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New Delhi: Having marked a 20-year milestone in <keyword id="19895063" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="India" source="keywords">India</keyword>, global tech giant <keyword id="19902762" type="General" weightage="100" keywordseo="Google" source="keywords" meta.keywordsubtype="org" meta.entityname="Google" meta.hostid="261" meta.entityid="Google">Google</keyword> is upbeat about its next innings here with Artificial Intelligence (<keyword id="19899640" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="AI" source="keywords">AI</keyword>) playing a big role in it, India MD <keyword id="23412065" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="Roma-Datta-Chobey" source="keywords">Roma Datta Chobey</keyword> said on Thursday, adding that the company is aligning its vision and strategy fully to the country's growth and ambitions. In an interview to PTI, Chobey said Google believes that AI should be regulated but in a way that strikes a fine balance between user benefit -- which is "still at a nascent stage" -- and at the same time, fosters innovation. India is a very important market for Google, she said, underlining the company's deep commitment in areas spanning AI, payments, <keyword id="20055897" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="Google-Pixel" source="keywords">Google Pixel</keyword> manufacturing and skilling amongst others. To a question on the concerns flagged by some Indian startups on alleged anti-competitive practices, Chobey said Google has been "deeply and closely" partnering and working with the startup ecosystem in the country, and that millions of apps are hosted on <keyword id="22336128" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="Google-Playstore" source="keywords">Google Playstore</keyword>. "As Google, we've been deeply partnering with the startup ecosystem, and on Google Play, we host millions of apps...we also invest in training Android developers... "So I think we've been deeply and closely working with the startup ecosystem in India, and we remain committed and will continue to do so through India digitisation fund... We have startup accelerators, we have dedicated AI startup accelerators where startups are able to access our advanced technology, work closely with us, and that work is only increasing," she said. Google has completed 20-year milestone in India, and is looking forward to the next 20 years in which "AI is going to play a big role here", she observed. "When it comes to AI, we are focused on three pillars. The first one is how are we leveraging AI to help every individual in the country. The best way we, as Google, can do it is by using AI to democratise information as well as opportunity. "When we talk about skilling, etc, that talks to the opportunity bit. Secondly, we want to really play a significant role in developing the already-thriving AI ecosystem in India, by investing in infrastructure, by scaling the AI engine. And of course, we will do all of this very, very responsibly, sustainably and inclusively," she said. The third pillar in Google AI strategy is around building for the future, she said. "...to create a really thriving workforce that is primed to be successful in the AI-powered world. That space is evolving and evolving fast, and we want to keep pace with it. I also want to add here that we as part of Google India team feel so proud that there's so much work that's happening in India which is not just solving for India, it's solving (things) globally," Chobey said. Google on Thursday lined up a slew of AI-powered innovations, announced Indian language capabilities for Gemini Live, and unveiled new updates for Google Lens, Google Maps, as well as Google Pay at the tenth edition of 'Google for India' event in New Delhi. The Google top boss asserted that India is and will remain an important market for the company. "From Google's perspective, India has always been a very important market for us. We've always very uniquely solved for India, worked locally with partners, we spoke of 'India digitization fund'... We started Pixel (phone) manufacturing here... I spoke about GPay... So that continues. India for Google is a very important market, both from a user perspective, but also from the kind of research development that is happening," she said. Google, she said, is aligning its goals to India's growth and vision. "Today, we have over 10,000 Googlers, working out of India for India and other markets as well. And we have presence across 5 cities, so multiple offices here, that's really, really important... When it comes to India, I always say this - what is good for India, is good for Google... "So we are very finely integrating our objectives, our vision, to what is really good for India, and will continue to do so," she said, adding that India will remain a very important market for the company. Google is leveraging India to not just solve local challenges, but also global ones, Chobey added. The first Made-in-India Google Pixel 8 devices started rolling off production lines in August in India. "Watch out the space... we will talk about it more. But we're really, really happy and proud about the fact that we have started manufacturing Pixel 8 in India. Of course, we have now also have service centers in India. Google Pixel 9 is available on Flipkart, through Croma tie up...Reliance digital tie ups...and so on so forth. So we are really invested in this space," she said.

Looking ahead at our next 20 years in India, AI will play big role here: Google India MD

