Microsoft CEO Satya <keyword id="2045946" type="PERSON" weightage="20" keywordseo="Nadella">Nadella</keyword> is on a three-day visit to India to share his vision of the <keyword id="2059551" type="PERSON" weightage="20" keywordseo="future-of-technology">future of technology</keyword>. Indian CEOs are Nadella’s primary audience and he has fireside chats lined up to deliberate on how technology will shape the world in the years to come. Nadella could also meet PM <keyword id="6354477" type="PERSON" weightage="20" keywordseo="Narendra-Modi">Narendra Modi</keyword>, and interestingly, his visit coincides with that of Trump, who <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/india/news/day-one-of-donald-trumps-india-visit-these-are-all-the-highlights/articleshow/74277019.cms">arrived in India</a> just a few hours ago. During the opening keynote at the Future Decoded CEO Summit, 2020, Nadella listed out how Indian companies are using Microsoft products to streamline their businesses. Here’s a quick snapshot of what he said: Piramal Glass implements RTMI 
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 Piramal Glass, one of the leading manufacturers of glass packaging for pharmaceuticals, cosmetics and the beverage industry started implementing Real Time Manufacturing Insights (RTMI). The company has used IoT sensors in its production line to get a feedback loop for quality control. IoT sensors are connected to the cloud; and alerts are sent via SMS, email, and push notifications when an anomaly is detected, or the production efficiency drops. Reliance Industries uses Microsoft products across industries 
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 Reliance Industries is using Microsoft’s products to develop its platforms from diverse industries like network to retail. The company is using Azure Cloud in their own data centres for developing stack, LinkedIn for improving learning, hiring practices and more. Apollo Hospitals is using AI and ML develop a localised cardiac risk score 
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 Apollo Hospitals has teamed up with Microsoft to use machine learning for developing artificial intelligence powered cardiovascular disease risk score. This has helped Apollo Hospitals develop a non-biased cardiac risk score for Indian population. Apollo Hospital’s senior consultant for interventional cardiology, Dr Shiv Kumar has said that this score is twice as accurate as the existing models. State Bank of India builds a frontline sales app 
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 After two employees of SBI’s Trivandrum branch took the initiative to build a Power app to help their frontline salespeople, State Bank of India has rolled out this application to more than 200 branches. Myntra uses Azure for supply chain management 
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 Fashion and lifestyle portal Myntra has migrated to Azure for all its functions – from supply chain management to site capabilities. By centralizing its data platform, Myntra is applying advanced analytics and machine learning to understand customer preferences and provide personalized products and marketing. Myntra is also using Microsoft Power BI to allow its employees to act on real time feedback to provide a better customer experience. InMobi uses Azure to get a 360-degree view of customers 
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 Bengaluru based enterprise platform provider InMobi partnered with Microsoft to use Azure as the company’s preferred cloud provider. The company via its InMobi Marketing Cloud enables marketers get a 360-degree view of customers. The insights will help design customer journey; analyses and acts on customer feedback across channels. Udaan uses Azure for a lean engineering setup 
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 Udaan, which is one of India’s largest online B2B marketplace, has been running on the Azure platform since the beginning. The company’s co-founder, Amod Malviya, credits Azure for allowing the company to have an extremely lean engineering setup. Project HAMS uses camera sensors to ensure driver safety 
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 Indian cab aggregator is currently looking to implement Microsoft’s Project HAMS (Harnessing AutoMobiles for Safety). Project HAMS uses a smartphone’s rear camera, selfie camera and accelerometer to ensure that the driver is driving safely. The company may also use this to decide whether to lease a car to someone or not. Eros Now uses AI to learn how its users interact 
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 Eros Now has built its media production facility on Azure. The company is also using AI to change how users interact and improve voice search for video content. Eros has also created an engine to offer personalized recommendations to users. Narayana Health uses Power BI to optimize its costs 
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 The Narayana Health group is using analytics tools like Power BI dashboards to get real-time financial information from its hospitals. It also uses these tools to monitor and analyse nurse hours, daily. Power BI tools have also helped in optimizing costs for reducing turn-around time for labs, monitoring costs of consumables, predicting blood requirement and overall reduction in costs to patients. Royal Enfield uses Dynamics 365 to maintain service histories and job cards 
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 Royal Enfield has used Microsoft Dynamics 365 to implement a Dealer Management System that allows the salesmen to maintain a customer’s profile. A similar system is used at service centres to view service histories and create new job cards for vehicles. Eureka Forbes uses Dynamics 365 for marketing 
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 Water purifier Eureka Forbes implemented Dynamics 365 in the back end to provide digital leads and customer insights to salespeople. The company uses a cloud-based SaaS model for front-end apps that allow the salespeople to access the water quality of a particular area and select the right product to sell. Novartis India, Sterlite Power and Genpact have been using LinkedIn to improve learning, recruiting and marketing practices in the companies. Mindtree and Mahindra Group are using Microsoft Teams for communication and collaboration within the organisations. See also: <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/business/corporates/news/microsoft-top-boss-satya-nadellas-conversation-with-mukesh-ambani-asias-richest-man/articleshow/74278962.cms">Microsoft top boss Satya Nadella's conversation with Mukesh Ambani, Asia's richest man</a> <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/tech/enterprise/news/as-microsoft-makes-one-its-fastest-growing-cloud-software-businesses-available-for-government-it-will-ramp-up-pressure-on-rivals-like-salesforce-analysts-say/articleshow/74259902.cms">As Microsoft makes one its fastest-growing cloud software businesses available for government, it will ramp up pressure on rivals like Salesforce, analysts say</a>

From Royal Enfield to Reliance Industries – Nadella lists out how Indian companies are using Microsoft products

New Delhi, Feb 14 () US President Donald Trump on his maiden trip to India will meet the country's top business leaders here on February 25, in a bid to push for deeper trade and business relations between the two nations, sources said on Friday. A CEO's Round-table will be organised to facilitate a meeting between the US President and corporate honchos from the world's fifth-largest economy in the national capital. Senior bureaucrats are also expected to attend the meeting, besides top executives from American corporations. Billionaires including Reliance Industries CMD Mukesh Ambani, Bharti Airtel Chairman Sunil Bharti Mittal, Tata Sons Chairman N Chandrasekaran, Mahindra Group Chairman Anand Mahindra, Larsen and Toubro Chairman A M Naik and Biocon CMD Kiran Mazumdar Shaw are expected to attend the round-table meeting with Trump, one of the sources said adding that the US Embassy in New Delhi is coordinating the event while the list of attendees has been shared with the White House for clearance. The Confederation of Indian Industry and US-India business bodies have suggested the names of Indian executives for the Trump meeting, which are being reviewed currently, another source said. Microsoft Corp has announced that its Chief Executive Officer (CEO) Satya Nadella will also visit India later this month. While the company confirmed the visit of the top executive, it did not give details about his itinerary. At the invitation of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Trump is slated to travel to India on February 24 and 25. RSN ANZ HRS

