOOMIO to strengthen its position in Northern Europe
- IBEXA acquires QUABLE to create a European digital experience champion
- SKEZI strengthens its position in the medical sector with the acquisition of Verbatim.Care
- EXPANSION VENTURES completes a first tranche of its investment fund dedicated to European Space Tech