Best printers for Home

Best Mixer Grinder

Best wired Earphones

Best 43 Inch TV in India

Best Wi Fi Routers

Best Home Theatre in India

Smart Watch under 5000

Best Laptops for Education

Best Laptop for Students

<ul><li><keyword id="830092" type="COMPANY" weightage="20" keywordseo="Zomato">Zomato</keyword> and <keyword id="2808667" type="PERSON" weightage="20" keywordseo="OYO">Oyo</keyword> have both been in the eye of many public controversies, stirred by industry bodies.</li><li>While Zomato has been in the middle of a <keyword id="7998183" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="20" keywordseo="logout-movement">logout movement</keyword> from restaurants, Oyo has been dealing with legal complaints against its founder for breach of trust. </li><li>This has affected the public branding and image of the companies.</li></ul><keyword id="476451" type="PERSON" weightage="20" keywordseo="Deepinder-Goyal">Deepinder Goyal</keyword> and <keyword id="1670338" type="PERSON" weightage="20" keywordseo="Ritesh-Agarwal">Ritesh Agarwal</keyword> maybe poster boys of the Indian startup industry. But,the founders of Zomato and Oyo are dealing with complaints from industry bodies, associations and even backlash from their own employees. Startups which have started to solve existing problems, are now facing their own. The problems surrounding Zomato and Oyo Zomato was caught in the throes of a very public controversy thanks to its deep discounting programmes like Zomato Gold (where consumers can avail 1+1 on food and 2+2 on drinks) and infinity dining. The National Restaurant Association of India (NRAI) launched a ‘logout’ movement last month claiming that the business practices of aggregators are unethical. The movement saw hundreds of restaurants delisting from the app. But that’s not the end of it. Zomato’s delivery executives across Mumbai and Bengaluru are protesting for pay cuts. The company is also in the news for reportedly laying off employees at its Gurgaon headquarters. Oyo is in no better position. On one hand, it is battling legal complaints from a Bengaluru-based hotelier accusing Agarwal of cheating and breach of trust. A month ago, hoteliers too had begun boycotting Oyo, but the Delhi High Court had ruled the case in the company’s favour. To tackle these issues, Zomato reportedly held several meetings with the NRAI. It also backtracked by cutting off discounts from its Zomato Gold programme. It has also put its recently launched Infinity Dining programme on a ‘pause’ mode. Oyo, on the other hand, has refuted all claims against its founder and has been unfazed through its expansion journey globally. The branding has taken a hit Startups and their success is important not just because of their disruptive nature, but their popularity has made them almost invincible with a ‘can-do’ attitude. These issues have come to prove that it is not the case. And, it has started to show. This is evident in its survey rankings. YouGov measures a brand by the buzz it generates in two weeks. Zomato’s Buzz fell by 6.8 points, from 42.7 in the beginning of July, to 35.9 in August end. “Zomato’s Brand Index score which is an average of quality, value, impression, reputation, satisfaction and recommend scores, has also fallen from 38.5 on 31st July to 34.9 on 31st August 2019, the time period marked by the two controversies,” said YouGov. This is a big blow for Zomato which is known for its witty, quirky marketing campaigns on and off-line that has caught the fancy of millennials. The company however said that its own internal tracking system shows no significant dip in perception in the last 3 months. "On the contrary, metrics such as trust, brand love, innovation, etc. have shown consistent upswing. These metrics are tracked diligently on a daily/weekly/monthly basis and none of the external noise has impacted our core consumer perception in a negative manner. In fact, we have noted a spike in the user engagement with an increase in average time spent on the app, session counts, weekly downloads, etc. These results from continuous monitoring have reaffirmed our current approach towards consumer engagement and product innovation,” said a Zomato spokesperson. Brand expert Harish Bijoor believes that Zomato and Oyo both need to be worried. “We live in the era of nano-second social media hurt. Every social media comment that is hurtful to the brand is a scar. Too many scars, and the brand can get into a negative tizzy. Brands need to be careful, and more importantly quick in their reactions to issues. Both Zomato and Oyo have been through this. As of now, the brand image has not been hurt. it has been jolted, but not damaged,” said Bijoor.