<keyword id="19902762" type="General" weightage="100" keywordseo="Google" source="keywords" meta.keywordsubtype="org" meta.entityname="Google" meta.hostid="261" meta.entityid="Google">Google</keyword> laid off thousands of employees in 2023 and many found their lives turned upside down with just an email notification. After all, when you have given your heart and soul to an organisation, it is never easy accepting the fact that you are being asked to leave at a moment’s notice. The situation becomes even more complicated when you have been with the company for more than a decade. Something similar happened with <keyword id="23300967" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="Nicholas-Whitaker" source="keywords">Nicholas Whitaker</keyword>, who had been working with the company since 2010 and found out about his <keyword id="20118388" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="layoff" source="keywords">layoff</keyword> abruptly. <h2>The 3 am email bringing bad news</h2>“My layoff experience was traumatic. I got an email at 3 am to my personal email, that I only found because a colleague pinged me on Linkedin in the DMs to ask if I was ‘Ok’ and if I was ‘safe’,” Whitaker told <keyword id="21390875" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="Business-Insider-India" source="keywords" meta.keywordsubtype="org" meta.entityname="Business Insider India" meta.hostid="261" meta.entityid="Business Insider India">Business Insider India</keyword> in a conversation. He added that when his colleague enquired about his safety, he thought it was a “shooting or some natural disaster.” In other words, he didn’t even imagine that he was being laid off from Google. He then revealed that when he checked his work email, he discovered that he was locked out of his laptop and phone. He then checked his personal email and there it was, the “short and impersonal email” that told him that his role at Google was being eliminated. <h2>The layoff process was uncomfortable</h2>When Google announced large-scale layoffs last year, the company made a lot of headlines for handling them in an unprofessional manner. In March 2023, several Google employees had even written an open letter to Google CEO Sundar Pichai, asking him to deal with layoffs in a better manner. Whitaker, narrating his own experience, shared with Business Insider India that after receiving the dreadful layoff email at 3 am, he spent the next few months completing formalities to get his payments that were due. He said, “It took all of the next several months for me to mail back my laptop, badge and any gear that I had that was Google property. (I also had to) navigate unemployment, health insurance and get all of the documentation I had to submit to "self Offboard" and to receive payments that I was supposed to get.” “Along the way there were multiple errors and miscommunications from the team that made it all even more uncomfortable,” he said. Whitaker also noted a complete lack of communication and empathy from his old team at Google. “I got a single text message from my prior manager asking how I was doing a few days after I was laid off, but otherwise no one reached out to check on me or offer assistance from my old team. Overall I found the process to be brutally impersonal and inhumane,” he said. <h2>Experience at Google</h2>But was Google always “inhumane” in his experience? Not really. There were some amazing days too and Google, according to Whitaker, was a different company when he had joined. “My initial experience working at Google was like it was a completely different company. I started as a temp, contractor and then a vendor for Google back in 2010, and at the time I think it was something like 40,000 employees. It had a real startup feel to it. Teams were agile and collaborative, and there was a lot of room for growth. It may have been specific to my team and org, but it felt like you had a lot more room for experimentation and autonomy to make decisions, and failure wasn't seen as a bad thing, but a necessary part of innovation,” he said. Whitaker also said that a “class system” was there at Google, especially since he was a TVC (Temporary, Vendor and Contractor). “As a TVC you wouldn't be included in many of the activities and learning opportunities that full time employees had, and didn't get invited to extracurricular activities. There was a real bias towards culture at the time, and words like Don't be Evil, and be Googly were often used.” However, in general, he added that the atmosphere was positive and full of possibilities. “Colleagues generally were very supportive, collaborative and encouraging to work with. I was excited as this was my first time working in big tech, or Corporate America and I saw that period of time as a real coming of age for me. I learned how to be a professional at Google and appreciated all of the early guidance and support that I got from colleagues and leaders.” <h2>Helping others</h2>It has now been over a year since Whitaker was laid off. He now has his own venture and helps other people navigate their careers. Talking about what motivated him to kick-start his own venture, he said, “After 13 years in big tech, the last few years in particular being particularly difficult due to toxic teams and leaders, I didn't want to jump right back into that kind of experience again. A year before getting laid off, I had experienced a bad <keyword id="19956983" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="mental-health" source="keywords">mental health</keyword> crisis that was the result of workplace bullying, gaslighting and toxic leadership. "I wanted to help others avoid and recover from similar situations and create a community where people can find mutual support and coaching on how to best navigate their careers in a conscious way. My severance after working so long at Google allowed me to fund the launch of my coaching business, and eventually ‘changingwork.org’." <keyword id="23300968" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="Changing-Work" source="keywords">Changing Work</keyword>, Whitaker explained, is his way of addressing a deep need in corporate life — helping people rediscover their sense of purpose and alignment in their careers and finding ways to build more conscious leaders and businesses. He added, “What makes this so transformative for me personally is that it allowed me to step into a role where I could integrate all the lessons from my own career—especially the parts that were hardest for me. During my time at Google, I saw firsthand how high-pressure environments can lead to burnout, anxiety, and a disconnect from our true selves.” The recent tragic death of a young CA at Ernst &amp; Young (EY) employee in India has turned the spotlight on toxic work cultures prevalent in many high-pressure industries. Broader debates on burnout, mental health struggles, and unrealistic expectations in corporate environments in the workplace have occupied social media platforms. This incident serves as a painful reminder that companies must prioritize <keyword id="21050364" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="employee-well-being" source="keywords">employee well-being</keyword> and mental health to foster sustainable, humane workplaces. And makes the work that people like Whitaker are doing all the more important. “I’ve spoken publicly about how mindfulness practice, coaching and therapy literally saved my life during some of my darkest times at Google. Changing Work is the culmination of that journey. It’s not just about helping others find balance and fulfillment—it’s about creating a space where I can live those values every day,” he concludes.

Fired from Google after 13 years of service, he used his severance to build a business around helping others with their careers

Back in November 2022, when <keyword id="19918826" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="ChatGPT" source="keywords">ChatGPT</keyword> was launched for the public, interest around <keyword id="19896272" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="generative-AI" source="keywords">generative AI</keyword> reached new heights. The AI chatbot’s ability to respond to questions in a manner as if a human being was talking left many people surprised as well as awestruck. Soon, AI became a buzzword in the tech industry and investors started pouring funds heavily into AI companies. <h2><keyword id="19959576" type="General" weightage="100" keywordseo="Dunzo" source="keywords" meta.keywordsubtype="org" meta.entityname="Dunzo" meta.hostid="261" meta.entityid="Dunzo">Dunzo</keyword> co-founder staring his <keyword id="20128843" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="AI-company" source="keywords">AI company</keyword></h2>In May, an Economic Times report based on insights from market research firm Tracxn said that AI startups in India have already raised USD 91.7 million in funding so far this year, which is a significant increase from USD 29.6 million during the same period last year. And now, former <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/business/startups/news/quick-commerce-platform-dunzo-lays-off-30-of-its-workforce/articleshow/99290084.cms" data-type="tilCustomLink" target="_blank">Dunzo </a>chief <keyword id="22628971" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="Mukund-Jha" source="keywords">Mukund Jha</keyword> is reportedly looking forward to start his own AI company. A Moneycontrol report citing sources said that Jha is in discussions to raise between Rs 50-80 crore (approximately $6-10 million) from <keyword id="22628972" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="Together-Fund" source="keywords" meta.keywordsubtype="org" meta.entityname="Together Fund" meta.hostid="261" meta.entityid="Together Fund">Together Fund</keyword> for his new venture. This comes after Jha stepped down from the board of the cash-strapped startup Dunzo last year. Jha's new venture reportedly focuses on generative <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/business/startups/news/ai-startup-neysa-raises-20-mn-from-matrix-partners-nexus-venture-partners-more/articleshow/109181059.cms" data-type="tilCustomLink" target="_blank">artificial intelligence</a> (Gen AI) and aims to automate quality assurance (QA) processes. "Think of it as a blend of AI and SaaS," an insider told Moneycontrol. QA involves creating and running tests, identifying errors, and providing feedback to ensure products meet quality standards. <h2>What happened with Dunzo?</h2>The delivery startup Dunzo delivers essential goods like groceries, household items, fruits and vegetables, pet supplies, pharmaceuticals etc to people locally. Supported by <keyword id="19901342" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="Reliance-Retail" source="keywords" meta.keywordsubtype="org" meta.entityname="Reliance Retail" meta.hostid="261" meta.entityid="Reliance Retail">Reliance Retail</keyword>, the startup has faced strong competition from companies like Zepto, Swiggy, and BlinkIt. Despite raising around $500 million, Dunzo has struggled to secure additional investment and manage payroll. In February, there were rumors that Flipkart might acquire the platform, but there have been no updates on this matter since. Dunzo, on the other hand, was making headlines earlier this year for facing various financial struggles. The company’s top investor Lightbox also exited in May this year. On the other hand, the company is reportedly experiencing a cash crunch and owes approximately Rs 11.4 crore to various vendors, including Google India, Nilenso, Clover Ventures, Facebook India, Cupshup, Koo, and Glance. <h2>About Together Fund</h2>Together Fund, from which Jha is reportedly going to raise funds for his new venture, has invested in over 20 companies across various SaaS sectors, including recruitment, sales intelligence, marketing, healthcare, and cloud solutions for connected devices. “Our areas of focus span across SaaS, enterprise software, developer tools, open source software, cloud-native infrastructure and API-first businesses. We typically invest early (seed, pre A or series A) to help founders through the crucial zero-to-one part of their journey,” the company’s website reads. Together Fund was founded in 2021 by Girish Mathrubootham of Freshworks, Manav Garg of Eka Software, and Shubham Gupta formerly of Matrix Partners India. It initially raised USD 85 million for its first fund and increased the total to USD 150 million with its second fund announced in 2023

