Google triggered a social-media backlash with the firing of an employee who had blasted the company’s diversity policies, fuelling tension over an issue shaking up Silicon Valley.

Former Ford Motor chief Mark Fields, who led the company as it lost almost $25bn (€22.3bn) in market value, could walk away with payouts worth about $57.5m.

Uber Technologies is paying 20 million dollars (£16.2 million) to settle allegations that it duped people into driving for its ride-hailing service.

BMW is teaming up with chipmaker Intel and camera-software company Mobileye to bring self-driving cars to the road by 2021, becoming the first major automaker to set a specific date to produce a fully autonomous vehicle.

Saudi Arabia is not all that fond of competition — the kingdom has long reaped rich reward from its Opec membership.

Uber Technologies has won the dismissal of a racketeering lawsuit by 15 Connecticut taxi and limousine companies seeking to stop the ride-sharing company from doing business in the state.

Uber Technologies, a startup with losses that outstrip revenue, is drawing fresh comparisons with another big tech company that has a reputation for spending: Amazon.

Uber has suspended its low-cost ride-hailing service in France in a bid to defuse an escalating legal dispute and violent tensions with traditional French taxi drivers.

The number of initial public offerings handled by Nasdaq may rise this year, buoyed by strong equity markets and the Federal Reserve’s announcement that it will reduce bond purchases.