It's a stormy time for two of India's biggest startup brands

<ul><li>The <keyword id="5482723" type="ORGANIZATION" weightage="20" keywordseo="Oversight-Board">Oversight Board</keyword> will have the final word on what content Facebook and Instagram should allow or remove, based on respect for freedom of expression and human rights. </li><li><keyword id="1508987" type="PERSON" weightage="20" keywordseo="Sudhir-Krishnaswamy">Sudhir Krishnaswamy</keyword> is the only representative from India on the board.</li><li>Krishnaswamy is the India Vice Chancellor of the National Law School of India University, and co-founder of the Center for Law and Policy Research.</li></ul>Facebook <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/tech/news/facebook-announced-the-first-20-members-of-its-oversight-board-that-will-decide-what-controversial-content-is-allowed-on-facebook-and-instagram/articleshow/75586376.cms">recently</a> announced the list of 20 members on its newly created Oversight Board. The Oversight Board will have the final word on what content Facebook and Instagram should allow or remove, based on respect for freedom of expression and human rights. Comprising independent members from around the world, the board also has a seat for Sudhir Krishnaswamy, the only representative from India. Krishnaswamy is the India Vice Chancellor of the National Law School of India University, and co-founder of the Center for Law and Policy Research, an advocacy organization that works for the rights of LGBTQ+ and transgender persons in India through impact litigation. The Oversight Board will begin hearing cases soon, although Facebook is still trying to figure out how the board will function and the operational challenges that will come its way because of the coronavirus pandemic. But the decisions made by the board will be made public, and Facebook will respond to them publicly. “We will publish our decisions on our website, while protecting the identity and privacy of those involved,” said Facebook. The 45-year old Krishnaswamy is one of the most noted academics in India. A visiting professor in the Ivy leagues of the world, he was also a legal consultant in the Prime Ministers Committee of Infrastructure, Planning Commission in 2006. “Content moderation and content control has been a problem in most jurisdictions around the world, India being one of the most affected. Content is currently being controlled by either private companies or the government. Creating a mechanism to oversee a private company is a radical decision; if this works, it provides us with a new way of handling content moderation for the future. It’s as important to democracy as it is to the market,” said Krishnaswamy. A Rhodes scholar and an Oxford graduate, Krishnaswamy was previously the director of the School of Policy and Governance and Professor of Law and Politics at Azim Premji University, as well as the Dr. B.R. Ambedkar Visiting Professor of Indian Constitutional Law at Columbia Law School. He is also an author of the book “Democracy and Constitutionalism in India”. See Also: <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/business/startups/news/goa-may-be-the-new-thailand-says-ritesh-agarwal-as-oyo-pivots-to-a-new-strategy-driving-and-not-flying-destinations/articleshow/75591960.cms">“Goa may be the new Thailand, ” says Ritesh Agarwal as OYO pivots to a new strategy ⁠— ‘driving, and not flying, destinations’</a> <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/science/health/news/biocon-chairperson-kiran-mazumdar-shaw-says-indias-covid-19-vaccines-will-enter-clinical-trial-in-9-months/articleshow/75591805.cms">Don’t hold your breath ⁠— Biocon founder Kiran Mazumdar Shaw says India's Covid-19 vaccine will enter clinical trials in 9 months</a>

Meet the Indian on Facebook's oversight board which will police content on Facebook and Instagram

In the midst of the <keyword id="6389936" type="ORGANIZATION" weightage="20" keywordseo="pegasus">Pegasus</keyword> snooping controversy, the defence ministry on Monday said it did not have any transaction with the <keyword id="3598670" type="PERSON" weightage="20" keywordseo="NSO-Group">NSO Group</keyword>, which sells the spyware. NSO Group, an Israeli surveillance software company, has been under increasing attack following allegations that its Pegasus software was used for surveillance of phones of people in several countries, including <keyword id="3658" type="COUNTRY" weightage="20" keywordseo="India">India</keyword>. "<keyword id="6369097" type="ORGANIZATION" weightage="20" keywordseo="ministry-of-defence">Ministry of Defence</keyword> has not had any transaction with <keyword id="3598687" type="PERSON" weightage="20" keywordseo="nso-group-technologies">NSO Group Technologies</keyword>," Minister of State for Defence Ajay Bhatt said while replying to a question in Rajya Sabha. He was asked whether the government had carried out any transaction with the NSO Group Technologies. The opposition parties have been targeting the central government over the snooping row and disrupting proceedings in <keyword id="6354721" type="ORGANIZATION" weightage="20" keywordseo="parliament">Parliament</keyword> since it met on July 19 for the <keyword id="6358301" type="DEFINITION" weightage="20" keywordseo="monsoon">Monsoon</keyword> session. IT and Communications Minister Ashwini Vaishnawhad had dismissed media reports on the use of Pegasus software to snoop on Indians, saying the allegations levelled just ahead of the Monsoon session of Parliament were aimed at maligning Indian democracy. In a suo motu statement in Lok Sabha, Vaishnaw had said that with several checks and balances being in place, "any sort of illegal surveillance" by unauthorised persons is not possible in India. The controversy erupted after an investigation by a global media consortium based on leaked targeting data claimed evidence that the military-grade malware from the NSO Group was being used to spy on politicians, journalists, human rights activists and others. SEE ALSO: <a target="_blank" class="c-link c-message_attachment__title_link" href="https://www.businessinsider.in/business/startups/news/oyo-takes-first-step-towards-a-1-2-billion-ipo/articleshow/85176310.cms">OYO takes first step towards a $1.2 billion IPO, reportedly appoints 3 investment banks</a> <a target="_blank" class="c-link c-message_attachment__title_link" href="https://www.businessinsider.in/stock-market/news/nuvoco-vistas-ipo-nirma-group-backed-this-company-ipo-recommended-by-analysts/articleshow/85176371.cms">Nirma Group backed Nuvoco Vistas IPO: Analysts are bullish on the cement sector and recommend the IPO for long term</a>

Pegasus scandal: No transaction with NSO Group which deals with spyware, says India's defence ministry