Trump to meet India Inc top brass on Feb 25

<ul class="summary-list"><li>The Indian economy has grown strongly under Narendra Modi, whose party is set to win another term.</li><li>India's success has caught the eye of figures including Elon Musk, Jamie Dimon, and Tim Cook.</li></ul>India's powerful economic growth and blossoming middle class under Narendra Modi have caught the eye of corporate titans like Elon Musk, Jamie Dimon, and Tim Cook.Modi is pretty much a shoo-in for a third term as prime minister after the national election now underway ends on June 1. But the work starts there, as he'll have to navigate thorny issues such as youth unemployment, income inequality, and reliance on sanctioned Russian oil.<h2>Fueling growth and shaking hands</h2>India's economy has more than doubled in size during Modi's decade in charge to more than $3.7 trillion last year.The International Monetary Fund (IMF) <a target="_blank" href="https://www.imf.org/en/Blogs/Articles/2024/04/29/asias-growth-and-inflation-outlook-improves-but-risks-remain">recently upgraded</a> its growth forecast for real Gross Domestic Product (GDP) to a robust 7.8% this year, 6.8% in 2025, and 6.5% in 2026.India has already overtaken Britain to become the world's fifth-largest economy. It's on track to leapfrog Japan and Germany into third spot behind the US and China by 2027.The country's flagship stock index has also tripled in value since Modi took office in May 2014, thanks to wealth gains and growing investment appetites.Moreover, <a target="_blank" href="https://sbi.co.in/documents/13958/36530824/270224-HCES_Feb24.pdf">one estimate</a> puts the percentage of the Indian population living on less than $2.15 a day at below 5%, down from 12% in 2011. However, the <a target="_blank" href="https://pip.worldbank.org/country-profiles/IND">World Bank</a> pegged that figure at nearly 13% in 2021.India's middle class has also ballooned with 60 million people now earning the rupee equivalent of more $10,000 a year — about $37,200 once adjusted for <a target="_blank" href="https://www.imf.org/external/datamapper/profile/IND">purchasing power</a>. Goldman Sachs <a target="_blank" href="https://www.goldmansachs.com/intelligence/pages/indias-affluent-population-is-likely-to-hit-100-million-by-2027.html">expects</a> the ranks of the relatively affluent to swell to 100 million by 2027."Modi has done an unbelievable job in India," JPMorgan's Dimon <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/jpmorgan-jamie-dimon-economy-inflation-recession-stagflation-geopolitics-crypto-bitcoin-2024-4">told</a> the Economic Club of New York last month. "I know the liberal press here, they beat the hell out of him. He's taken 400 million people out of poverty."Musk has <a target="_blank" href="https://twitter.com/elonmusk/status/1781541775183610310">posted</a> on X that he's looking forward to visiting India and meeting Modi this year. He delayed his trip last month, blaming "very heavy Tesla obligations." The pair are expected to discuss Tesla building a multibillion-dollar factory in the country.As for Apple's Cook, he hailed India on a November earnings call as an "incredibly exciting market" and a "<a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/apple-tim-cook-obsessed-india-consumers-iphone-2023-7">major focus of ours</a>" given the explosive growth in potential customers as locals get richer.<div type="image" title="Sundar Pichai, Tim Cook, Narendra Modi, Joe Biden" height="3907" width="5861" msid="109838230" hostid="261" sizebytes="846512"></div>Modi has also met with Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang, Microsoft boss Satya Nadella, and Alphabet's Sundar Pichai. He's likely to be seeking to attract foreign direct investment (FDI) in India — and to capitalize on bosses' <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/us-china-relations-reshoring-manufacturing-jobs-made-in-america-2023-10">desire to hedge their bets on China</a> given its strained relationship with the US, economic woes, and how disruptive its strict pandemic lockdowns were to global supply chains."India's population and economic growth numbers are causing a lot of global executives to revisit their India presence and consider scaling up," Richard Rossow, a senior advisor and chair in US-India Policy Studies at the Center for Strategic &amp; International Studies, told Business Insider."Paired with increased concerns about supply chain resilience and security concerns about China, it's a very good time for a hard push to win investments."The United Nations said that India and China both had a population of 1.426 billion in April last year, meaning India is probably now the most populous given its rising birth rate.<h2>Change for the better — mostly</h2>Modi has instigated a raft of major economic reforms since taking office, intended to make India more business-friendly, and boost government revenues by taxing more of the country's vast informal economy.He rolled out a tax on goods and services, simplified bankruptcy laws, lifted FDI restrictions, cut corporate income tax, and ended retrospective taxation.However, not all of Modi's moves spurred growth."Demonetisation was a key economic policy which had negative effects on the economy," Kunal Sen, a director of the United Nations University World Institute for Development Economics, told BI.Sen is the author of several books about India's economy and a professor of development economics at the University of Manchester.He was referring to Modi's sudden declaration in November 2016 that all 500 and 1,000-rupee bills — 86% of Indian currency in circulation — would <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/india-ending-500-and-1000-rupee-bills-to-fight-corruption-2016-11">no longer be accepted as legal tender</a>.The government's goals were to capture undeclared income, get rid of counterfeit currency, broaden the tax base, and bring more activities into the formal economy."The other key economic policy was JAM — the trinity of bank accounts for the poor, mobile numbers and a biometric card. This last economic policy has been revolutionary," Sen said.He was hailing a broader digitization drive under Modi that has <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.in/business/news/how-indias-digital-payments-ecosystem-has-evolved-in-the-last-one-year/slidelist/90595832.cms">transformed</a> how Indians bank, invest, pay their taxes, and conduct business.<h2>Prosperity for all</h2>Modi's efforts have helped to usher in a more prosperous era for some Indians, but many have been left behind.Young people are India's beating heart, with about half its population under 25 and almost two-thirds under 35. Matching those hundreds of millions of people with jobs has proven a challenge, with youth unemployment almost tripling from below 6% in 2000 to about 18% in 2019. It still stands at a hefty 10% in 2023, per the <a target="_blank" href="https://webapps.ilo.org/wcmsp5/groups/public/---asia/---ro-bangkok/---sro-new_delhi/documents/publication/wcms_921154.pdf">International Labor Organization</a>.The report found that nearly 30% of India's graduates were unemployed in 2022, and only about 10% of the working-age population was formally employed.<div type="image" title="A farmer uses oxen to plow fields for lentils in Nimaj, Rajasthan, northern India." height="3464" width="5196" msid="109838232" hostid="261" sizebytes="690700"></div>"Unemployment is a big issue," Rossow said, emphasizing this isn't just a problem with recent graduates but a "much, much larger bubble: the underemployed farm laborers."Rising agricultural productivity is likely to help farm workers make a faster transition to city life in the years ahead, but they'll struggle to secure modern jobs in the services industry "without significant reskilling and education," Rossow said.As a result, lower-skilled manufacturing and assembly jobs and lower-end services jobs will be needed, he added.Another major challenge will be tackling a widening wealth divide. The richest 10% of the population hold more than 72% of the nation's wealth, per an Oxfam report <a target="_blank" href="https://d1ns4ht6ytuzzo.cloudfront.net/oxfamdata/oxfamdatapublic/2023-01/India%20Supplement%202023_digital.pdf?">published</a> last year.Business tycoons Mukesh Ambani and Gautam Adani both rank among the world's 15 richest people, per the <a target="_blank" href="https://www.bloomberg.com/billionaires/">Bloomberg Billionaires Index</a>. Luxury-goods sales are booming with <a target="_blank" href="https://www.carwale.com/news/mercedesbenz-lineups-waiting-period-reduced-in-india/">long waitlists</a> for flashy purchases like the Mercedes "G Wagon."<div type="image" title="The Ambani family onstage with Rihanna." height="854" width="1280" msid="109838233" hostid="261" sizebytes="99148"></div>The <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/anant-ambani-pre-wedding-festivities-lack-empathy-india-radhika-merchant-2024-3">lavish pre-wedding party</a> thrown by the Ambani family earlier this year was singled out by some as an affront to the huge number of Indians living in poverty.Almost 1.3 billion people live on less than $3,500 a year by one estimate, and India ranks 111th on the <a target="_blank" href="https://www.globalhungerindex.org/ranking.html">Global Hunger Index</a>, below even North Korea.Rising equality is partly explained by a "capital-intensive mode of economic growth along with increasing power of business conglomerates," Sen told BI, referring to how huge companies like the Adani Group secure huge government contracts to build ports, bridges, highways, and other infrastructure.A third challenge is regional inequality, as some states like Bihar and Uttar Pradesh haven't experienced the same growth and modernization of their economies as others, Rossow said.<h2>The Russia riddle</h2>One striking aspect of Modi's economic boom has been its reliance on Russia since it invaded Ukraine in early 2022.India went from getting 2% of its crude oil from Russia before the war, to 35% last year. During that period, the US and Europe slapped sanctions on Russian oil to defund Putin's military machine and punish Moscow for attacking a sovereign nation.Despite that, India purchased an estimated $37 billion of Moscow's oil in 2023 — 13 times the amount it bought annually prior to the conflict. Its buying helped Russia rake in a <a target="_blank" href="https://markets.businessinsider.com/news/commodities/russia-economy-oil-sales-india-ukraine-war-moscow-western-sanctions-2024-2">record $320 billion</a> of federal revenue last year.Indian demand for Russian oil has <a target="_blank" href="https://markets.businessinsider.com/news/commodities/russia-oil-trade-crude-india-discount-barrel-sanctions-price-cap-2024-2">cooled</a> in recent months as new sanctions have made it <a target="_blank" href="https://markets.businessinsider.com/news/commodities/russia-economy-oil-energy-exports-india-imports-revenue-sanctions-discount-2024-3">more expensive</a>, but the buying remains controversial.Officials in India have <a target="_blank" href="https://markets.businessinsider.com/news/commodities/crude-oil-prices-india-russia-trade-geopolitics-opec-supply-puri-2024-2">defended</a> the purchases, saying that if they'd bought Middle Eastern oil instead, global crude prices would have shot up.India is also one of the world's largest oil refiners and has helped Western nations to maintain access to refined petroleum products even as they're refraining from buying Russian crude directly.Yet the country imports 85% of its oil, so its overriding interest is securing the cheapest oil possible to support its development, said Neelima Jain, a senior fellow and chair in US India Policy Studies at CSIS."India will continue to buy Russian oil if the price remains favorable and allows for firm volume guarantees, as the country prioritizes energy affordability and accessibility during its rapid rural-to-urban transition, which has led to a 6% year-on-year growth in energy demand," she told BI."In an inflationary environment, economics [rather] than geopolitics will drive India's energy choices."<div type="image" title="Narendra Modi and Vladimir Putin" height="3196" width="4714" msid="109838234" hostid="261" sizebytes="426292"></div><h2>India the IT hub</h2>Under Modi, India has made big strides in modernizing its economy, combating bureaucracy, and appealing to foreign investors.Big Tech stalwarts like Microsoft have a <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/microsoft-has-so-many-patents-its-outsourced-the-job-to-india-2013-5">long history</a> of outsourcing to India, but recent efforts to cut red tape and slash corporate taxes appear to have fueled fresh interest.Sweeping layoffs at Alphabet, Amazon, Meta, Salesforce and other US tech titans in the past few years could presage a large exodus of jobs to India.Sanjay Shetty of Randstad India <a target="_blank" href="https://economictimes.indiatimes.com/tech/technology/outsourcing-hubs-like-india-to-bag-40-of-jobs-lost-to-layoffs/articleshow/101088673.cms?">told The Economic Times</a> last summer that he expected 30% to 40% of the tech jobs eliminated globally to move to India by 2025."India is going to be the biggest gainer in the medium to long term, as almost every company that we speak to is looking at expanding its India base," Shetty said.Even if that pans out, it won't be a panacea for a country facing not just unemployment and underemployment, but also stark income inequality, regional disparities, and the risk of alienating Western allies by continuing to buy Russian oil.Yet overall, India appears to be headed in the right direction."The growth is real, if focused on a few key states," Rossow said. "India's dynamic technology services sector is to IT services what China is to manufacturing. So there is much to cheer, even as the reform agenda seems to never end."

