Photo of Barney Macintyre
Barney Macintyre

Business News Editor

Barney Macintyre is the Business News Editor at The Observer and the author of the Boardroom Sensemaker newsletter. He previously covered business and environment for Tortoise.

Photo of Barney Macintyre

Barney Macintyre

Business News Editor

Barney Macintyre is the Business News Editor at The Observer and the author of the Boardroom Sensemaker newsletter. He previously covered business and environment for Tortoise.

  • Barney Macintyre
    British venture capital funding is booming – if you are an AI firm

    But businesses without an “AI story” are feeling starved, while established VC’s double up on the hot names

    Wed, 15 Jul 2026

  • Barney Macintyre
    Banks answer Nato’s call for more defence capital as European nations re-arm

    Weapons manufacturers previously considered off limits are now being added to private investment portfolios

    Sat, 11 Jul 2026

  • Barney Macintyre
    Plot to oust Ocado’s CEO backfires – but it’s not a straight win

    Succession at founder-led companies is often a saga. But the latest boardroom bust up at Ocado shows how defenestration is rarely the best way for chairs to make a change.

    Wed, 8 Jul 2026

  • Barney Macintyre
    Comcast’s plan to spin off Sky and NBCUniversal casts a shadow

    Group’s move to split from broadcast and studio businesses comes amid reshaping of US media industry

    Sun, 5 Jul 2026

  • Barney Macintyre
    The EV dilemma facing the next chancellor – and scaring carmakers

    The car industry backs net zero in principle, but is warning that energy costs, ongoing trade friction with the EU, and an “inflationary” chancellor could drive investment abroad

    Wed, 1 Jul 2026

  • Barney Macintyre
    Easyjet adds to UK equities flight fears

    The budget airline could soon become the latest British company to fly off the FTSE as foreign investors rush to snap up a bargain, reports Barney Macintyre

    Sun, 28 Jun 2026

  • Barney Macintyre
    SpaceX’s $2.1tn valuation tests the limits of moonshot capitalism

    Elon Musk’s SpaceX has achieved a record-breaking IPO, but questions remain over investors’ connection to reality

    Sun, 14 Jun 2026

  • Barney Macintyre
    Pisces rising as Wayve and Moneybox consider IPO alternative

    High-profile tech firms could get ‘ball rolling’ for new UK market offering a way for investors buy stakes in private companies

    Sun, 14 Jun 2026

  • Barney Macintyre
    Revolut turns sights on newly rich private clients

    Fintech giant reported to be making eyes at clients worth £500,000, but some see the move as window dressing before IPO launch

    Sun, 7 Jun 2026

  • Barney Macintyre
    Investors perplexed by Nasdaq’s biggest drop since Trump’s tariffs

    After a strong report on US jobs, and surging optimism about AI, the 4.2% fall caused consternation – and three gargantuan tech floats could rattle the market further

    Sun, 7 Jun 2026

  • Barney Macintyre
    Taste for activism: Ben & Jerry’s Cohen takes another bite out of Magnum ice-cream

    Brand co-founder Ben Cohen is seeking investors to buy back his company to protect it’s baked-in social mission from Trump-leaning shareholders

    Sat, 6 Jun 2026

  • Barney Macintyre
    Two-thirds of UK firms warn of job cuts over pension tax raid

    Exclusive: Chancellor’s autumn budget proposal would hit young people hardest, finds CBI survey of 2,600 employers

    Mon, 1 Jun 2026

  • Barney Macintyre
    Boaz Weinstein eyes UK’s Workspace after boardroom coup

    The US activist investor has set his sights on Workspace, calling for a mass sell-off of London property and the removal of five board directors

    Sun, 31 May 2026

  • Barney Macintyre
    BP board ousts Albert Manifold as chair, citing “serious concerns”

    The oil and gas giant now faces fresh questions over its governance and strategic direction as chief executive Meg O’Neill attempts a reset

    Sun, 31 May 2026

  • Barney Macintyre
    Albert Manifold’s dismissal at BP raises more questions than answers

    BP’s latest bout of boardroom drama has seen its chair depart amid allegations of bullying, as governance continues to be a sore for the oil company

    Wed, 27 May 2026

  • Barney Macintyre
    Boardroom Sensemaker: M&S’s hacking woes show cyber prepping is key

    The supermarket’s pre-tax profit was down roughly a quarter on the previous year thanks to tech scammers. Boards need to prepare for the evolving risk from AI

    Sun, 24 May 2026

  • Barney Macintyre
    Elon Musk files SpaceX IPO but the figures are fantasy

    Investors are warned of ‘absurd’ valuations and a structure that grants the billionaire absolute control forever

    Sun, 24 May 2026

  • Barney Macintyre
    Could OnlyFans become the bank that likes to say yes, yes, yes...?

    Having helped its creators monetise their wares, the porn-friendly media company may one day offer them bank accounts, loans, even mortgages. What could go wrong?

    Sun, 17 May 2026

  • Barney Macintyre
    British firms fear foreign buyers are being offered sweetheart deals

    Caution from domestic institutional investors has outsiders circling FTSE companies

    Sun, 17 May 2026

  • Barney Macintyre
    Battle over Intertek risks another FTSE 100 company drifting overseas

    As chair Andrew Martin prepares to step down, he’s simultaneously dealing with a take-private bid that could mean the company exits the FTSE 100

    Wed, 13 May 2026

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