<ul><li>Big Indian startups have been in the public eye for many controversies thanks to the concerns raised by various <keyword id="946463" type="PERSON" weightage="20" keywordseo="industry-bodies">industry bodies</keyword>. </li><li>From ban on sales to stopping discounts, industry bodies have picked a fight against startups. </li><li><keyword id="830092" type="COMPANY" weightage="20" keywordseo="Zomato">Zomato</keyword>, Oyo, Flipkart and Amazon have all been affected by the same. </li></ul>Indian startups have a growing problem at home – industry bodies from different sectors are now up in arms against discounts and deals. From Zomato and Oyo to Flipkart and even the global retail giant Amazon is caught in a fight. Here’s a look at all that’s gone down between industry bodies and startups in just the last month. Restaurants vs online aggregators All seemed to be going well between Indian restaurateurs and online aggregators until last month. The National Restaurant Association of India, which has over 500,000 outlets as members, woke up to the many deals presented by the likes of Zomato, <keyword id="6358977" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="20" keywordseo="swiggy">Swiggy</keyword>, EazyDiner, Dineout etc., and said that the excessive discounts offered by the delivery apps are throttling their businesses. Zomato bore the brunt of the restaurants’ ire – from the logout movement to social media uproar from hoteliers It had also faced protests from its delivery executives, who were not happy with the pay cuts from the aggregator. The foodtech unicorn paused on its Infinity Dining feature and curtailed the Zomato Gold program but the restaurants remain animus towards the firm. Despite many attempts to thaw in the frosty relationship there is no resolution yet for Zomato and Swiggy. Hotel associations against Oyo Oyo Hotels &amp; Homes in the past few years has grown at a rapid pace to have its signboard up in every big city, and many small towns-- adding up to 270,000 rooms across the country. But in its fast acquisition of buildings and hotels, some traditional hoteliers have raised concerns about ‘illegal practices’. Oyo is battling legal complaints from a Bengaluru-based hotelier accusing Ritesh Agarwal, the founder, of cheating and breach of trust. A month ago, hoteliers too began boycotting Oyo but the Delhi High Court ruled the case in favour of the $5 billion startup. The good ol’ e-commerce fight Indian e-commerce has long been in the eye of public dissent from industry bodies. The likes of Flipkart and Amazon were the first to be hit because of their deep discounting which allows them to acquire customers faster. With the festive season around the corner, Flipkart and Amazon both have massive sales coming up. Flipkart is in fact getting ready with its annual sale – The Big Billion Day Sale. However, now the Confederation of All India Traders is demanding a <a href="https://retail.economictimes.indiatimes.com/news/e-commerce/e-tailing/ahead-of-diwali-sale-cait-says-ecomm-giants-flouting-rules/71167595">ban </a>on these sales. The CAIT is an industry body for over 7 crore traders. The body has alleged that the two e-commerce giants are violating the Foreign Direct Investment rules with their massive ad campaigns. It has also written to Union Minister Piyush Goyal regarding the same.