Tech titans love Modi's economic powerhouse India — despite mass unemployment and abject poverty 

<ul class="summary-list"><li>Elon Musk and Mark Zuckerberg should probably be feeling a little embarrassed now.</li><li>This week, the tech billionaires discussed cage fighting as a way to settle their disputes.</li></ul>The CEOs of Apple, Google, and Microsoft attended a White House dinner with India's prime minister, Narendra Modi, on Thursday as Elon Musk and Mark Zuckerberg <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/elon-musk-mark-zuckerberg-twitter-meta-cage-fight-2023-6">escalated their beef with each other. </a>Tim Cook, Sundar Pichai, and Satya Nadella appeared as Silicon Valley's adults in the room when they visited Washington for President Joe Biden's state dinner during a crucial diplomatic visit to the US by Modi this week, <a href="https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2023-06-22/apple-google-microsoft-ceos-attend-modi-dinner-at-white-house?utm_source=website&amp;utm_medium=share&amp;utm_campaign=twitter#xj4y7vzkg" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Bloomberg reported.</a>The dinner's guest list also included a wide range of high-profile figures and celebrities, including Ralph Lauren, James Murdoch, and Indian billionaire Mukesh Ambani, <a href="https://www.whitehouse.gov/briefing-room/statements-releases/2023/06/22/white-house-releases-state-dinner-guest-list-2/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">per a list of attendees published by the White House.</a> <a href="https://markets.businessinsider.com/news/stocks/modi-heads-to-washington-to-talk-oil-arms-and-indias-sovereignty-1032402748">Modi's visit to the US this week</a> has been a crucial one for Biden, as the White House looks to build closer ties with India. The meeting was held amid growing hostilities with China over its increased aggression towards Taiwan and its economic decoupling with the US. Though Musk and Zuckerberg weren't on the guest list, their absence from the dinner this week comes at an embarrassing moment for the tech billionaires. The Twitter owner and world's richest man chose to escalate his rivalry with the Meta boss this week by <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/mark-zuckerberg-elon-musk-cage-match-send-location-jiu-jitsu-2023-6">challenging him to a cage fight on Tuesday</a>. Zuckerberg responded to the challenge by asking Musk to "send me location" on an Instagram post. On Thursday, the same day the White House dinner took place, <a href="https://twitter.com/elonmusk/status/1672004064480034816?s=20" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Musk tweeted "let's go full MMA,"</a> suggesting that his fight with Zuckerberg should involve the style of combat seen in UFC bouts. Musk and Zuckerberg have beefed with each other for some time, but recently become more antagonistic amid <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/meta-considered-twitter-competitor-amid-elon-musk-crisis-report-2022-12">reports that Zuckerberg plans to launch a rival service to Twitter.</a> Musk and Meta did not immediately respond to Insider's request for comment made outside of normal working hours.