Dunzo co-founder Mukund Jha plans to start his own AI company, seeks to raise up to Rs 80 crore from Together Fund

<ul><li>The <keyword id="11924074" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="shark-tank-india" source="Orion">Shark Tank India</keyword> judge says gatekeepers of the app ecosystem – Apple and <keyword id="19902762" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="google" source="keywords">Google</keyword> – are the new East India Company and they operate with complete arrogance and impunity.</li><li>Just as startup founders are coming under pressure, venture capitalists and auditors too need to be held accountable for their behaviour.</li><li><keyword id="20225195" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="shark-tank" source="keywords">Shark Tank</keyword> India has become a catalyst for driving entrepreneurship and giving it legitimacy. </li></ul> <keyword id="127971" type="General" weightage="100" keywordseo="anupam-mittal" source="Orion">Anupam Mittal</keyword> is India’s original internet entrepreneur, who is the founder and CEO of People Group. Way before platform economy became a buzzword, Mittal built a platform for Indians seeking life partners. And even today one million Indians find their partners on shaadi.com every year. Call him the OG of startups or a serial entrepreneur, he is a man who does not mince words. In a free wheeling chat with Business Insider’s Malini Bhupta, Mittal talks about unfair trade practices of Google, his investment in Ola’s Bhavish Aggarwal and what he thinks is the biggest achievement of Shark Tank India. Edited Excerpts: With some high profile startups like Paytm and Byju’s coming under lens, what do you think is wrong with the startup ecosystem? I think the Paytm issue is a little different. There are two issues there in my view – one is valuation. The company came out with its IPO at the height of the unicorn boom and as a result, their valuation was corrected when the pvt. market corrected. This is part of the pricing game and one can hardly blame them for it. Eventually, they would have grown into their valuation is what I believe. However, the second issue which is regulatory in nature is far more serious. Whether it is justified or not I don’t know. I think there is a little heavy-handedness here as what you are talking about is a payments bank KYC stuff being the reason to shut them down, which could be seen as over-reach since they are not a significantly important lending institution. Talking about what is wrong with India’s ecosystem and why founders are behaving badly is a common issue that occurs when there are high levels of greed. When there is massive liquidity in the system people think they can take advantage of the situation. In the US you have seen Theranos, crypto frauds and an industry that was created around SPACs. Billions of dollars have been lost on that. What is happening in India is a small reflection of that. Greed manifests in two ways – one is the founders who are ambitious who see the ecosystem celebrating unicorns and that gets weaponised. Over time a few start with minor refractions and very soon they start fabricating revenues and manipulating auditors to keep up with the image that has been created. They are riding tigers they can't get off. The venture capitalists too want to see their investments being marked up as their future fund raises depend on the portfolio's net asset value and so they play along and at times actually drive the founders at a velocity that is unsustainable. I think they need to be held accountable by their LPs. Auditors have a very important role here and are perhaps the ones who need to pay the highest price through government censures. They are market participants who have been entrusted with a certain job for which they get paid hefty fees. When they start looking the other way, the system breaks. You have been waging a pitched battle against the unfair trade practices of Big Tech companies in India. What, in your view, are the steps that need to be taken by the government to prevent such unfair practices by large global players? Fundamentally the experience of the internet is through apps – two companies control the entire app ecosystem Google and Apple. Both operate with complete impunity. Two years ago the CCI passed an order against Google around <keyword id="963171" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="google-play" source="Orion">Google Play</keyword> Billing System (GPBS). Now they have changed the name to User Choice Billing. If you look at the order CCI says there will be no discrimination at all. Being on the App Store means nothing unless you advertise on Play Store. Startups spend anywhere between 10-50% of revenue on advertising on these platforms already. Essentially, the app store is worth nothing if you don’t have content. What choice does a company have but to adhere to their unfair practices… Now they say that any transaction that happens on apps downloaded via the store will be subject to 15-30% tax/commissions. What this means is that they want 50% of the revenues of the startups. It is the new East India Company and they operate with complete arrogance and impunity. The problem is in getting these companies to comply. Their strategy is to stretch out the legal process and tire the system. Our government and regulators have the right intent but sometimes democracies are messy. As a government, we have to ensure that nobody becomes the gatekeeper to our economy which is what these companies are trying to do. There should be penal provisions for anybody who abuses the law or twists and turns it while violating the very spirit of it. Non-compliance with judicial orders is contempt of court and so there is an opportunity to send a very strong message. These bullies need one arm chopped off in the form of penalties, a rap on the knuckles will not work as they are too big to care about a couple of hundred million in penalties. What is the biggest achievement of Shark Tank, which has now become a huge hit in India? In life timing is everything. Shark Tank’s first season was in December 2021, which was the peak of the startup hype cycle, and it demystified the whole conversation around startups and funding. Shark Tank has become a catalyst for driving entrepreneurship and giving it legitimacy. India is a land of entrepreneurs with every second person running some small business, many from home. A decade ago, if you told someone you are an entrepreneur, you would be told to come back when you get serious. The show has played an amazing role in celebrating entrepreneurship and the startup ecosystem. A lot of companies have done very well. About 8-10 companies that got funded in Shark Tank are doing very well out of 180 companies that came to the show. This is an early stage game and will play out the same way. When you invest in 100 early stage companies, 4-5 will do very well and help recover the investments and some will become very big. A majority will fail. What I found amazing was that the companies that came to the show were not the elites who came from IIT or IIM. These are small businesses founded by housewives and family members. Entrepreneurship is not the reserve of the few. The next decade will be defined by Indian entrepreneurs globally and so there is no better time to be an entrepreneur than now. Shark Tank has put belief in every Indian that they can do it and that changes the game. Many of the founders that come to Shark Tank can do even better than the founders who have come from an IIT or an IIM. I believe that these people understand commerce and ‘dhandha’. The elitist founders are used to being served everything on a platter. Many professionals who come out of large companies or consulting firms cannot start without large funding. Out of the 100 unicorns we have, many will spectacularly fail in 2024 as they were built on the wrong foundations. These companies were built on a template of Ivy League founders and old school networks and so they got funded. Of the businesses that come to Shark Tank, what sectors can do well and stand a better chance of being funded? Indians now have the same aspirations as people in other parts of the world. Anybody who comes in and can bridge the gap between aspiration and affordability will do well especially in lifestyle. For example - Companies in the clothing and jewellery space will do well if they can deliver high aspiration at a value pricing. Last year a company called Snitch came with a revenue of Rs 60 crore and is now doing Rs 250 crore in sales. A company called Skippy, which makes ice pops was funded on Shark Tank too and has a run rate of Rs 50 crore from a few lakhs before ST. I funded a company called Sharmaji Ka Atta which has a revenue run rate of Rs 20 lakh a month in less than 12 months from less than 1 lakh. Another one called Whatsapp Wellness just got funded by HUL. Fundamentally, companies that can build premium products but don’t break the bank on affordability in categories like fashion, lifestyle and food will do well. People read labels now and the young generation is focused on what they are eating. Beauty and wellness products will do well as a secular trend for most of our history Lakme meant beauty, that’s how unbranded we were. Do you feel Shaadi.com is still relevant after Tinder and other dating apps came about? Let’s understand why Tinder is used, it is for hookups and is struggling to grow its revenue in India. Shaadi.com is not an arranged marriage platform. Shaadi.com is a planned marriage platform. Indian culture has four stages of life and marriage is one of the life stages. When you are planning to marry you look for compatibility and it is not about a chemical reaction. On Shaadi.com the family and parents collaborate to find a partner. The old community networks are now dying and we replace those networks. We are bringing together people in the same life stage to find a like-minded partner. The hook-up sites don’t do that and don't understand the Indian ethos. They are applying the same global model to India which does not work beyond a certain point. You were the original internet entrepreneur with a disruptive product. Why did you not create a large business that went on to become a decacorn or a unicorn? It depends on how you define success. If the definition is labels such as decacorn and unicorn, then that's not the game we are playing. Those are vanity labels that I would rather not pursue. Our definition of success is value creation and we are long-term compounders, much like Berkshire &amp; LVMH, so in a sense our ‘overnight’ success story is still waiting to become obvious to the world. From that lens, our ROCE is perhaps the best in the industry we have only ever raised about $20 mn but created several billion in value between our operated and invested cos. Our investee companies employ thousands, have raised over $20 bn and will go on to create $100 bn in value over time, in the bargain generating tremendous wealth for the country and hopefully for us too. We boast an IRR of 52% consistently for more than a decade which is extraordinary by any standards and a testament to our approach and story. Many people build businesses but we were fortunate to create entire industries such as online matchmaking via Shaadi.com, which we still run; proptech company Makaan.com which we sold to NewsCorp very handsomely; India’s first &amp; still the largest digital ad agency, Interactive Avenues, which we sold to IPG at a benchmark price that is yet to be crossed; India’s first mobile gaming company, Mauj Mobile which spawned a massive industry. So, whether it is our customers, employees, shareholders, the country or society at large, I think we have already impacted 10s of millions and while we don’t have a market listed entity like Jio or TCS to show for it, we have delivered massive national and global level impact. Keep in mind that we are most often the first to check into investee cost and every company we have founded has been the first in its industry. Our innovations have generated billions of dollars in wealth and given rise to innumerable founders and entrepreneurs who have learnt at our companies and gone on to build massive companies of their own. Further, I am still very young and the Indian opportunity is only now unfolding. In the next couple of years, you will see some of our other bets in space exploration, mobility real edtech, &amp; sustainable fintech come into the limelight besides something very special we are building on our own. So, in short, I still remain the OG and if you force me to use your labels we have birthed not one or two but several Unicorns &amp; Decacorns and that too with very limited capital. It is perhaps one of the most spectacular untold stories of value creation in the digital economy. Ola is one company that is headed for an IPO and you own 2% in the company. How did that happen? When we invested in Ola, there was not much of a concept of venture funding and the company did not have any suitors so we were able to get in at a very attractive valuation and hold an extremely healthy minority stake which obviously has been diluted over time. I think the network effects are so large that it is hard for others to get into it. I am still a shareholder and looking forward to the initial public offering. I invested in 2012 and when I met Bhavish first, I did not understand the problem he was solving as I live in Mumbai where cabs are available. So I did not think there was a problem. A few days later when I was in Delhi and needed a cab, I was told that they would call a taxi stand. After I came back from Delhi, I realised there was a problem everywhere. And I used to call the call centre and Bhavish used to answer the call centre, which showed me his commitment and reminded me of myself when I had started and so I invested.

