unicorn
unicorn – sostantivo
unicorn company – sostantivo
History suggests the 2010s will give rise to a super–unicorn or two that reflect the key tech wave of the decade, the mobile web.
Last year the UK had 13 tech unicorns – now it has 17.
Sir Ivan Rogers said UK hopes of finding a technological solution to the border issue were regarded as “a fantasy island unicorn model” in European capitals.
A lot of the people who advocated Brexit have been chasing unicorns now for a very long time.
Da sempre l’unicorno, l’animale mitico raffigurato come un cavallo con un lungo corno a spirale sulla fronte, stuzzica la fantasia umana; persino la nostra epoca tecnologicamente avanzata non ha saputo resistere e ha preso in prestito il nome unicorno per definire una start up innovativa con una valutazione di oltre un miliardo di dollari. Ma si sa, nel settore della tecnologia e delle comunicazioni le cose vanno veloci, e questo tipo di unicorno, un tempo raro come il suo omonimo mitologico, è già datato, visto che numerose aziende hanno sorpassato i 10 – e in certi casi anche i 100 – miliardi di dollari.
Nel frattempo, nel Regno Unito, un altro significato del termine si è affacciato alla ribalta in rapporto alla Brexit e coloro che promettono un’uscita indolore dall’UE sono accusati con malcelato sarcasmo di correre dietro agli unicorni, a qualcosa che esiste solo nella fantasia.
Origini del termine
Il significato originale della parola risale al XIII secolo, mentre nel mondo della finanza è stato adottato dalla venture capitalist Aileen Lee nel 2013. Il significato legato alla Brexit ovviamente è posteriore al referendum del 2016.
Traduzione di Loredana Riu
unicorn – noun
unicorn company – noun
History suggests the 2010s will give rise to a super–unicorn or two that reflect the key tech wave of the decade, the mobile web.
Last year the UK had 13 tech unicorns – now it has 17.
Sir Ivan Rogers said UK hopes of finding a technological solution to the border issue were regarded as “a fantasy island unicorn model” in European capitals.
A lot of the people who advocated Brexit have been chasing unicorns now for a very long time.
For centuries the word unicorn referred to a mythical beast with a single horn in the centre of its forehead. The tech revolution produced another meaning: a startup company valued at $1 billion or more, especially in the tech and communications sectors. Although this term is very recent, having first been used in the current decade, it is already out of date since several new companies have burst through the $10 billion and even the $100 billion barriers.
Another recent meaning of unicorn that has achieved widespread use is related to the debate surrounding Brexit. Those who promise a trouble-free exit from the EU are sarcastically accused by their critics of chasing or promising unicorns, that is, things that cannot possibly exist or be real.
Origin
The original meaning of unicorn has been around since the 13th century. The business meaning was first used in 2013 by a venture capitalist called Aileen Lee. The latest meaning sprang up in the context of the Brexit referendum in 2016 and the subsequent debates about its outcome.