India’s biggest startups are faced with growing resistance from industry bodies

<ul><li><keyword id="6356684" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="20" keywordseo="patanjali">Patanjali</keyword> chairman Archarya Balkrishna’s estimated net worth was cut down by a third in 2020.</li><li>He now ranks 919th on the <keyword id="424923" type="PERSON" weightage="20" keywordseo="Hurun-rich-list">Hurun Rich List</keyword> after having slipped 489 places.</li><li>The dip in his wealth comes at a time when he is desperately trying to launch <keyword id="9448306" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="20" keywordseo="Coronil">Coronil</keyword>, a medicine he claims is a cure for COVID-19 — a claim, which many dispute. </li></ul>Archarya Balkrishna, the chairman and CEO of Patanjali as well as the right-hand man to yoga guru <keyword id="6355107" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="20" keywordseo="Baba-Ramdev">Baba Ramdev</keyword>, took a massive hit to his wealth during the pandemic. <div type="image" title="5746a6c1b0aa6d17dd0b8657c3e31a3c_edited" msid="81294979" hostid="261" caption="&amp;lt;p&amp;gt;Acharya Balkrishna doing yoga with Baba Ramdev on Yoga Day in 2018 with two lakh people to create a world record for the largest amount of people performing yoga in one place&amp;lt;/p&amp;gt;"></div> According to Hurun’s Rich List 2021, Balkrishna’s estimated net worth dipped by 32% — more than any other Indian billionaire on the list this year in percentage terms. <table style="border-width: initial; border-style: none; table-layout: fixed; width: 468pt;"></colgroup><tbody><tr><td style="border-left:solid #000000 1pt;border-right:solid #000000 1pt;border-bottom:solid #000000 1pt;border-top:solid #000000 1pt;vertical-align:top;padding:5pt 5pt 5pt 5pt;overflow:hidden;overflow-wrap:break-word;">Balkrishna’s estimated net worth in 2020 </td><td style="border-left:solid #000000 1pt;border-right:solid #000000 1pt;border-bottom:solid #000000 1pt;border-top:solid #000000 1pt;vertical-align:top;padding:5pt 5pt 5pt 5pt;overflow:hidden;overflow-wrap:break-word;">Balkrishna’s estimated net worth in 2021 </td></tr><tr><td style="border-left:solid #000000 1pt;border-right:solid #000000 1pt;border-bottom:solid #000000 1pt;border-top:solid #000000 1pt;vertical-align:top;padding:5pt 5pt 5pt 5pt;overflow:hidden;overflow-wrap:break-word;">$5.3 billion </td><td style="border-left:solid #000000 1pt;border-right:solid #000000 1pt;border-bottom:solid #000000 1pt;border-top:solid #000000 1pt;vertical-align:top;padding:5pt 5pt 5pt 5pt;overflow:hidden;overflow-wrap:break-word;">$3.6 billion </td></tr></tbody></table> <div type="Article" hostid="261" msid="81288884" title="Meet Jay Chaudhry, the man who studied under a tree in Himachal to become one of the world’s top billionaires today" mstype="2" mssubtype="0"></div> Balkrishna has often stated that the underlying vision for Patanjali is to replace all foreign imports with ‘swadeshi’ (locally made) products. It is one of the reasons why the massive FMCG company has its fingers dipped in nearly every business from food to clothing to power to private security. It even has projects going in the <a href="https://theprint.in/tech/how-ramdevs-patanjali-ayurved-made-a-secret-tech-entry-with-its-own-it-start-up/369203/">cloud services and IT solutions space.</a> <div type="image" title="balkrishna2_edited" msid="81295070" hostid="261" caption="&amp;lt;p&amp;gt;Acharya Balkrishna announcing the availability of Patanjali products across major online portals on 16 January 2018&amp;lt;/p&amp;gt;"></div> But luck was not on Patanjali’s side when the company decided to launch Coronil, its self-proclaimed cure for COVID-19. The claim has been disputed by many in the medical community including the World Health Organisation (WHO) and the Indian Medical Association (IMA). The state of Maharashtra has banned the sale of Coronil until it receives certification from the Ayush Ministry, which looks after all things ayurved, naturopathy, homeopathy, unani, siddha and yoga. For Balkrishna, this is not the first time that he has been caught on the wrong side of things. Balkrishna’s multi-billion dollar empire is not without its controversies Back in 2011, the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) filed a case of forgery and cheating against Balkrishna. <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/small-business/people/fake-degrees-and-passports-here-is-the-real-story-of-acharya-balakrishna-ramdevs-close-aide-and-patanjali-ceo/slidelist/54365692.cms">According to the CBI</a>, the degree that Balkrishna got from the Sampurnanand Sanskrit Vishwavidyalaya in Varanasi was fake. And, it was on the basis of this fake degree that Balkrishna had procured his passport. The administration of the university also <a href="https://www.business-standard.com/article/beyond-business/the-rise-and-fall-of-balkrishna-111073000065_1.html">claimed</a> that they had no record of ever giving Balkrishna a degree. However, the case was closed two years later due to lack of evidence. In 2012, the Enforcement Directorate (ED) also filed a case against Balkrishna over money laundering charges. These were dropped after the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) came into power in 2014. <div type="image" title="6738550d3499f71f5dbe014dfcd955bd_edited" msid="81295019" hostid="261" caption="&amp;lt;p&amp;gt;Acharya Balkrishna (L), Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) chief Mohan Bhagwat (C), and Baba Ramdev (R) in conversation during an RSS program in Haridwar in 2014&amp;lt;/p&amp;gt;"></div> Balkrishna holds 94% stake in Patanjali but he does not take home a salary, according to the <a href="https://economictimes.indiatimes.com/news/company/corporate-trends/how-acharya-balkrishna-built-a-multi-crore-company/built-for-success/slideshow/60853399.cms">Economic Times</a>. He claims to work 15 hours a day, regardless of whether it is a Sunday or any other holiday. According to financial data accessed by business intelligence firm <a href="https://www.business-standard.com/article/companies/patanjali-ayurved-s-revenue-and-profit-rise-but-still-far-from-glory-days-120111301248_1.html">Tofler</a>, Patanjali reported a net profit of ₹423 crore for FY20. But, even with that positive growth, Patanjali is far from its glory days of yore where its revenue used to double year-on-year. The company has been facing issues since the goods and services tax (GST) was introduced in 2017, disrupting its operations. Patanjali also <a href="https://www.livemint.com/companies/news/patanjali-ayurved-completes-acquisition-of-bankrupt-ruchi-soya-for-rs-4-350-crore-11576684912487.html">acquired Ruchi Soya in 2019</a>, which placed further burden on its financials. SEE ALSO: <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/thelife/personalities/news/ritesh-agarwal-kishore-biyani-and-acharya-balkrishna-net-worth-went-down-in-year-2020-as-per-hurun-list/slidelist/81293374.cms">OYO’s Ritesh Agarwal and Future Group’s Kishore Biyani did not make the cut this year to be among India’s richest billionaires</a> <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/thelife/personalities/news/gautam-adani-naveen-jindal-anand-mahindra-and-kumar-mangalam-birla-increased-their-net-worth-in-2020/slidelist/81290572.cms">Gautam Adani, Naveen Jindal, Anand Mahindra and Kumar Mangalam Birla increased their net worth despite COVID-19 wreaking havoc</a> <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/tech/news/top-10-tech-billionaires-in-india-as-per-hurun-rich-list-2021/slidelist/81287575.cms">Top 10 tech billionaires in India — Shiv Nadar saw his net worth increase by $10 billion</a>

Patanjali’s Acharya Balkrishna is the biggest loser on Hurun’s Rich List of Indian billionaires