While Musk and Zuck escalated their playground squabbles, the adults at Apple, Google, and Microsoft met Modi at the White House

New Delhi, Dec 27 () A grouping of Indian and Indian-origin professionals working with tech giants like Google, Uber, Amazon and Facebook have written an open letter against the new religion-based citizenship law and the planned national register of citizens, terming them as "fascist".
 They urged business leaders like Sundar Pichai, Satya Nadella and Mukesh Ambani to "take a stance and publicly denounce the fascist acts by the Indian government".
 The letter by 'TechAgainstFascism' on online publishing platform Medium also urged the leaders to refuse to shut off the Internet at the "government's whim" and to ensure that content moderation is not skewing pro-government.
 This comes at a time when thousands of Indians across the country are protesting the amended citizenship law and the planned National Register of Citizens (NRC). On several occasions, these protests turned violent and have left around 20 dead and several injured in clashes with the police.
 WhatsApp and social media platforms like Facebook and Twitter have played a key role in providing a platform to people to voice their opinion against and in favour of the Citizen Amendment Act.
 "We - engineers, researchers, analysts, and designers - of the technology industry, unflinchingly condemn the fascist Indian government and the brutality it enacts on citizens. The state-sponsored brutality against protestors must stop immediately," the letter said.
 These employees -- who claim to be located across San Francisco, Seattle, London, Israel and Bengaluru -- added that the opinions expressed are their own and do not reflect those of their employers.
 "The CAA, 2019 combined with the NRC, is a deeply anti-Muslim scheme that will create greater statelessness and global disparity for Muslims, growing worse with India's economic decline and climate change," the letter said.
 It pointed out that with record high unemployment levels, plummeting growth, and rising farmer suicides, such "ultra-nationalist and diversionary tactics are attempts by the Indian government to mask over its incompetence" over the biggest socio-economic crises in the country.
 The over 150 signatories argued that Internet -- an open ecosystem that tech workers have worked hard to build and humanity benefits from -- is banned in places like Assam, Delhi and Kashmir.
 "While portraying India as marching towards 'Digital India' and courting tech company business investment, the regressive government views the Internet as a political tool for suppression of citizen dissent, while utilising the same networks to organise and spread fake content," they alleged.
 The employees called upon technology leaders like Sundar Pichai (Alphabet), Satya Nadella (Microsoft), Mark Zuckerberg (Facebook), Jack Dorsey (Twitter), Dara Khosrowshahi (Uber), Mukesh Ambani (Jio), Gopal Vittal (Bharti Airtel), Kalyan Krishnamurthy (Flipkart), and Shantanu Narayen (Adobe) to "take a stance and publicly denounce the fascist acts by the Indian government".
 The employees urged the leaders to use technology as a force for good, to refuse to share user details with the government, refuse to shut off the Internet at the government's whim, provide tools for citizen mobilisation, and ensure that content moderation is not skewing pro-government. SR MBI ANZ ABM
ABM

Indian techies pen open letter again citizenship bill

<ul><li>Microsoft has reportedly laid off 50 production workers in its editorial staff.</li><li>As per reports, the workers have been replaced with AI-based algorithms.</li></ul> Microsoft is reportedly laying off at least 50 news production workers and replacing them with artificial intelligence (AI)-based algorithms to perform their editorial duties. According to a report in the Seattle Times on Saturday, the roughly 50 employees — contracted through staffing agencies Aquent, IFG and MAQ Consulting — have been notified "that their services would no longer be needed beyond June 30". These news production contractors work with Microsoft News, the company's news content arm that operates MSN.com and other properties. A Microsoft spokesperson said in a statement that like all companies, they evaluate business on a regular basis. "This can result in increased investment in some places and, from time to time, redeployment in others. These decisions are not the result of the current pandemic," said the Microsoft spokesperson. Some employees told Seattle Times that "MSN will use AI to replace the production work they'd been doing". The work includes using algorithms to identify trending news stories from dozens of publishing partners, rewrite headlines or adding better photographs or slide shows. Besides the production work, the contract employees also planned content, maintained the editorial calendars of partner news websites and assigned content to them. SEE ALSO: <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/business/corporates/news/microsoft-mukesh-ambani-reliance-jio-are-partners-but-satya-nadella-wants-more/articleshow/76057690.cms">Microsoft and Mukesh Ambani's Reliance Jio are already partners in India⁠— but Satya Nadella reportedly wants more</a> <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/tech/enterprise/news/the-ceo-of-slack-says-that-microsoft-is-unhealthily-preoccupied-with-killing-the-company-because-it-threatens-email/articleshow/76016110.cms">The CEO of Slack says that Microsoft is 'unhealthily preoccupied' with 'killing' the company because it threatens email</a>

Microsoft is replacing some of its editorial staff with AI

IT major <keyword id="10862" type="CITY" weightage="20" keywordseo="Wipro">Wipro</keyword> on Friday announced the appointment of <keyword id="3808309" type="PERSON" weightage="20" keywordseo="thierry-delaporte">Thierry Delaporte</keyword> as the Chief Executive Officer and Managing Director of the company with effect from July 6, 2020. He will be based in Paris and report to Chairman <keyword id="197349" type="PERSON" weightage="20" keywordseo="Rishad-Premji">Rishad Premji</keyword>, Wipro said in a regulatory filing. Until recently, Thierry Delaporte was the Chief Operating Officer of <keyword id="9309979" type="COMPANY" weightage="20" keywordseo="the-capgemini-group">the Capgemini Group</keyword> and a member of its Group Executive Board. During his 25-year career with Capgemini, he held several leadership roles, including that of the Chief Executive Officer of the Global Financial Services Strategic Business Unit, and head of all global service lines. He also oversaw Capgemini's lndia operations, and led the group's transformation agenda, conceptualising and driving several strategic programs across various business units. Abidali Neemuchwala will relinquish his position as CEO and MD on June 1. Rishad Premji will oversee the day to day operations of the company until July 5, the regulatory filing. Premji said: "Thierry has an exceptional leadership track record, strong international exposure, deep strategic expertise, a unique ability to forge long-standing client relationships, and proven experience of driving transformation and managing technological disruption. We believe that Thierry is the right person to lead Wipro in its next phase of growth." "l want to thank Abid for all that he has done for Wipro and for making this transition as smooth and seamless as possible despite his personal commitments," he added. Thierry has a Bachelor's degree in Economy and Finance from Sciences Po Paris and a Masters in Law from Sorbonne University. He is also the co-Founder and President of the not-for-profit organization Life Project 4 Youth. Commenting on his appointment, Thierry Delaporte said, "I look forward to working closely with Rishad, the Board, senior leadership and the hugely talented employees of Wipro to turn a new chapter of growth and build a better tomorrow for all our stakeholders." SEE ALSO: <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/tech/enterprise/news/three-ways-tcs-infosys-and-other-it-giants-in-india-are-trying-to-cut-costs-but-its-not-going-to-increase-their-profitability/articleshow/76021884.cms">Three ways TCS, Infosys and other IT giants in India are trying to cut costs — but it’s not going to increase their profitability</a> <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/business/corporates/news/microsoft-mukesh-ambani-reliance-jio-are-partners-but-satya-nadella-wants-more/articleshow/76057690.cms">Microsoft and Mukesh Ambani's Reliance Jio are already partners in India⁠— but Satya Nadella reportedly wants more</a> <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/tech/news/google-explores-5-stake-in-struggling-vodafone-idea-report/articleshow/76070370.cms">Vodafone Idea shares surge more than 30% after Google reportedly considers a stake in the debt-laden telco</a>

