• Richard Branson’s Virgin Hyperloop completes first passenger test

    Richard Branson’s Virgin Hyperloop completes first passenger test

    Richard Branson’s Virgin Hyperloop is one step closer to becoming a reality, with the futuristic transportation system shuttling human passengers for the first time this weekend. The high-speed
  • Richard Branson joins blank-check company craze, plots $460 million IPO

    Richard Branson joins blank-check company craze, plots $460 million IPO

    British billionaire Richard Branson is getting in on Wall Street’s hottest trend: creating a company just to buy another one. The Virgin Group tycoon has founded a blank-check company called VG Acquisition Corp. that plans to raise up to $460 million through an initial public offering, securities records show. The firm is a special purpose …
  • Virgin Atlantic cuts 1,150 jobs amid $1.6B rescue plan

    Virgin Atlantic cuts 1,150 jobs amid $1.6B rescue plan

    Virgin Atlantic completed its 1.2 billion-pound ($1.6 billion) restructuring plan and cut 1,150 jobs Friday as the airline sought to rebuild following the devastation caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. The deal had been approved by the High Court in London earlier this week, and was formally recognized by a US court — the last step …
  • Stephen Curry, Malala Yousafzai launching celebrity book clubs

    Stephen Curry, Malala Yousafzai launching celebrity book clubs

    Stephen Curry, Malala Yousafzai, Sir Richard Branson and Susan Orlean are teaming up with literary startup Literati to each curate a list of books for individual book clubs. Late American mythologist Joseph Campbell’s foundation will also curate a list. Launching in October, users will pay $24.95 a month and will receive a print copy of …
  • Richard Branson’s Virgin Atlantic Airlines files for US bankruptcy protection

    Richard Branson’s Virgin Atlantic Airlines files for US bankruptcy protection

    Virgin Atlantic, the airline founded by British businessman Richard Branson, filed Tuesday for protection in U.S. bankruptcy court as it tries to survive the virus pandemic that is hammering the airline industry. The airline made the Chapter 15 filing in U.S. federal bankruptcy court in New York after a proceeding in the United Kingdom. A …
  • Virgin Atlantic snags private-only $1.5 billion rescue deal

    Virgin Atlantic snags private-only $1.5 billion rescue deal

    Virgin Atlantic has agreed a rescue deal with shareholders and creditors worth 1.2 billion pounds ($1.5 billion) to secure its future beyond the coronavirus crisis, the British airline said on Tuesday. The private-only deal removes the need for government support that had previously been sought by founder Richard Branson and is expected to be completed …
  • Donald Trump once lectured Richard Branson on running an airline

    Donald Trump once lectured Richard Branson on running an airline

    President Donald Trump — whose airline, Trump Shuttle, was famously a lemon — once lectured Richard Branson on the airline business. In a 2004 letter, Trump wrote to the Virgin founder — then hosting an “Apprentice”-style reality show, “The Rebel Billionaire” — saying he should ditch his nascent TV career and “concentrate on your airline, …