Anupam Mittal hits out at Google — 'Tech bullies need one arm chopped off in the form of penalties'

The <keyword id="19949639" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="rupee" source="keywords">rupee</keyword> appreciated 8 paise to 83.44 against the <keyword id="19899478" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="US" source="keywords">US</keyword> <keyword id="19904292" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="dollar" source="keywords">dollar</keyword> in early trade on Thursday, as the American currency retreated from its elevated levels. <keyword id="20024982" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="forex-traders" source="keywords">Forex traders</keyword> said a negative trend in domestic equities and <keyword id="20520117" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="foreign-fund-outflows" source="keywords">foreign fund outflows</keyword> weighed on the local unit and restricted the up move. At the interbank foreign exchange market, the local unit opened at 83.49 against the greenback. It later touched 83.44 in initial trade, registering a rise of 8 paise from its previous close. On Wednesday, the rupee stayed range-bound and settled 1 paisa lower at 83.52 against the US dollar. "Indian rupee was sold against the dollar as FPIs continued to sell stocks worth over Rs 6,000 crore on Wednesday and bought dollars keeping US dollar higher," said Anil Kumar Bhansali, Head of Treasury and Executive Director Finrex Treasury Advisors LLP. Dollar buying could reemerge despite US dollar selling by the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) to protect the rupee, Bhansali added. Meanwhile, the dollar index, which gauges the greenback's strength against a basket of six currencies, was trading at 105.51, lower by 0.03 per cent. "The US FED speakers warned that interest rates could remain higher for longer. More speakers would give their rhetoric on Thursday and Friday. The dollar index was stable at 105.54 while the US 10-year bond yield rose from 4.46 per cent to 4.50 per cent," Bhansali said. Brent crude futures, the global oil benchmark, rose 0.43 per cent to USD 83.94 per barrel. On the domestic equity market front, the 30-share BSE Sensex declined 176.2 points or 0.24 per cent to 73,290.19 in early trade. The NSE Nifty fell 49.75 points or 0.22 per cent to 22,252.75 points. Foreign Institutional Investors (FIIs) were net sellers in the capital markets on Wednesday, as they offloaded shares worth Rs 6,669.10 crore, according to exchange data. SEE ALSO:<a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/stock-market/news/indegene-ipo-allotment-how-to-check-allotment-gmp-listing-date-and-more/articleshow/109952516.cms" target="_blank"></a> <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/stock-market/news/indegene-ipo-allotment-how-to-check-allotment-gmp-listing-date-and-more/articleshow/109952516.cms" target="_blank">Indegene IPO allotment – How to check allotment, GMP, listing date and more</a><a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/tech/apps/news/google-wallet-launched-in-india-store-your-loyalty-cards-boarding-passes-and-more/articleshow/109941139.cms" target="_blank"></a> <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/tech/apps/news/google-wallet-launched-in-india-store-your-loyalty-cards-boarding-passes-and-more/articleshow/109941139.cms" target="_blank">Google Wallet launched in India – store your loyalty cards, boarding passes and more</a><a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/business/auto/webstories/top-selling-cars-in-india-in-april-2024-tata-punch-continues-to-dominate/slidelist/109909744.cms" target="_blank"></a> <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/business/auto/webstories/top-selling-cars-in-india-in-april-2024-tata-punch-continues-to-dominate/slidelist/109909744.cms" target="_blank">Top-selling cars in India in April 2024 – Tata Punch continues to dominate</a>