Michael Kovac/Getty Images for WeWork<ul><li>WeWork's cofounder and ex-CEO Adam Neumann instilled a culture of superiority at the coworking startup, <a href="https://www.ft.com/content/7938752a-52a7-11ea-90ad-25e377c0ee1f">according to the Financial Times</a>.</li><li>"Adam was the sun and we all revolved around him," a WeWork employee told the newspaper. "We were kings of the world."</li><li>"He wanted everyone to know he was God," a SoftBank executive told the Financial Times.</li><li>SoftBank CEO Masayoshi Son goaded Neumann into expanding WeWork faster by comparing it to other businesses.</li><li><a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/international?r=US&amp;IR=T">Visit Business Insider's homepage for more stories</a>.</li></ul>WeWork's cofounder and former CEO Adam Neumann fostered a culture of superiority at the coworking startup before its IPO collapsed last fall and SoftBank was forced to bail it out, <a href="https://www.ft.com/content/7938752a-52a7-11ea-90ad-25e377c0ee1f">according to the Financial Times</a>."Adam was the sun and we all revolved around him," a WeWork employee told the newspaper, which interviewed dozens of WeWork and SoftBank sources for its latest deep dive into the company. "We were kings of the world."Neumann exemplified that mindset by bringing up his friendship with President Donald Trump's son-in-law, Jared Kushner, in negotiations with SoftBank, the Financial Times reported.SoftBank's bosses interpreted Neumann's comments as a threat to sabotage their efforts to win US regulatory approval for the merger of their wireless carrier, Sprint, with rival T-Mobile, the newspaper said."He wanted everyone to know he was God," an executive at the Japanese conglomerate told the Financial Times.Neumann's team denied he was making a threat, the newspaper said. A federal judge <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/t-mobile-sprint-merger-approved-by-us-judge-2020-2?r=US&amp;IR=T">ruled in favor of the telecoms megamerger earlier this month</a>, paving the way for it to go through.<h2>Poking the bear</h2>SoftBank CEO Masayoshi Son took advantage of Neumann's sense of superiority to goad him into expanding WeWork faster."Your little brother … is really performing faster [and] better than you guys," Son told Neumann in reference to hoteSprihl chain Oyo, another SoftBank holding, the Financial Times reported."Masa was poking the bear," a WeWork executive told the newspaper. "Adam would say, 'We're not going fast enough; we're not being bold enough.'"<h2>A swift collapse</h2>Neumann and Son's pursuit of global domination culminated in WeWork filing to go public last August. However, <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/weworks-nightmare-ipo?r=US&amp;IR=T">investors balked</a> at the startup's mushrooming losses, vulnerable business model, lax governance, and Neumann's <a href="https://markets.businessinsider.com/news/stocks/wework-ipo-adam-neumann-business-model-valuation-2019-9-1028530754">controversial behavior</a>.At risk of not raising enough money to unlock a key bank loan, and running short of cash, WeWork pulled its IPO. Neumann stepped down and WeWork accepted a <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/softbank-agrees-to-rescue-wework-in-a-bailout-deal-2019-10?r=US&amp;IR=T">rescue deal from SoftBank</a> in November that valued the business below $10 billion - a fraction of the $47 billion private valuation it secured in January 2019.<a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/intelligence/10-up-and-coming-fintechs-2019?IR=T&amp;itm_source=businessinsider&amp;itm_medium=ctgr_bii&amp;itm_term=ctgr_leadgen&amp;itm_content=finance&amp;itm_campaign=10-up-and-coming-fintechs-2019-2"></a> <h3>NOW WATCH: <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/how-groundhogs-predict-weather-origin-history-groundhog-day">How groundhogs became the animal that predicted the weather</a></h3>

'We were kings of the world': WeWork's Adam Neumann fostered a culture of superiority at the troubled coworking startup