Wipro appoints Theirry Delaporte as new CEO after his 25 year stint with Capgemini

<ul><li>The most popular items on <keyword id="18635" type="CITY" weightage="20" keywordseo="Amazon">Amazon</keyword>, <keyword id="6354742" type="COMPANY" weightage="20" keywordseo="Flipkart">Flipkart</keyword>, <keyword id="541988" type="COMPANY" weightage="20" keywordseo="SnapDeal">Snapdeal</keyword> show that Indians are actually getting ready to stay home for a long time as they bought products to make life at home easier. </li><li>Both Amazon and Flipkart saw a 9X increase in the number of sellers coming back to the platform for business.</li><li>Within the first 24 hours of opening up of e-commerce, Amazon saw a 31X growth in demand for robotic vacuum cleaners, 10X for dumbbells &amp; weights and more.</li></ul>With Lockdown 4.0, e-commerce companies in India finally began selling non-essential items across the nation. E-retailers like Amazon, Flipkart have seen a huge surge in demand ever since then. Both Amazon and Flipkart saw a 9X increase in the number of sellers coming back to the platform for business. “We are proud to see a 9X spike in the number of sellers and MSMEs resuming business this week, compared to the first week of the nationwide lockdown,” said a Flipkart spokesperson. But interestingly, the most popular items on Amazon show that Indians are actually getting ready to stay home for a long time as they bought products to make life at home easier. Within the first 24 hours of opening up of e-commerce, Amazon saw a 31X growth in demand for robotic vacuum cleaners, 10X for dumbbells &amp; weights, 23X for dishwashers, 12.5X for bicycle trainers, women’s flip flops witnessing 2.3X growth, 3.5X in innerwear, 3.9X seen for guitars and 3.6X for children’s books, as compared to the lockdown phase. “We are humbled by the customer response and geared up to meet the pent up demand for priority products that customers need over a prolonged period of lockdown. The sellers on Amazon.in have seen orders for consumer electronics, kitchen &amp; home appliances, smart devices, laptops, phone accessories, apparel and more. Work from home and online schooling enablers such as laptops, books, headphones and computer accessories continue to interest customers,” said an Amazon spokesperson. Meanwhile, Flipkart saw a hike in the demand for kitchen appliances including Hand Blenders, Microwave Ovens and Induction cooktops as well as fans, air coolers and air conditioners “Considering more people are spending time with families who have different entertainment, professional and educational needs, there is a growing requirement for multiple screens in a single household. This is reflected in the high demand for Mobiles, Tablets, Laptops, and Televisions, all of which have doubled in demand. Fashion choices have become more functional. Inner-wear and Lounge-wear are seeing an increased demand, with women's sleepwear witnessing a very good growth,” said a Flipkart spokesperson. Similar trends were also seen at Snapdeal as personal grooming products, work from home needs like monitors, keyboards, extension cords, external hard disk, were among the most ordered items. SEE ALSO: <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/business/startups/news/this-indian-angel-investment-platform-has-invested-in-eight-cos-in-60-days-and-plans-to-fund-startups-every-week/articleshow/76082960.cms">This Indian angel investment platform has invested in eight cos in 60 days and plans to fund startups every week</a> <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/india/news/renault-to-axe-15000-jobs-worldwide-india-employees-await-their-fate/articleshow/76085943.cms">Renault to axe 15,000 jobs worldwide⁠— 1,500 employees in India await their fate</a> <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/business/corporates/news/microsoft-mukesh-ambani-reliance-jio-are-partners-but-satya-nadella-wants-more/articleshow/76057690.cms">Microsoft and Mukesh Ambani's Reliance Jio are already partners in India⁠— but Satya Nadella reportedly wants more</a>

Orders on Amazon, Flipkart, Snapdeal show Indians are preparing to stay home for a long time