Rupee rises 8 paise to 83.44 against US dollar in early trade

The <keyword id="19949639" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="rupee" source="keywords">rupee</keyword> settled for the day on a flat note at 83.51 (provisional) against the US dollar on Wednesday, as the support from easing <keyword id="20024983" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="crude-oil-prices" source="keywords">crude oil prices</keyword> was negated by strong dollar demand. <keyword id="19950258" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="forex" source="keywords">Forex</keyword> traders said a muted trend in domestic equities and significant <keyword id="20520117" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="foreign-fund-outflows" source="keywords">foreign fund outflows</keyword> dented investors' sentiments. At the interbank foreign exchange market, the local unit traded in a narrow range. It opened at 83.50, and touched an intraday high of 83.49 and a low of 83.52 during the day. The local unit finally settled for the day at 83.51 (provisional), unchanged from its previous close. On Tuesday, the rupee closed at 83.51 against the American currency. "The Indian rupee traded flat to negative on weak domestic markets and strong US dollar. FII outflows also weighed on the rupee. However, a decline in crude oil prices cushioned the downside," said Anuj Choudhary, Research Analyst, Sharekhan by BNP Paribas. "We expect the rupee to trade with a slight negative bias amid strength in the greenback and continued selling pressure by foreign investors. Positive global equities may support riskier currencies. "Weakness in crude oil prices may support rupee at lower levels. USD-INR spot price is expected to trade in a range of Rs 83.30 to Rs 83.75," Choudhary added. Meanwhile, the dollar index, which gauges the greenback's strength against a basket of six currencies, was at 105.53, higher by 0.12 per cent as the US dollar gained on hawkish Fedspeak and geopolitical tensions in the Middle East. Brent crude futures, the global oil benchmark, fell 1.37 per cent to <keyword id="19944038" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="USD" source="keywords">USD</keyword> 82.02 per barrel. On the domestic equity market, the 30-share BSE Sensex fell 45.46 points, or 0.06 per cent to close at 73,466.39 points. The broader NSE Nifty settled flat at 22,302.50 points. Foreign Institutional Investors (FIIs) were net sellers in the capital markets on Tuesday as they offloaded shares worth Rs 3,668.84 crore, according to exchange data. SEE ALSO:<a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/tech/mobile/news/google-has-silently-launched-the-pixel-8a-in-india-starting-at-52999/articleshow/109937286.cms" target="_blank"></a> <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/tech/mobile/news/google-has-silently-launched-the-pixel-8a-in-india-starting-at-52999/articleshow/109937286.cms" target="_blank">Google has quietly launched the Pixel 8a in India starting at ₹52,999</a><a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/tech/apps/news/google-wallet-launched-in-india-store-your-loyalty-cards-boarding-passes-and-more/articleshow/109941139.cms" target="_blank"></a> <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/tech/apps/news/google-wallet-launched-in-india-store-your-loyalty-cards-boarding-passes-and-more/articleshow/109941139.cms" target="_blank">Google Wallet launched in India – store your loyalty cards, boarding passes and more</a><a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/stock-market/webstories/tbo-tek-ipo-company-details-to-risk-factors-all-you-need-to-know/slidelist/109946929.cms" target="_blank"></a> <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/stock-market/webstories/tbo-tek-ipo-company-details-to-risk-factors-all-you-need-to-know/slidelist/109946929.cms" target="_blank">TBO Tek IPO – Company details to risk factors, all you need to know</a>