<ul><li>In an interview with Business Insider, <keyword id="327937" type="PERSON" weightage="20" keywordseo="Karan-Bajaj">Karan Bajaj</keyword>, CEO of <keyword id="8080458" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="20" keywordseo="WhiteHat-Jr">Whitehat Jr</keyword> said that the company is doubling the number of employees and teachers to meet the 100% month-on-month increase in student enrollments. </li><li>For the non-teaching roles, the startup is looking to hire employees across domains like sales, curriculum creation, operations. </li><li>The minimum compensation we are considering for entry-level employees is ₹500,000 per annum. </li></ul>The <keyword id="1754604" type="PERSON" weightage="20" keywordseo="coronavirus">coronavirus</keyword> pandemic has ushered an era of <keyword id="23248" type="PERSON" weightage="20" keywordseo="Online-learning">online learning</keyword>. As students move to remote learning setup, Indian edtech startup Whitehat Jr has ramped up hiring to meet the surge in enrollments. In an interview with Business Insider, Karan Bajaj, CEO of Whitehat Jr said that the company is doubling the number of employees and teachers to meet the 100% month-on-month increase in student enrollments. ALSO READ: <a target="_blank" class="c-link c-message_attachment__title_link" href="https://www.businessinsider.in/careers/news/uber-has-revoked-job-offers-made-to-graduates-from-iims-mdi-spjimr/articleshow/75740158.cms">Uber has revoked job offers made to graduates from IIMs, MDI, SPJIMR</a> “We have 400 employees and 1,500 teachers as of now and we are doubling on both fronts. If we look at last month (April), we added about 700 people — 500 teachers remotely and 200 employees — despite the lockdown and onboarded all of them virtually,” he said. At a time when companies are downsizing their workforce, the startup, which offers AI courses to children aged between 6-14 years, is also looking to hire professionals from other startups. The teachers will be hired on a contractual basis as they are freelancers and are supposed to work remotely. “Teachers are all on cloud, so we have set up a very strong tech to enable the teachers to facilitate learning. We were able to scale that very well,” he added. <div type="image" title="Snapshot 2" msid="75688788" hostid="261" caption="&amp;lt;p&amp;gt;Online coding classes at Whitehat Jr&amp;lt;/p&amp;gt;"></div> They are onboarding women as teaching staff, who have a strong academic background in STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Maths) in fields such as machine learning and space technology. Women account for 85% of the teaching staff at Whitehat Jr. ALSO READ: <a target="_blank" class="c-link c-message_attachment__title_link" href="https://www.businessinsider.in/policy/economy/news/breaking-down-modi-20-lakh-crore-stimulus-rbi-and-finance-ministry-steps-land-and-labour-laws/articleshow/75709001.cms">RBI and Finance Ministry have already spent nearly half of Narendra Modi’s $270 billion stimulus⁠— watch out for changes to land and labour laws</a> For the non-teaching roles, the startup is looking to hire employees across domains like sales, curriculum creation, operations. “The company is growing at 100% month-on-month. With that kind of doubling up, the tech has to be built more scalably and operations teams have to take care of the growing number of classes. So we need strong resources in every department.” Most of the new hires are expected to have 1-5 years of experience. However, Bajaj said that the startup is hiring across spectrum — team leaders, directors and other middle management roles. So, the experience may vary for them, according to the seniority level. “The minimum compensation we are considering for entry-level employees is ₹500,000 per annum,” he added. Backed by Nexus Venture Partners and Omidyar Network India, the startup is now eyeing global expansion as the enrollments increase exponentially. The company claims that its US business is growing more than 200% every month. “We have a strong 25-member internal recruitment team, and consultants who are giving us hundreds of profiles. People are also applying via social media platforms. So, all mechanisms are open right now,” Bajaj said. SEE ALSO: <a target="_blank" class="c-link c-message_attachment__title_link" href="https://www.businessinsider.in/policy/news/india-chief-economic-advisor-krishnamurthy-subramanian-on-labour-law-changes/articleshow/75709571.cms">India’s Chief Economic Advisor uses the word ‘squatters’ to describe India’s ‘formal’ workforce while pushing for controversial labour law changes</a> <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/business/startups/news/ratan-tatas-advise-to-investors/articleshow/75687743.cms">Ratan Tata’s advice to investors — 'Don't dismiss anything as being too far out'</a> <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/business/startups/news/70-of-oyo-hotels-in-china-have-reopened-and-bookings-are-rising-slowly-the-company-says/articleshow/75687657.cms">70% of OYO hotels in China have reopened ⁠— and bookings are rising slowly, the company says</a>

This edtech startup is looking to hire 1,500 teachers and 400 other staff immediately⁠— CEO says the business is doubling every month