<ul><li>Jio Fiber will be introducing broadband plans at ₹700 with a minimum speed of 100 mbps today.</li><li>Bharti Airtel is planning to launch its own Android-based set top box with integrated services to counter Jio’s bundling.</li><li>Hathaway is already offering 100 mbps at ₹699 per month — but users have to buy in for at least three months.</li></ul>Mukesh Ambani has done it again. Three years after he launched Jio at no cost for three months, he is heralding a new age of broadband with the promise of high speeds at <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/details-of-jio-fibre-new-tariff-plan/articleshow/70639942.cms">rock-bottom prices</a>. So much so, before the launch of Reliance Jio today, his competitor Bharti Airtel launched a new set of plans to brace against the onslaught. At Reliance Industries’ <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/reliance-jio-fired-up-as-mukesh-ambani-joins-hands-with-satya-nadellas-microsoft-to-challenge-jeff-bezos-in-india/articleshow/70641754.cms">annual general meeting</a>, Ambani promised a minimum speed of 100 mbps for Jio Fiber. He also said that his plans will start at ₹700 per month. Hathaway isn’t going to be left behind. The company’s new ‘Freedom Plan’ offers 100 mbps at ₹699 per month with a data cap of 1 TB. But, here’s what most people don’t know — <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/the-difference-between-mukesh-ambanis-jio-and-ani-ambanis-reliance-communications/articleshow/70869465.cms">Reliance Jio</a> owns 51.3% stake in Hathaway. Offering plans and tariffs at par with what Jio has to offer will only helping Reliance’s broadband with its last-mile connectivity, and help Ambani mop up the market at various price points. Airtel, on the other hand, is scrambling to get to take Jio by launching a customised Android-based set-top box in September, according to the <a href="https://economictimes.indiatimes.com/industry/telecom/telecom-news/airtel-readies-value-rich-plan-to-chase-high-paying-users/articleshow/70692935.cms">Economic Times</a>. It wants to rival Jio’s smart set-top box with integrated access to streaming portals, virtual reality applications and interactive gaming. Cheapest broadband plans on the table at 100 mbps: <table style="border-width: initial; border-style: none; 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;"> </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;">Reliance Jio </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;">Hathaway </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;">Airtel </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;">Speed </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;">100 Mbps </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;">100 Mbps </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;">100 Mbps </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;">Price (per month) </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;">₹700 expected (actual price is yet to be announced) </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;">₹699 </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;">₹1099 </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;">Fair usage policy (data cap) </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;">Unknown </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;">1 TB </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;">500 GB per month + 300 GB for six months </td></tr></tbody></table> Smaller consumers by Hathaway Where Jio will be taking on Airtel and other larger players, Hathaway which also has cable TV operations, will be able to push along users who are contemplating replacing television with data. One way is by introducing a plan that’s offering half the speed at half the price. For users who feel like they don’t really need 100 mbps can opt for a 50 mbps plan at ₹399 without limits on data consumption. Hathaway’s also offering 150 mbps plans at ₹1,499 per month with a data cap of 1TB. The only catch is that Hathaway requires a minimum three-month subscription in other for users to sign up for its services. Airtel’s plans are pricier but allows you to carry forward data Airtel also has a broadband plan for ₹799 a month but it offers speeds of 40 mbps with data capped at 100GB. Airtel’s V-Fiber broadband is offering another 200GB of additional data for a span of six months within that plan — but it’s a mere fraction of what Jio and Hathaway have up for grabs. Airtel could have a leg up on Jio, depending on the conditions of plans, since it allows users to carry forward any unused data. If you’re looking for speed, Airtel’s 100 mbps plan costs ₹1099 per month with a data cap of 500GB and an additional 300GB for six months. The devil could be in the terms and conditions Jio hasn’t completely disclosed the <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/what-are-the-rules-to-apply-for-jio-fiber/articleshow/70891242.cms">details</a> of its <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/how-to-get-jio-fiber-broadband-service/articleshow/70821752.cms">broadband plans</a> and the <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/how-reliance-jio-gigafiber-broadband-will-work/articleshow/70821794.cms">many conditions</a> that it could come with. It will have to rival Airtel’s 300 mbps plan pegged at ₹1599 per month that’s offering 600 GB and an addition 1TB for six months. Ambani did disclose that Jio Fiber’s plans, while starting at ₹700, will have options that extend to up to ₹10,000 per month. But, Jio also intends to lock in users with annual plans, and this offer might only be available for a ‘limited’ period. To connect to the services, Jio users will need to make security deposit of ₹4,500 and obtain the ONT device (GigaHub Home Gateway) provided by the company. Those looking to switch internet services should also study the ability of their provider to offer top-notch service, which is essential for broadband services. At the end of the day, it would be bold to replace television with broadband as it all hinges on speed and quality. See also: <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/the-difference-between-mukesh-ambanis-jio-and-ani-ambanis-reliance-communications/articleshow/70869465.cms">Mukesh Ambani's strategy with Reliance Jio is avoiding Anil Ambani's mistakes with RCom</a> <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/mukesh-ambanis-jio-console-is-trying-to-beat-google-stadia-and-hes-got-a-head-start/articleshow/70722139.cms">Mukesh Ambani's Jio Console is trying to beat Google Stadia — and he's got a head start</a> <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/reliance-jio-fired-up-as-mukesh-ambani-joins-hands-with-satya-nadellas-microsoft-to-challenge-jeff-bezos-in-india/articleshow/70641754.cms">Reliance Jio fired up as Mukesh Ambani joins hands with Satya Nadella’s Microsoft to challenge Jeff Bezos in India</a>

Airtel and Hathway’s broadband plans are gearing up for Jio Fiber’s salvo

<ul><li>The group of six people all 14-18 year olds have built <keyword id="5644160" type="COMPANY" weightage="20" keywordseo="WhyQ">WhyQ</keyword>.</li><li>The idea behind WhyQ is a WhatsApp chat-bot based social distancing/queue management solution. </li><li>The bootstrapped startup also won the first prize at a young entrepreneurship virtual competition at <keyword id="4390637" type="PERSON" weightage="20" keywordseo="TiE-Delhi-NCR">TiE Delhi NCR</keyword>. </li></ul>A group of teenagers randomly met at a series of entrepreneurship workshops held by the Delhi division of The Indus Entrepreneurs (TiE Delhi NCR). And as lockdown happened and schools were shut, the group of six people all 14-18 year olds decided to take their ideas ahead and form a startup. Today, Jai Relan, Jasraaj Puri, Sara Kothari, Tejas Mehta, Aditi Aggarwal and Prithvi Oak run WhyQ. The idea behind WhyQ is a WhatsApp chat-bot based social distancing/queue management solution. Through WhyQ, users can place orders for groceries from their nearby stores and receive a particular time to visit the store, eliminating the need to stand in a queue or in a crowded market. “We are currently testing the product in Green Park, Delhi with 100 consumers. In these current times, people are scared to step out and <keyword id="8897280" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="20" keywordseo="social-distancing">social distancing</keyword> is the new norm. But people didn’t know how to go about it. We also hope to partner with companies like Zoho to help shopkeepers digitize their inventory,” said Jai Relan, the 14-year old CEO of the startup. <div type="image" title="whyq" msid="76105534" hostid="261"></div> The bootstrapped startup also won the first prize at a young entrepreneurship virtual competition at TiE Delhi NCR. While the students are not gunning for profits right now, they are hoping to turn this into a revenue driven venture soon. “What we are hoping right now is to create a habit with people to adhere to these new ‘social distancing’ rules. In the future, we hope to bring Resident Welfare Associations on board. We saw in a focus group of 150 people that the majority like to go out and value the social aspect. India is a social community, so people like social interaction and walk down to their store to buy products,” he said. They are currently getting 30-50 orders a day. Currently, they don’t have a payment gateway but instead have the shopkeeper’s Paytm numbers through customers can pay online. SEE ALSO: <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/business/startups/news/instamojo-is-now-approving-small-ticket-loans-on-whatsapp-and-it-has-become-an-instant-hit/articleshow/76088012.cms">Instamojo is now approving small ticket loans on WhatsApp and it has become an instant hit</a> <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/business/corporates/news/microsoft-mukesh-ambani-reliance-jio-are-partners-but-satya-nadella-wants-more/articleshow/76057690.cms">Microsoft and Mukesh Ambani's Reliance Jio are already partners in India⁠— but Satya Nadella reportedly wants more</a> <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/business/ecommerce/news/orders-on-amazon-flipkart-snapdeal-show-indians-are-preparing-to-stay-home-for-a-long-time/articleshow/76086148.cms">Orders on Amazon, Flipkart, Snapdeal show Indians are preparing to stay home for a long time</a>

These Indian teenagers have come up with a queue management solution for retailers to ensure people don’t crowd stores

