It’s happened, we finally made it! Restrictions have been lifted and we can all take those masks off, just in time for the summer to really kick in. This news is welcome for many, but there are still a lot of us who are worried about infection rates and of course, our wonderful NHS. This is clearly not the end of the road with Covid but it’s the beginning of us trying to move forward carefully.

Companies are slowly navigating their way back into the office with most of them adopting the hybrid working model. Interestingly, some of our big tech companies such as Google, Apple and Amazon want their employees in at least three days a week, whereas Spotify and Facebook as letting its managers decide what’s best. It’s safe to say, it probably won’t be a ‘one size fits all’ scenario here.

With tech in mind, let’s run through some of the standout stories we’ve seen this month!

Earlier in July we all gathered round for the highly anticipated final of the Euros, where we watched England and Italy go head-to-head. With a penalty shootout being the decider of the winner, England unfortunately fell short, and Italy took the trophy! But the saddest part about this was the horrific online racist abuse that our young talented boys had to face after. There was a huge uproar in reaction and social media companies were being called out to do more to stop this abuse. Boris Johnson called on the big tech companies to attend Downing Street to discuss what more they can do about online abuse, pledging to take action via its online safety bill. 

On a more positive note, Netflix are reportedly planning on going into gaming, hiring Mike Verdu, a former EA executive to lead the way. In the next year we will see games be available at no further cost to the current subscription. I’m sure this will do well in attracting a whole new range of customers.

Looking at the stock exchange now, and the FCA is looking to make changes to the listing regulations in a bid to attract more tech companies. Although, the private UK tech sector is doing well with the likes of Revolut, now the UK’s most valuable tech company following its $800m raise. Reportedly, investors poured more money into private start-ups this year so far compared to the whole of 2020!

And last but not least, and by far my most favourite story this month, a student has designed a potentially life-saving device that has the potential to rapidly stop blood loss from stab wounds. We love to see these impressive innovations coming through, especially from such young talent!

That’s all for now! Want to receive a daily news roundup of the biggest tech stories? Sign up to our Firewire here.