Tech tracker round-up: Uber hires new Europe chief, Hostelworld picks Gary Morrison as chief exec

Here the Evening Standard business team highlights all the major tech news today.

The major story sees taxi-hailing app Uber poach Jamie Heywood a telecoms and tech veteran to head its European arm as a crucial appeal looms over the future of its business in London.

He joins the company from online retail giant Amazon UK where he was director of electronics.

Before that he spent 15 years in telecoms, most recently in a four-year stint as managing director of Virgin Mobile’s UK arm. His arrival follows the departure of predecessor Jo Bertram last October.

Heywood will be responsible for northern and eastern Europe, and will join in June. But his most pressing item will be the company’s appeal against Transport for London’s shock decision last year to remove its operating licence in its biggest European market, due at the end of June.

Last September TfL said Uber was not “fit and proper” to hold a private hire licence because of factors including its approach to reporting “serious criminal offences”. Since then the tech giant has embarked on a series of initiatives including a more proactive approach to reporting serious incidents to the police, driver hour limits and changes to the app to make clear to travellers that their driver has been licensed by TfL.

Uber, which now has more than 50,000 drivers and five million UK users, has also appointed three non-executive directors to its UK board to improve corporate governance.

Meanwhile Apple is on the verge of becoming the first $1 trillion publicly listed company.

Started in the garage of co-founder Steve Jobs in 1976, the iPhone maker’s annual revenue has ballooned to $229 billion, greater than the gross domestic product of countries including Portugal and New Zealand.

Last Thursday its market capitalisation topped a record $934 billion, following its unveiling last week of a $100 billion buyback budget and news that Warren Buffett’s Berkshire Hathaway dramatically increased its stake in the company.

The California company is just 8% short of hitting the $1 trillion valuation mark

Meanwhile back in Europe Hostelworld announced chief executive Feargal Mooney was stepping down after 16 years with the company.

He will be replaced by Gary Morrison who has spent the past seven years at Expedia, latterly as head of its retail operations.