<ul><li>Fintech platform <keyword id="1898251" type="COMPANY" weightage="20" keywordseo="Instamojo">Instamojo</keyword> has taken its ‘<keyword id="9310831" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="20" keywordseo="sachet-loans">sachet loans</keyword>’ to WhatsApp.</li><li>The pilot run for sachet loans over WhatsApp has already seen 140 merchants apply for over 290 loans worth ₹19 lakhs. </li><li>During lockdown, Instamojo has already seen a 25% increase in the number of daily merchant sign-ups. </li></ul>Fintech platform Instamojo has taken its ‘sachet loans’ to WhatsApp. Sachet loans are small-sized loans that the startup instantly approved for merchants and micro, small and medium enterprises. With its latest move, existing merchants on the platform can apply for the loan on WhatsApp and get it within minutes. The pilot run for sachet loans over WhatsApp has already seen 140 merchants apply for over 290 loans worth ₹19 lakhs. The interest rate ranges between 0.25-1%. For the next day payout it’s 0.25%, for the same day payout it’s 0.5-0.75% while for instant payout it is 1%. The borrowers have to repay the loan in three days. “The process is pretty simple. Merchants get a WhatsApp notification which tells them that they are eligible for a certain amount of loan and asks them if they are interested. Once they respond to it, we send them more details. Once they confirm, the money gets disbursed immediately. It's a loan disbursed through a series of messages on WhatsApp,” Akash Gehani, co-founder of Instamojo told Business Insider. However, the sachet loans, which is currently in the pilot phase, is available only for merchants who are already evaluated by Instamojo and have a valid credit score. “For a product like this which also carries a risk, we do a slow roll out. So, it is currently available only to a few merchants. But the repeat usage of the product has been encouraging. The average ticket size that we see is ₹6400, which is also in line with our average usually,” said Gehani. Analysts too are betting on this move. “While there are working capital issues quite prevalent amongst small and medium enterprises during this time, a small ticket loan clubbed with on-platform-sales mapping and backed by transaction history-based eligibility criteria is likely to be an instant hit,” said an internet weekly report by JM Financials. During lockdown, Instamojo has already seen a 25% increase in the number of daily merchant sign-ups. But Gehani also said that they are a bit conservative about who gets loans. Once a merchant signs up, their algorithm rejects or denies their loan plea. “We now have 1,500 merchants sign up everyday. In the last two months our loan disbursement average has gone up. In the pre-covid times it used to be ₹10-12 crore a month, now it is ₹14-15 crore a month. While the loan book has gone up, I think it will continue to steadily grow. WhatsApp, which everyone is so comfortable with, as a channel share will also contribute to a lot more,” Gehani said. SEE ALSO: <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/business/startups/news/this-indian-angel-investment-platform-has-invested-in-eight-cos-in-60-days-and-plans-to-fund-startups-every-week/articleshow/76082960.cms">This Indian angel investment platform has invested in eight cos in 60 days and plans to fund startups every week</a> <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/india/news/renault-to-axe-15000-jobs-worldwide-india-employees-await-their-fate/articleshow/76085943.cms">Renault to axe 15,000 jobs worldwide⁠— 1,500 employees in India await their fate</a> <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/business/corporates/news/microsoft-mukesh-ambani-reliance-jio-are-partners-but-satya-nadella-wants-more/articleshow/76057690.cms">Microsoft and Mukesh Ambani's Reliance Jio are already partners in India⁠— but Satya Nadella reportedly wants more</a>

Instamojo is now approving small ticket loans on WhatsApp and it has become an instant hit

<ul><li><keyword id="191583" type="PERSON" weightage="20" keywordseo="Jeff-Bezos">Jeff Bezos</keyword> is flying down to India to attend <keyword id="18635" type="CITY" weightage="20" keywordseo="Amazon">Amazon</keyword>’s annual event for small and medium sized businesses.</li><li>The top boss at Amazon is also likely to meet Indian Prime Minister <keyword id="6354477" type="PERSON" weightage="20" keywordseo="Narendra-Modi">Narendra Modi</keyword> during his India visit.</li><li>Regulatory uncertainties and trader grievances could figure in Bezos’ discussions with <keyword id="6354642" type="PERSON" weightage="20" keywordseo="Modi">Modi</keyword>.</li></ul>Jeff Bezos is coming to India next week, and his potential meeting with Prime Minister Narendra Modi could be critical for Amazon’s fortunes in India. Officially, the visit is timed with its annual SMBhav event, which is Amazon’s attempt at reaching out to the millions of small and medium businesses in the country. At the same time, there are many regulatory uncertainties that haunt Bezos’ India unit. 
 <div type="image" title="image" msid="73138267" hostid="261"></div>



 Sale of in-house brands Indian government has<a href="https://www.ft.com/content/29a96ff6-2615-11e9-8ce6-5db4543da632"> tightened rules</a> around foreign investment in multi-brand retail, <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/business/ecommerce/news/india-e-commerce-policy-will-mean-trouble-for-flipkart-and-amazon/articleshow/72119136.cms">placing restriction</a>s on e-commerce players which operate on the inventory-based model. This forced Amazon to pull several product lines from its website from Amazon Basics, Solimo, Presto, and even Shoppers Stop. However, domestic e-commerce players like Snapdeal and Paytm Mall can accept foreign investments since they operate on a marketplace model. Amazon and its multinational peers including Walmart-owned Flipkart believe that this is unfair. However, this has not deterred Amazon from <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/amazon-india-finds-way-around-new-e-commerce-rules-for-cloudtail-and-appario/articleshow/67831376.cms">finding loopholes in the system</a> that it can work to its advantage. To discount or not, is the question The Indian government<a href="https://consumeraffairs.nic.in/draft-rule"> introduced</a> draft policy Consumer Protection (e-commerce) Rules, 2019 that is aimed at protecting consumers against fraud and unfair trade practices. However, this draft policy prohibits e-commerce players from influencing the price and offering deep discounts. Essentially, Amazon will not be able to attract buyers by offering deep discounts, which could have an effect on its revenue. The government hopes that this will create a level playing field for both Amazon on one hand, and smaller e-tailers as well as physical retailers on the other. However, this policy will offer more advantage to someone like <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/mukesh-ambani-may-be-the-surprise-winner-from-indias-new-rules-hurting-amazon-and-walmart/articleshow/67751026.cms">Mukesh Ambani who has deep pockets as well as both online and offline retail business</a>. For Amazon and Jeff Bezos, this was an unexpected turn in legislation after years of investment in building a market for online retail. As it stands right now, it looks unlikely that the government will yield to Bezos’ request on allowing deep discounts to gain more market share or yield on the issue of allowing Indian data to leave the country. Recently, Indian commerce minister Piyush Goyal had summoned both Amazon and Flipkart in a bid to thaw the standoff between the e-commerce giants and the traders’ body CAIT (Confederation of All India Traders). However, the meeting <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/business/ecommerce/news/india-e-commerce-policy-will-mean-trouble-for-flipkart-and-amazon/articleshow/72119136.cms">reportedly</a> ended with Amazon and Flipkart executives being reprimanded by the minister. The question of data localisation Another facet of India’s National E-Commerce policy is data localisation. Something that’s also a part of the Personal Data Protection Bill currently being discussed by Parliamentary joint committee. The issue for Amazon is not the provision of servers since Amazon Web Services (AWS) already has data centres in Mumbai so data can be stored locally. However, if it needs to be sent to external servers for processing — Amazon will have to re-create those provisions within India. What’s in it for Modi? Given the <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/policy/economy/news/moodys-cuts-indias-fy20-growth-forecast-to-4-9-citing-a-sharp-fall-in-consumption/articleshow/72767514.cms">fragility of India’s economy</a>, and its need for fresh investments, combined with the stature of Bezos, Amazon may get an audience at the highest level even though the outcome of lobbying effort may be uncertain. India matters for Amazon India remains one of the fastest growing markets for Amazon. The company has pumped in over $5 billion in its Indian arm since launching here. Regulatory uncertainties could have a serious impact on the company’s revenues from India, which have the potential to touch $10 billion. For context, the Indian e-commerce market is <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/business/news/india-internet-industry-goldman-sachs-investment-ideas-for-future/articleshow/72326122.cms">predicted</a> to touch $113 billion by 2025. If Amazon can manage to persuade the Indian government to stabilize its ecommerce rules, <keyword id="6354743" type="COMPANY" weightage="20" keywordseo="Amazon-India">Amazon India</keyword> has the <a href="https://economictimes.indiatimes.com/news/politics-and-nation/jeff-bezos-to-visit-india-in-january-may-meet-pm-modi/articleshow/72118227.cms">potential</a> to become the largest overseas subsidiary by displacing countries like the UK, Germany and Japan. See Also: <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/stock-market/news/jeff-bezos-rupert-murdoch-and-other-billionaires-lost-money-in-2019-these-are-the-10-biggest-losers/articleshow/73048111.cms">Jeff Bezos, Rupert Murdoch, and other billionaires lost money in 2019. These are the 10 biggest losers</a> <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/tech/news/a-founding-amazon-employee-supports-the-idea-of-splitting-jeff-bezos-empire-in-two/articleshow/72939448.cms">A founding Amazon employee supports the idea of splitting Jeff Bezos' empire in two</a> <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/tech/enterprise/news/we-compared-the-leadership-philosophies-of-amazon-ceo-jeff-bezos-and-microsoft-ceo-satya-nadella-and-it-shows-the-major-differences-between-the-two-companies/articleshow/72961178.cms">We compared the leadership philosophies of Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos and Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella and it shows the major differences between the two companies</a>