<div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table"><div><div class="image on-image">REUTERS/Andres Martinez Casares/PoolSaudi Arabia's Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman at the G20 summit in Buenos Aires, Argentina, in November 2018.</div></div></div><ul class="summary-list"><li>Saudi Arabia's Public Investment Fund (PIF) has made its first major direct investment in a European startup, participating in a $550 million round into doctor app Babylon Health at a $2 billion valuation. </li><li>PIF, which has $300 billion in assets under management, is taking a growing interest in tech. It has mostly stuck to funding Silicon Valley firms including Uber, Magic Leap, and through SoftBank's $100 billion Vision Fund.</li><li>As PIF turns its attention to Europe, European founders and investors will have to address whether taking Saudi money poses a moral quandary after the Kingdom was linked to the brutal murder of journalist Jamal Khashoggi in October 2018.</li><li>But venture capitalists speaking to Business Insider said there is little concern around taking money from investors with links to Saudia Arabia and, if anything, people are warier of China.</li><li><a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/prime?module=article&amp;area=summary">Click here for more BI Prime stories</a>.</li></ul>Saudi Arabia's Public Investment Fund (PIF) has made its first major, direct investment in a European tech company, participating in a $550 million funding round in Babylon Health.The round values Babylon Health at $2 billion, and will help fund the company's expansion to the US and Asia. Other backers included an unnamed US insurer, German insurance fund Ergo, and existing funders Kinnevik and Vostok New Ventures.Babylon said it had closed $450 million of the round, and expected the final close of $550 million "shortly." A spokesman did not immediately respond to a request for clarification.Babylon Health offers video consultations with doctors, as well as a chatbot that checks people's symptoms. It has caused some controversy <a href="https://www.wired.co.uk/article/babylon-health-nhs">over its impact on NHS funding and resources</a>.The PIF investment cements two new trends: the emergence of sovereign wealth funds in European tech, and the growing amount of Saudi-connected cash flowing into the European startup ecosystem.The question is whether this raises a moral dilemma for founders and investors, given the Kingdom <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/world/2019/jun/19/jamal-khashoggi-killing-saudi-crown-prince-mohammed-bin-salman-evidence-un-report">was linked with the brutal murder</a> of US journalist and dissident Jamal Khashoggi in October 2018.The horror over Khashoggi's murder prompted some soul-searching in Silicon Valley, where tech firms have accepted billions either directly from the PIF or from SoftBank's Saudi-backed $100 billion Vision Fund.About $45 billion of SoftBank's first Vision Fund comes from PIF. Uber has also raised $3.5 billion directly from PIF. WeWork accepted $4.4 billion from the Vision Fund. PIF has also invested directly in Magic Leap and carmaker Lucid Motors.The term Silicon Valley, at least to outsiders, connotes a certain positivity and optimism and a sense that technology is good for the world and humanity. That ethos appears incompatible with a regime that murders its opponents and <a href="https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/politics-news/trump-calls-khashoggi-killing-worst-cover-ever-n923591http:/www.nbcnews.com/politics/politics-news/trump-calls-khashoggi-killing-worst-cover-ever-n923591">then tries to cover it up</a>.WeWork's founder Adam Neumann <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/weworks-ceo-responds-to-question-about-techs-saudi-arabia-problem-2019-5?r=US&amp;IR=T">said tech firms needed to "agree on a certain level of moral standards"</a> when quizzed about Saudi Arabia.Uber CEO Dara Khosrowshahi <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/uber-ceo-dara-khosrowshahi-saudi-deserves-board-seat-jamal-khashoggi-2018-11?r=US&amp;IR=T">said in November 2018</a> that he was "anxious" about Khashoggi's killing. And in November, <a href="https://webcast.softbank.jp/en/detail/video/ref:20181105_01_en"> SoftBank's CEO Masayoshi Son denounced</a> the "horrific and deeply regrettable act," condemning the murder as an "act against humanity, journalism, and free speech."Privately, some deals have fallen through. <a href="https://www.vox.com/2018/10/24/18020282/saudi-arabia-silicon-valley-investors-venture-capital-money">Recode reported last October</a> that at least one US fund manager cut off investment talks with Saudi Arabia over Khashoggi's murder. Sequoia also reportedly has no backing from PIF in its latest funds, despite other Saudi connections.<h2>Now Saudi money is beginning to flow into European tech</h2><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table"><div><div class="image on-image">BabylonBabylon Health CEO Ali Parsa.</div></div></div>Even with the Babylon investment, there is less Saudi money flowing around European tech - at least in public view.Since Khashoggi's murder last year, SoftBank's Vision Fund has led a $440 million round in UK lender OakNorth, and a $484 million round in German travel guide GetYourGuide.Earlier investments include car dealer Auto1. Saudi Arabia's Kingdom Holding Company has also invested into French music streaming startup Deezer.Aside from these direct investments, there's the question of how many European venture capital firms may have Saudi-connected limited partners. Venture capitalists aren't generally required to disclose their LPs publicly.Investors who spoke to Business Insider were mixed on whether founders or venture capitalists would really be too high-minded about Saudi money.Read more: <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/wework-uber-oyo-what-like-living-on-softbank-companies-2019-7">I spent 24 hours living on SoftBank services like Uber, WeWork, and Oyo. It revealed some flaws in Masayoshi Son's grand $100 billion investment vision.</a>One investor, who backs both European and US startups, felt founders were thinking more about the origins of funding. "Founders are asking, 'Where does this money come from?'" the person said.But another European investor simply said "No" when asked, and said venture capitalists were currently more concerned with taking money from China, thanks to greater scrutiny on Chinese investments both in the US <a href="https://www.wsj.com/articles/eu-to-step-up-review-of-foreign-investments-1542742945">and Europe</a>.A third investor added: "Sadly the money goes deeper than direct investments... How many startups do you know that would refuse the SoftBank Vision Fund? That's mostly despot money."The person added that scrutinizing the big funds of funds, which back venture capital firms, might expose lots of unethical money. "Plenty of oil money in the mix if you go up many of those chains." <div class="margin-top"> <h3>NOW WATCH: <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/amazon-ceo-jeff-bezos-richest-person-net-worth-billions-2018-12">Jeff Bezos is worth over $160 billion - here's how the world's richest man makes and spends his money</a></h3> <div> </div> </div>

Saudi Arabia just made its first direct investment in a European startup, and it supports a VC theory about the kingdom's power in tech

<keyword id="6391709" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="20" keywordseo="Net-neutrality">Net neutrality</keyword> has become a raging issue in the country and over the last one month everybody has been talking about it. Net neutrality is the concept that makes it mandatory for all service providers to offer access to consumers to all content on the internet including websites and applications, irrespective of the source and no special favors or blocking of any applications or websites. 
 Unfortunately, the giant telecos in the country are lobbying against this. Common users as well as many corporates, especially in those in the tech domain are coming out to support net neutrality. The huge debate erupted when <keyword id="15491" type="COMPANY" weightage="20" keywordseo="Airtel">Airtel</keyword> came up with Zero programme and e-commerce giant Flipkart decided to party with it. Post the huge outburst on the social media, Flipkart announced that it was walking away from the Zero initiative. 
 Airtel too has come out and said that it is not against net Neutrality in India and the company is now looking at reaching out to its customers through direct mails. The mail quotes <keyword id="521074" type="PERSON" weightage="20" keywordseo="Gopal-Vittal">Gopal Vittal</keyword>, MD and CEO of Airtel, who states, “Our vision is to have every Indian on the internet. There are millions of Indians who think that the internet is expensive and do not know what it can do for them. We believe that every Indian has the right to be on the internet. We know that if we allow them to experience the joys of the internet they will join the digital revolution” 
 
Talking specifically about the recent controversy, Vittal says, “There has been a deliberate effort by some quarters to confuse people that we will offer differential speeds or differential access for different sites. This is untrue. After all we earn revenues from data. If there are more customers who are on the Internet the better it is for our business. Our revenues are not dependent on which sites they visit because we charge on the basis of consumption of mega bytes not which site they visited.” 
 