Rupee settles on flat note at 83.51 against US dollar

<ul class="summary-list"><li>Some expat Indians are moving back home to launch companies of their own.</li><li>India's booming market size, internet growth, and post-pandemic spending is driving their decision.</li></ul>Nithin Hassan, 41, has always been fascinated with building something of his own.As a child in India, he would get in trouble for dismantling electronics around the house just so he could peek inside.In college, in true <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/startups-to-bet-your-career-on-in-2024-2024-2">startup</a> fashion, he started working on a small business out of his parent's garage in Bengaluru, assembling computers for friends and family.It was the early 2000s and the internet was not the trove of knowledge it is today — Hassan was relying on books to learn. Finding mentorship and the right guidance was a challenge, too.Everyone around Hassan told him that going to the <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/resume-tips-google-software-engineer-skills-experience-careers-software-tech-2024-3">US for a master's degree</a> was the next big opportunity. So he did.Over the next 16 years, he put his startup plans on hold and worked at some of the world's biggest companies, including Amazon, Microsoft, and Meta.<div type="image" title="Nithin Hassan" height="2450" width="3266" msid="113831978" hostid="261" sizebytes="215682"></div>But the pandemic felt like a turning point. And its aftermath made India look like a lab-designed business environment: It had just become the world's most populous country, the pandemic had created <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://economictimes.indiatimes.com/news/economy/indicators/private-consumption-continues-to-be-supported-by-pent-up-demand-finance-ministry/articleshow/99069973.cms?from=mdr">pent-up demand</a> for consumer products, and growing internet adoption made commerce more scalable, he said.So Hassan left behind about $500,000 in annual pay at Meta to move back to Bengaluru in December 2023 with his wife and two children. He has since launched two startups.Hassan is part of a group of <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/i-moved-back-to-india-after-living-abroad-for-decade-2024-9">expat Indians moving back</a> home to venture out on their own. As such, he's also part of a decades-long trend of reverse migration back to India.The trend began in the 1990s and picked up at the turn of the century, driven by the economic collapse in 2008, said Binod Khadria, the president of Global Research Forum on Diaspora and Transnationalism. Many of those who returned to India for work were largely working for multinational companies.Today, the impetus for the move often looks a bit different: It's driven by factors like unstable visa policies and economic recessions, which lead to uncertainty when it comes to jobs and duration of stay in these destinations.Many returnees find work in tech, but the finance, retail, and climate sectors also absorb a large number of expat Indians, Khadia said. And some of the returnees are heading back to India to start companies of their own.India is undergoing a startup explosion. The country reported over<a target="_blank" href="https://pib.gov.in/PressReleaseIframePage.aspx?PRID=2043805"> 140,800 recognized startups</a> at the end of June — nearly 50,000 more than last year — and credited them with creating 1.6 million direct jobs.To be sure, not all of these companies will make it big — and some do still stumble, like <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://inc42.com/features/what-are-the-current-problems-being-faced-by-oyo/">Oyo </a>and <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/blackrock-hsbc-funds-byjus-startup-valuation-zero-edtech-india-raveendran-2024-6">Byju's</a>. But the chaos, where even established startups are trying and failing, makes India a fair playing field for new entrants, Hassan said.Business Insider spoke to six <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/india-vc-wants-see-5-traits-new-founders-fundraising-antler-2024-8">first-time founders </a>about why they have recently returned to India after spending several years, or even an adult life, abroad.<h2 id="0e4a3c47-ba19-4690-8b52-c6bfece1c81d">Fastest-growing economy</h2>The health of the economy and interest from investors are fueling the entrepreneurship boom.<a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/india-billionaire-karan-adani-plans-challenge-china-dominance-seaports-2024-8">India's economic growth</a> in 2023 — 8.2% — was the fastest of all large economies worldwide. That's led to greater purchasing power, which lets companies, including startups, sell more.India's inflation rate of about 3.5% is well below its annual wage growth of 9.6%. This makes inflation less of a challenge than it is for slower-growing peers, where consumer-focused businesses have been <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/economy-jobs-report-sentiment-consumers-elections-recession-inflation-mortgage-rates-2024-9">hurt by high prices</a>.Investors are getting in on the action.From 2015 to 2021, the number of <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/sequoia-capital-vc-firm-split-china-india-2023-6">unique investors in India</a> nearly quadrupled, though the number is tracking much lower this year, per PitchBook."Other than a slight downturn in 2022 and 2023 due to global macroeconomic factors, VC funding has been consistently growing in India," said Ben Mathias, a managing partner at Vertex Ventures Southeast Asia &amp; India.Besides funding, domestic developments have encouraged founders and VCs too, Mathias said.The Indian government's Universal Payment Interface system has spurred consumers and businesses to pay online, and <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.bcg.com/press/2june2022-digital-payments-in-india-projected-to-reach-10-trillion-by-2026">40% of all digital payments</a> globally happen in India today, the partner said.Programs like Startup India, which provides founders benefits like tax exemption, easier compliance, and funding support, have made creating a company smoother.Devyani Parameshwar worked in the microfinance and fintech space in India in the 2010s before heading to the UK and Africa. She returned to India in 2022 to launch a financial management venture."It's changed dramatically. I remember standing in line at various ministries in Delhi trying to get meetings and then trying to get answers and it wasn't easy in the past," she said of her memories of India.Now, she can use an online platform to ask the country's central bank and banking regulator questions.It's easier than ever for foreign companies to invest in India, which means startups have a clearer exit path through acquisition — something VCs think hard about before entering new markets or writing checks.<h2 id="e5dd7b6f-a09f-4ff2-84c1-5907de96dc5e">Market ripe for the taking</h2>For Rohan Bhide, who spent most of his college and professional life <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/worked-in-big-tech-before-launching-my-own-startup-engineer-2024-9">preparing to launch something of his own</a>, a trip home in 2017 while he was studying in the US was a turning point.Indian telecom giant Reliance had recently launched a cheap unlimited data plan, which spiked Indian internet adoption. India was charting among the countries with the highest online transactions."That really, really drew my attention," said Bhide, who worked at Meta after graduation. "It was my dream come true — a huge market, a huge user base, and at the same time, the ability to adopt technology was incredible."Bhide returned to India in January, leaving behind about $580,000 in total compensation at ticketing platform StubHub. He and a cofounder are working on launching a consumer tech product later this year.<div type="image" title="Rohan Bhide" height="2304" width="3072" msid="113831979" hostid="261" sizebytes="218468"></div>Most Indians grew up wanting to work at a multinational company — but that's changing, Bhide said.Freelancing, running your own business, or working for a startup is much more socially acceptable now, because people see the success of other Indian startups. The country has the third-largest number of "unicorns" — companies worth $1 billion or more — with 64, per PitchBook.<h2 id="7f423804-745b-4e04-a250-839e01663f09">Boom in entrepreneurship culture</h2>A lot has changed since Hassan first wanted to launch his hardware startup in the early 2000s.Tech hot spots like Bengaluru and Gurugram have seen a boom in entrepreneurship culture in the last few years, with meet-ups, networking mixers, and even morning walks with like-minded builders.<div type="image" title="man standing in front of mountains in USA" height="2268" width="3024" msid="113831980" hostid="261" sizebytes="141132"></div>Dhruv Anand, who left Google in the US to move back to India in 2021 to launch an <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/ai-startups-most-promising-2024-9">AI startup</a>, said that there were lots of other founders and mentors to help guide him."If you want to figure out who's the right chartered accountant to talk to, who's the right lawyer to help you draft agreements, all of that stuff is very easy," Anand said."It's been a really, really supportive community," Bhide said. There are people "telling you about their entire lives just because they want to help you and they're hoping that you pass the favor onto the next person who moves to India and wants to start their own company."<h2 id="3c8bff36-e855-4530-9b44-bcc7f36b0825">Not everything is perfect</h2>Although these founders made the decision to return to India, that doesn't mean they no longer see the benefits of operating in the US.Ruchit Garg founded an agriculture startup in Silicon Valley in 2016, with a focus on supporting farmers around the globe. In 2019, he returned to India, where his late grandfather worked as a farmer.Garg has been building in India ever since, but he says its startup ecosystem cannot yet compete with the Valley's decades of experience."The overall ecosystem was more mature back in Silicon Valley. It's still one of the best places for entrepreneurs. India isn't there yet, although it's growing pretty drastically," he said.Despite efforts to digitalize key processes, many bureaucratic challenges persist.For most founders, after living in US cities where populations are a fraction of those in Mumbai and Bangalore, congested roads and poorer air quality are also everyday annoyances.But India provides some big perks, including affordable domestic help and the appeal of building solutions for problems they witness firsthand."It's a different joy to be able to build for problems that you feel for very personally," Parameshwar, the fintech founder, said. When she worked in Africa, she needed translators. Now, she can speak with her users herself.Bhide said the general sentiment among local founders is shifting from "Build from India" to "Build for India."For some founders, being surrounded by family and the culture they grew up in was another selling point.Niranjan Vemulkar moved back to India in 2015 and later founded a digital legacy planning platform.He said that he never fully felt at home in the US, where he lived for over a decade."For us, it was the fact that we wanted to raise a family in an environment where the children would have access to the grandparents and Indian culture," Vemulkar said. "The fact that you could come back to India, start something of your own and figure things out in an ecosystem which was potentially booming for startups, was just a cherry on the cake."Are you in India and have a story to share about the tech and entrepreneurship landscape? Please reach out at shubhangigoel@insider.com

Some techies are leaving cushy Silicon Valley jobs to launch startups at home in India