Jeff Bezos may have a laundry list of requests for Narendra Modi when he visits India next week

<ul><li>Tech Mahindra and Canada-based ChampTrax Technologies are collaborating to create a ‘stadium-like’ experience for sports fans. </li><li>Using <keyword id="1671941" type="TECHNOLOGY" weightage="20" keywordseo="5G-technology">5G technology</keyword> and <keyword id="6369782" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="20" keywordseo="augmented-reality">augmented reality</keyword> (AR) users will be able to bring the stadium into their homes and watch the game with their friends over a holographic call. </li><li>The only catch is that India doesn’t have <keyword id="1671940" type="PERSON" weightage="20" keywordseo="5G-network">5G network</keyword> connectivity yet and 5G phones are expensive. </li></ul>Social distancing is here to stay and most of us are going to be stuck watching our favourite teams play from home. However, if 5G networks finally make their way to India there’s a possibility that you could still be at the stadium as a <keyword id="89487" type="PERSON" weightage="20" keywordseo="Hologram">hologram</keyword> and have the stadium come to you using augmented reality (AR). Indian IT giant Tech Mahindra and Canda-based ChampTrax Technologies have partnered up to create a ‘stadium-like’ experience for global sports fans since social distancing looks like it’s here to stay for a while. “As part of our collaboration with ChampTrax, we will work on 5G use cases for introducing holographic virtual fan to the stadium,” Jagdish Mitra, the chief strategy officer and head of growth at Tech Mahindra told Business Insider. <div type="image" title="stadium_tech_edited" msid="76066435" hostid="261" caption="&amp;lt;p&amp;gt;Empty seats at a cricket stadium&amp;lt;/p&amp;gt;"></div> However, it may be a while before we see this deployed in Indian stadiums. One, there’s a cost consideration that needs to be taken into account. And two, 5G networks are yet to be deployed locally. The 5G auction hasn’t taken place yet and seems to have taken a backseat amid the ongoing coronavirus lockdown. “We are engaging in talks with multiple sports clubs and teams across the globe to bring a best of both world experience in sports,” said Mitra. Hologram fans at stadiums To set up the experience, the stadium will have to bear the cost of the technology. “Stadiums will be required to have proper 5G infrastructure and will also have to install 5G enabled cameras,” said Mitra. For the players, ChampTrax’ ‘HearMeCheer’ solution will be able to combine the audio from each fan and project that noise to the stadium. “As the audience watches a game with the web app it automatically sends microphone data that aggregates these sounds to create a single audio stream effect of a unified crowd,” he explained. <div type="image" title="emptyseats" msid="76066522" hostid="261" caption="&amp;lt;p&amp;gt;New Delhi&amp;#39;s Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium&amp;lt;/p&amp;gt;"></div> Mitra promises that the noise and cheers won’t distract players from their game. “These will be integrated into real-time broadcasts. I feel these crowd noises or cheers, motivates a player rather than distracting them,” he said. Tech Mahindra is also working on some use cases to play ‘crowd cheers’ at the stadium in order to keep the players motivated during the game. However, this may also mean that heckling or ‘boos’ from the crowd when the referee makes a bad call could get filtered out. “There’s no feedback from players yet, as this solution launched only four weeks ago,” said Mitra. For the fans watching from home Mitra explains that a person sitting at home will be able to watch the game in their kitchen, living room or bedroom with their friends through a ‘holographic call’. “You can even project the game in your kitchen and watch from any angle as if it is happening in your kitchen,” he explained. Fans at home will also need to be on a 5G network and own a 5G and AR enable phone — and that doesn’t come cheap. “Sports with a live fan experience is something that we will miss now for a while. In order to support the revival of sports and help sports fan adjust to new normal post COVID,” said Mitra. <table style="border-width: initial; border-style: none; width: 468pt; table-layout: fixed;"></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;">5G phones in India </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;">Price </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;">RealMe X50 Pro </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;">₹39,999 </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;">iQOO 3 </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;">₹44,990 </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;">One Plus 8 </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;">₹44,990 </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;">One Plus 8 Pro </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;">₹54,999 </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;">Xiaomi Mi 10 </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;">₹49,999 </td></tr></tbody></table> It’s a little weird for any sports fan to watch a Bundesliga or Premier League match with empty stands in the background and emulated ‘fan noises’ in the background to replace the chants of actual fans in the sidelines. Tech Mahindra and ChampTrax want to change the status quo with their sports technology. SEE ALSO: <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/business/corporates/news/microsoft-mukesh-ambani-reliance-jio-are-partners-but-satya-nadella-wants-more/articleshow/76057690.cms">Microsoft and Mukesh Ambani's Reliance Jio are already partners in India⁠— but Satya Nadella reportedly wants more</a>

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