<a href="http://www.in.techradar.com/news/internet/broadband/What-is-net-neutrality-and-why-does-it-matter/articleshow/38479919.cms">Read Also: Net Neutrality and Why does it matter?</a> 
 
Even Cellular Operators Association in India (COAI) has come up and shared that it is all up for net neutrality. In its statement it also made a strong pitch for ‘Net Equality’ that will enable access to Internet for a Billion Indians as part of the Government’s Digital India vision. 
 
The Association urged all stakeholders to have a comprehensive and informed debate on the subject of Net Neutrality keeping in mind the requirements of India and its citizens. An important and complex subject such as this, which is still being debated in many countries, which has taken years to conclude in many other countries and which is the subject of litigation in some, should not be left to the opinion of a few. 
 
It further said, “We need the same spirit to connect a Billion Indians to the Internet. This means innovations across the ecosystem – affordable smartphones, more efficient networks, even more broad ranging applications (especially in areas such as education, health, governance) and pricing flexibility – that promotes greater digital inclusion. Only then can our citizens in rural India, or from a lower economic strata, be empowered through internet access”. 
 
A lot of top men in corporate and technology world too have come in support of net neutrality. Here is a snapshot of what some of the leading players in the industry have to say 
 
 
Ritesh Agarwal CEO, OYO Rooms (revolutionary budget hotel) in support of net neutrality said, “Net neutrality is absolutely essential for a free and competitive market especially now since there is a start- up boom in the country particularly in the online sector. Most importantly Internet was created to break boundaries and as concerned industry players, we should maintain that. We support net neutrality and will do all needed to build this further.” 
 
Manav Sethi, Group CMO, Askme believes, "Internet is an essential service and should be provided without any discrimination, zero rating platforms can seriously affect the freedom and growth of the billions of entrepreneurs, quite against the ‘Make in India’ and ‘Digital India’ vision of our government. Any violation of internet neutrality can have a serious bearing on effective and fair competition in the market place. We feel it’s the government’s responsibility to ensure a level playing field for home grown entrepreneurs and at the same time protect the interests of netizens." 
 
Rajesh Magow, Co-Founder and CEO-India, MakeMyTrip says, "We are committed to a free internet and fully support Net Neutrality. Innovation is core to our DNA and a free internet will foster innovation and boost the pace of economic growth of the country. A 2011 McKinsey Report on ‘The Impact Of Internet On Economic Growth &amp; Prosperity’ suggests that higher internet penetration leads to a rise in living standard and drives business transformation and economic modernization. In light of this analysis, it will be important for India to not only accelerate the penetration of internet, but also make sure that the next set of mobile-first users who are coming online from Tier-2 and Tier-3 cities find valuable services, in a language they understand, on the internet. We urge all government departments to consider how internet can be integrated in their respective areas, in order to provide value to this first-time internet user, instead of treating the internet as a separate vertical. We would also like to propose a democratic network-neutral platform, where companies can come together to build solutions for these first-time internet users (in their native languages), to support the growth and penetration of internet in India, without any commercial arrangement between the parties involved." 
 
Tripti Lochan, CEO VML says, “Keeping neutrality of data is sacred. It levels the playing field and as a country gives us hope - that we are about enterprise and not just about scale, where big eats small. It's about a very simple fundamental principle - equality. Today, consciously, let's make a choice that counts.” 
 
Kallol Borah, CEO &amp; Founder, Lukup Media believes, "The internet needs to be neutral - no internet application provider ‎or consumer should be deprived of or get a different treatment based on a special contract or payment made to the telecom or internet service provider. However, we all know that telecom and internet infrastructure requires huge investments and since that infrastructure is so poor and is not available to all, there is a case for a levy made equally on all internet application providers by internet service providers based on outgoing traffic that such internet application providers consume. So, if a website sends out X GB of data another website sends out Y GB of data, they will pay an additional charge per GB to the internet service provider." 
 
Lead Image: Thinkstock

You Searched For "oyo controversy" and got 9 results

It's a stormy time for two of India's biggest startup brands

Sanchita Dash

Meet the Indian on Facebook's oversight board which will police content on Facebook and Instagram

Sanchita Dash

Pegasus scandal: No transaction with NSO Group which deals with spyware, says India's defence ministry

PTI

India’s biggest startups are faced with growing resistance from industry bodies

Sanchita Dash

Patanjali’s Acharya Balkrishna is the biggest loser on Hurun’s Rich List of Indian billionaires

Prabhjote Gill

'We were kings of the world': WeWork's Adam Neumann fostered a culture of superiority at the troubled coworking startup

Theron Mohamed

This edtech startup is looking to hire 1,500 teachers and 400 other staff immediately⁠— CEO says the business is doubling every month

Prerna Sindwani

Saudi Arabia just made its first direct investment in a European startup, and it supports a VC theory about the kingdom's power in tech

Shona Ghosh

Net neutrality: What The Top People in Industry Have to Say

Tech Radar India

Popular Keywords

Buying Guides