<ul><li><keyword id="8164702" type="General" weightage="100" keywordseo="twid" source="Orion">Twid</keyword>, a payment solution platform, has raised $12 million in a series A funding round led by Rakuten Capital.</li><li>The round also saw participation from <keyword id="6355629" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="google" source="Orion">Google</keyword>, ICMG Partners, JAFCO Asia, January Capital and many more.</li><li>The company will use the funds to build its merchant and issuer network and hire new talent.</li></ul>Bangalore-based payment solutions platform Twid on Wednesday said it had secured $12 million in a series-A funding round that was led by Rakuten Capital and also had Google Investing. The round also saw participation from ICMG Partners, JAFCO Asia, January Capital and Reddy Futures Fund along with existing investors BEENEXT and <keyword id="563136" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="Sequoia-India" source="Orion">Sequoia India</keyword>'s Surge. The company intends to use the funds to scale up and build its merchant and issuer network, expand product roll-outs, build tech capabilities – primarily in data science, and hire new talent. With this funding round, <keyword id="4385887" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="Rakuten-India" source="Orion">Rakuten India</keyword> CEO Sunil Gopinath will join Twid’s board of directors on behalf of Rakuten Capital – Rakuten Group’s corporate venture capital arm. “Twid is on a mission to revolutionise how rewards are viewed, understood and used across platforms by creating a completely new network. We are bringing together various industry stakeholders, nudging them towards a cashless ecosystem and future,” said <keyword id="2939430" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="Amit-Koshal" source="Orion">Amit Koshal</keyword>, co-founder and CEO of Twid. Founded in 2020 by Koshal, Rishi Batra, and Amit Sharma, Twid provides a platform that combines multiple loyalty/reward points of users across issuers such as banks, fintech firms, retail or e-commerce brands, and allows consumers to pay at offline and online stores using their reward points. According to the Q1 2022 Global Loyalty Programs survey, the loyalty programmes market in India is expected to grow by 12.6% on an annual basis to reach almost $143 billion in 2022. In India, loyalty and reward programmes have been used by brands and organizations – especially in the hospitality, tourism, aviation and retail sectors – as a strategy to broaden and deepen their customer base . Twid claims to have over 40 million registered users, and over 50,000 live merchants. It also has a payment network of banks, brands, payment gateways, merchants and customers. “By enabling reward points to be ubiquitous and fungible, we are witnessing very high customer delight. Customers are able to stay updated with their points and are able to save, earn and pay every time when using ‘Pay with Rewards’. This reaffirms our approach to delivering long-term value to merchants, issuers and customers,” Koshal added. ‘Pay with rewards’ is Twid’s payment option that enables buyers to use their reward points as payment at the time of purchase. SEE ALSO: <a target="_blank" class="c-link c-message_attachment__title_link" href="https://www.businessinsider.in/business/corporates/news/adani-transmission-is-now-the-12th-biggest-listed-entity-other-adani-cos-are-not-far-away/slidelist/93317527.cms">Adani Transmission is now the 12th biggest listed entity; other Adani cos are not far away</a> <a target="_blank" class="c-link c-message_attachment__title_link" href="https://www.businessinsider.in/india/news/inflation-weather-and-more-push-july-services-sector-growth-to-a-4-month-low/articleshow/93315248.cms">Inflation, weather and more push July services sector growth to a 4-month low</a>

Payment solutions company Twid raises $12 million in series A funding from Rakuten Capital, Google and others

Reiterating his vision to help <keyword id="3658" type="General" weightage="80" keywordseo="india" source="Orion">India</keyword> join the digital bandwagon, Alphabet and Google CEO <keyword id="164502" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="sundar-pichai" source="Orion">Sundar Pichai</keyword> has said the ongoing investments are a reflection of the company's confidence in the future of the country and its digital economy. The company, which announced a $10 billion Google for <keyword id="9566294" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="india-digitisation-fund" source="Orion">India Digitisation Fund</keyword> last year, has already invested $4.5 billion for a 7.73 per cent stake in the top telecom network <keyword id="9161648" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="reliance-jio-platforms" source="Orion">Reliance Jio Platforms</keyword>, along with recently investing up to $1 billion in Bharti Airtel. "It is a reflection of our confidence in the future of India, its digital economy, our desire to build products there, which we think will help us globally," <keyword id="1604185" type="General" weightage="100" keywordseo="pichai" source="Orion">Pichai</keyword> said during the company's earnings call late on Tuesday. On the company's payment strategy, Pichai said it is thinking deeper about emerging markets like India as it "lines up with our mission of building a more equitable Internet for everyone". Pichai is also bullish on YouTube's future in the country. "When I look at YouTube in India, some of the commerce ideas we talked about earlier, you may see as the first stride in India first because we can get quicker feedback, a very dynamic, youthful population," he noted. "So we'll do it there (in India) and then roll it out globally. We are constantly looking for opportunities like that," Pichai added. YouTube Shorts continues to drive significant engagement for the company globally including in India. "We just hit 5 trillion all-time views and have over 15 billion views each day globally. This is helping our creator community reach newer and bigger audiences," Pichai added. "In 2022, we'll stay focused on evolving our knowledge and information products, including Search, Maps and YouTube, to be even more helpful," he added. SEE ALSO: <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/tech/mobile/news/oneplus-nord-ce-2-lite-5g-with-5000mah-battery-snapdragon-695-and-an-affordable-price-tag-to-launch-in-india/articleshow/89291372.cms">OnePlus Nord CE 2 Lite 5G with 5,000mAh battery, Snapdragon 695 and an affordable price tag to launch in India</a> <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/tech/enterprise/news/more-employees-are-leaving-tech-mahindra-than-tcs-and-wipro/articleshow/89291721.cms">More employees are leaving Tech Mahindra than TCS and Wipro</a> <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/tech/news/here-are-the-main-areas-where-technology-took-a-big-role-in-the-union-budget-2022/slidelist/89279470.cms">All things tech in Nirmala Sitharaman's budget speech</a>

Sundar Pichai reiterates his confidence in India, says Google will build more products in India for the world

New Delhi, Even as tech giant <keyword id="6355629" type="General" weightage="100" keywordseo="google" source="Orion">Google</keyword> continues to cut down staff, a sacked Indian employee stated that the layoffs are not based on performance. In a LinkedIn post, Google India employee Animesh Swain stated that pink slips were also served to employees with highest ratings. The list also has names who were recently awarded promotions. "The people who managed to stay (including me) are not necessarily better than those laid off," Swain was quoted as saying in the post. Another employee Gurugram-based Aakriti Walia, working as a Google Cloud programme manager, was laid off just 10 minutes before a meeting. "The 'access denied' message on my system left me numb as I was preparing for my meeting just 10 mins away," Walia posted on the professional networking platform. "As I celebrated my 5-year Googleversary just a few days ago, little did I know it would be my last," she said. Earlier, Jennifer Vaden Barth, a creative Strategist at Google, said that the "layoff impacted very talented and highly rated professionals". Barth, who had worked at Google for 15 years said that "layoffs hit women particularly hard, especially women over 40". Meanwhile, in a bid to further cut costs, Google has even asked employees who return to work to share their work desks with a "partner" to maximise office space. Google India has recently terminated more than 400 employees. The layoffs at Google India were part of the larger job cuts that impacted 12,000 workers globally at the company. Denying that the layoffs were done "randomly", Alphabet and Google CEO Sundar Pichai had said earlier that he is "deeply sorry" for reducing the workforce. In an email to employees, Pichai said he takes "full responsibility for the decisions that led us here". The layoffs at Google's parent company were expected amid the deepening funding winter that has hit companies of all sizes in the global slowdown and recession fears. SEE ALSO: <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/tech/mobile/news/oppos-new-flexion-hinge-has-made-flip-phones-more-practical-and-crease-minimal/articleshow/98213979.cms">Oppo’s new Flexion hinge has made flip phones more practical and crease minimal</a> <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/tech/gadgets/news/noise-and-fire-boltt-entered-in-top-five-in-global-smartwatch-shipments/articleshow/98171390.cms">These two Indian brands have together sold more smartwatches than Samsung in 2022</a> <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/business/news/mukesh-ambanis-jiocinema-to-take-on-disney-hotstar-and-amazon-prime-with-free-4k-ipl-streaming/articleshow/98150380.cms">Mukesh Ambani’s JioCinema to take on Disney+ Hotstar, and Amazon Prime with free 4K IPL streaming</a>

