Forbes India Daily Tech Brief Podcast
-
ISRO, Microsoft team up to support India's space tech startups; Amazon layoffs to affect over 18,000
Indian Space Research Organisation and Microsoft yesterday signed a Memorandum of Understanding to together help space-tech startups in India. They will offer technology tools and platforms, go-to-market support and mentoring to help Indian space startups scale and become enterprise ready. Amazon's layoffs are bigger than originally rumoured. And also in today's briefing, scientists in the US make a small breakthrough in harnessing live cancer cells to fight cancer and prevent its return
-
Meta fined 390 mln euros; Salesforce to layoff 10 percent staff; Infosys wins Starhub order
Facebook and Instagram's parent company Meta Platforms was fined 390 million euros or $414 million in the EU's latest fine against the social network apps provider, Wall Street Journal reports. In India, Google's appeal seeking an immediate stay against a Competition Commission fine has been declined by the National Company Law Appellate Tribunal, Tech Circle reports. Cloud CRM giant is the latest big tech company to initiate layoffs amid economic gloom. And Infosys has won an order from Singapore's Starhub
-
India currently not considering limiting online game duration; Google rivals join hands to fight Maps dominance
India currently doesn't plan to put restrictions on how much time individuals, including youngsters, spend playing games online, Rajeev Chandrasekhar, India's minister of state for electronics and information technology, told the lower house of the country's parliament on Dec. 14, according to a government statement. Also in today's brief, Moneycontrol reports that SaaS company Freshworks has laid off about 2 percent of its 5,200-strong workforce, amid the global economic slowdown
-
Infosys at 40: 'No Plan B,' but the 3Rs, being in the sweet spot and the power of faith
Infosys turned 40 this year, and the journey has seen many firsts for India—from listing in the US to the distribution of wealth across the rank and file of the enterprise. The story of the company, widely seen as the bellwether of India's IT services industry, includes chapters in which the founders came back from retirement—not once, but twice. In this extended edition of the tech brief, we bring you excerpts of comments from chairman Nandan Nilekani and founder NR Narayana Murthy—looking back and looking ahead
-
TCS faces US class action over alleged discrimination; NotCo raises $70 mln; smartphone addiction hurting marriages
Tata Consultancy Services, India's biggest IT services company, is facing a class-action lawsuit in the US, the company's biggest market. TCS has been sued by Shawn Katz, a former employee, who alleges that the IT giant discriminates against non-South Asian and non-Indian applicants and employees, Money Control reports. Also in this episode, Vivo's latest Switch Off report shows smartphone addiction is hurting marriages, and NotCo, backed by Jeff Bezos, has raised $70 million in series D1 funding, led by Princeville Capital
-
Google joins Apple in passkey push; Air India in talks for 500 planes; Cropin raises $14 mln
Google, last week, followed Apple, in releasing its version of what's called a passkey, which if widely adopted could take us closer to a passwordless future. Air India is close to placing historic orders for as many as 500 jetliners worth tens of billions of dollars from both Airbus and Boeing, Reuters reported yesterday, citing industry sources. Also in this episode, opposition to Blackrock's ESG investments in the US is spotlighting the travails of climate finance
-
Einride raises $500 mln to boost electric freight ecosystem; Blume Ventures raises $250 mln fund
Einride, a freight mobility technology company, said yesterday it has raised $500 million in financing, comprising $200 million in Series C equity investment and a $300 million debt facility. Blume Ventures has announced the close of its Fund IV at more than $250 million, bringing its assets under management to more than $600 million. Apple has delayed the launch of its EV, and separately, is being sued over AirTags. And Microsoft offers a 10-year deal to bring Call of Duty to Nintendo
-
Sorrento gets US FDA nod for mRNA Covid-19 vaccine trial; One Peak closes $1 bln fund; NeuReality raises $35 mln
Sorrento Therapeutics has received clearance from the US FDA to initiate clinical trials with its new mRNA vaccine against Omicron variants of the Coronavirus. One Peak, an investor in growth-stage B2B software companies in Europe and Israel, has closed its latest fund at $1 billion, Private Equity Wire reported yesterday. Israeli AI inference chip venture NeuReality has raised $35 million in series A funding. Apple added 700 new price points to the App Store. And Amazon may be close to launching Prime Gaming in India
-
Apple may bring iPad assembly to India; Microsoft hikes India prices by up to 11 pct; HealthKart raises $135 mln
Apple may bring some of its iPad production to India from China if talks with the Indian government are successful, CNBC reported yesterday, citing two sources close to the government. Microsoft has hiked prices in India by up to 11 percent to match prevailing dollar-based pricing in Asia, the company said in a post. And nutritional supplements seller HealthKart has raised more money in a funding round led by Singapore's Temasek, TechCrunch reports
-
DoT tells telcos to keep 5G away from airports — report; DeHaat raises $60 mln from Temasek, others
India's Department of Telecommunications has told the country's top telcos to stop setting up 5G networks close to airports, over concerns that they could interfere with airplane instruments, Press Trust of India reports. India's EV scooter sales continue to grow as established players raise their game. And in agri tech, DeHaat, one of the biggest startups in the sector, has raised series E funding from Temasek, Sofina and existing investors
-
Google faces $25 bln claims; Tata may buy Wistron iPhone factory; SF police can now use robots to kill
Google will face damages claims for up to 25 billion euros ($25.4 billion) over its digital advertising practices in two lawsuits to be filed in British and Dutch courts in the coming weeks by a law firm on behalf of publishers, Reuters reports. Tata Group is looking to buy a facility in Bangalore, from Apple contract manufacturer Wistron, Economic Times reports. And San Francisco's board of supervisors voted in an 8-3 majority in favour of a proposal to allow the city's police to use robots to kill, in extreme circumstances, TechCrunch reports