Google layoffs not based on performance: Sacked Indian employee

<ul><li>Gujarat Mahila Housing Sewa Trust and <keyword id="5252225" type="General" weightage="80" keywordseo="villgro-innovation-foundation" source="Orion">Villgro Innovation Foundation</keyword>, are currently leveraging artificial intelligence to address the threats of water scarcity and flooding across the country.</li><li>These non-profit organisations have recently been selected among 13 local sustainability organisations to receive support from the APAC Sustainability Seed Fund.</li></ul>New Delhi, Two Indian organisations, Gujarat Mahila Housing Sewa Trust and Villgro Innovation Foundation, are currently leveraging artificial intelligence (AI), <keyword id="294572" type="General" weightage="80" keywordseo="machine-learning" source="Orion">Machine Learning</keyword> (ML) and Internet of Things (IoT) to address the threats of water scarcity and flooding across the country, <keyword id="6355629" type="General" weightage="80" keywordseo="google" source="Orion">Google</keyword> has said. These non-profit organisations have recently been selected among 13 local sustainability organisations to receive support from the APAC Sustainability Seed Fund to explore new use-cases for AI, ML and IoT models that can help manage water supply and inundation risks across the country. "<keyword id="3658" type="General" weightage="100" keywordseo="india" source="Orion">India</keyword>'s population could be susceptible to severe water-related challenges across its vast geographic landscape and many climatic zones, if global temperatures cross the threshold temperature rise of 1.5 degree Celsius, which the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change expects could occur within this decade," said Sanjay Gupta, <keyword id="191922" type="General" weightage="80" keywordseo="country-head" source="Orion">Country Head</keyword> and Vice President, Google India. The tech giant supported the APAC Sustainability Seed Fund, founded by the Asian Venture Philanthropy Network (AVPN), with a $3 million grant by Google.org, Google's philanthropic arm, in partnership with Asian Development Bank. This fund enables local organisations working hard to develop solutions for sustainable practices and combating the effects of climate change across APAC, be it heat waves, rising sea levels or loss of biodiversity. Gujarat Mahila Housing Sewa Trust is focused on empowering and equipping women across India to build sustainable and gender-inclusive cities, providing training and technical expertise in construction, technology, and urban governance. With the grant, the organisation aims to develop an AI-enabled model for building climate resilience in Amalner, Maharashtra to serve as an archetype for a small urban town in India. "The project will pioneer the mapping of land use and catchment areas to predict their susceptibility to floods and inundation, which will contribute to protecting natural drainage systems," said Gupta. The grant is supporting Villgro Innovation Foundation's partnership with 'CultYvate' to develop a mobile and browser-based application, IoT sensors, satellite data, and AI/ML models that will provide farmers in India with real-time insights and advice for irrigation management. SEE ALSO: <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/tech/news/what-are-vishing-scams-that-start-with-a-namaste-and-end-with-monetary-losses/articleshow/99762900.cms">What are ‘vishing scams’ that start with a Namaste and end with monetary losses</a> <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/tech/news/sony-wh-ch720n-headphones-review-featherweight-comfort-and-impressive-sound/articleshow/99911412.cms">Sony WH-CH720N headphones review: Featherweight comfort and impressive sound</a>

How 2 Indian organisations are using AI to fight climate change in India

Alphabet and <keyword id="6355629" type="General" weightage="100" keywordseo="google" source="Orion">Google</keyword> CEO <keyword id="164502" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="Sundar-Pichai" source="Orion">Sundar Pichai</keyword> is likely to testify in <keyword id="6399901" type="General" weightage="80" keywordseo="epic" source="Orion">Epic</keyword> Games's lawsuit against Google in a US court next week. The Fortnite game developer seeks to call <keyword id="1604185" type="General" weightage="50" keywordseo="pichai" source="Orion">Pichai</keyword> as a witness on Tuesday as it makes its case alleging that <keyword id="963171" type="General" weightage="50" keywordseo="google-play" source="Orion">Google Play</keyword> is an unlawful monopoly, reports The Verge. "In court documents, Google requested to use a podium in the courtroom on Tuesday, which suggests that Pichai may indeed appear to testify," the report noted. Last month, in the US vs. Google case, Pichai stood behind a podium instead of sitting because of "apparent back issues". The lawsuit was filed after Google pulled Fortnite from the Play store. Epic is arguing that Google's monopolistic control on its Google Play Store for Android smartphones violates both state and federal antitrust laws. Meanwhile, Google offered a $147 million deal to game developer Epic Games to launch its popular game Fortnite on Google Play store, the tech giant told the court. Purnima Kochikar, Vice President, Play Partnerships at Google, said in her testimony that the deal was approved and presented to Epic but not accepted, reports The Verge. The deal would have seen the money dispensed over a three-year period of "incremental funding" (ending in 2021) to Epic. In a document justifying the deal, Google wrote that "Fortnite's absence could result in $130 million (up to $250 million) direct revenue loss with Play" and that there could be a "downstream impact of $550 million (up to $3.6 billion) potential revenue loss if broad contagion to other developers". The Epic vs Google trial began this week on Monday. Google has defended its 30 per cent cut on transactions for apps via its Play store. SEE ALSO: <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/tech/mobile/news/multilingual-global-office-calls-might-soon-become-easier-with-ai-live-translate-call/articleshow/105087029.cms">Multilingual global office calls might soon become easier with AI Live Translate Call</a> <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/stock-market/news/protean-egov-technologies-ipo-how-to-check-allotment-and-gmp-value/articleshow/105093386.cms">Protean eGov Technologies IPO allotment – how to check allotment, GMP, listing date and more</a> <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/business/auto/news/british-luxury-carmaker-lotus-cars-enters-the-indian-market-with-2-55-electric-suv/articleshow/105092076.cms">Lotus Cars enters India with Eletre, a luxury electric SUV priced starting at ₹2.55 crore</a>

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Looking ahead at our next 20 years in India, AI will play big role here: Google India MD

PTI

Fired from Google after 13 years of service, he used his severance to build a business around helping others with their careers

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Rupee rises 8 paise to 83.44 against US dollar in early trade

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Rupee settles on flat note at 83.51 against US dollar

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Some techies are leaving cushy Silicon Valley jobs to launch startups at home in India

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Payment solutions company Twid raises $12 million in series A funding from Rakuten Capital, Google and others

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Sundar Pichai reiterates his confidence in India, says Google will build more products in India for the world

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Google layoffs not based on performance: Sacked Indian employee

IANS

How 2 Indian organisations are using AI to fight climate change in India

IANS

Sundar Pichai to testify in Epic Games vs Google case next week

IANS

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