Avik Das, Shivani Shinde

Stories by Avik Das, Shivani Shinde

Wipro set to cut hundreds of jobs

Wipro set to cut hundreds of jobs

Rediff.com   8 Feb 2024

After startups and Big Tech, the layoff season may have begun at the $245 billion Indian information-technology (IT) industry. Bengaluru-based IT major Wipro is looking to cut hundreds of jobs, targeting mid-level employees working onsite as the company looks to improve margins, according to a media report, citing two sources. The company has said it is aligning its business and talent to the changing market environment.

'GenAI is going to be the tip of the arrow for HCLTech'

'GenAI is going to be the tip of the arrow for HCLTech'

Rediff.com   29 Jan 2024

'It will drive a lot of surrounding business, that is where we see some good projects coming in.'

Corporate India on overdrive to celebrate Ram Mandir inauguration

Corporate India on overdrive to celebrate Ram Mandir inauguration

Rediff.com   19 Jan 2024

As Ayodhya readies itself for the glittering, much-awaited consecration ceremony of the Ram Mandir on January 22, and as millions of pilgrims and devotees pour into the holy city for the momentous event, companies are rushing to do their bit and be a part of the mega celebrations. Some are offering a part of their profits as donations, telcos are beefing up the number of cellular towers to ensure better connectivity, and there are those distributing jalebis and food platters.

Apple reclaims most valued brand title; Tata only Indian brand in top 100

Apple reclaims most valued brand title; Tata only Indian brand in top 100

Rediff.com   18 Jan 2024

Technology companies continue to be the most valued brands globally, with the top five most valued companies from the technology sector, according to Brand Finance 2024. Samsung has entered the top five most valued brands globally. Apple secured the first position after falling to the second spot in 2023.

'YouTube Shorts pulls in people from all over India'

'YouTube Shorts pulls in people from all over India'

Rediff.com   18 Jan 2024

'Two in three creators in India who earn money from YouTube agree that YouTube is their primary source of revenue.'

War Has Broken Between IT Giants

War Has Broken Between IT Giants

Rediff.com   12 Jan 2024

Trouble started brewing after Cognizant announced that Ravi Kumar, former Infosys president, would take over as the Nasdaq-listed company's CEO.

Q3 continues to be a slow quarter for IT sector due to curtailed spending

Q3 continues to be a slow quarter for IT sector due to curtailed spending

Rediff.com   11 Jan 2024

India's top technology companies will witness a tepid revenue expansion in the third quarter (October - December) of the current financial year (Q3FY24) - along expected lines - on the back of furloughs and no blockbuster deals, even as the momentum gained from Generative AI (GenAI) is likely to take centre stage. IT services and consulting firm Accenture's first quarter numbers in FY24 showed a significant pick up in GenAI spending. It signed new bookings to the tune of $450 million in this space, a surge from the $300 million signed in the whole of FY23.

Can India Create Multi Language AI Like Chat GPT?

Can India Create Multi Language AI Like Chat GPT?

Rediff.com   8 Jan 2024

Creating an LLM trained on Indian languages is not easy. Experts say each language in India has a nuance of its own, so creating a ChatGPT-like product is an ambitious challenge.

TCS needs to keep evolving in age of GenAI: Krithivasan

TCS needs to keep evolving in age of GenAI: Krithivasan

Rediff.com   3 Jan 2024

Tata Consultancy Services (TCS) has to "keep evolving" and be relevant to clients as generative artificial intelligence (GenAI) technologies emerge, K Krithivasan, chief executive officer and managing director of the IT company, has said in a New Year's message to employees. "It is always heartening to see the reinforcement of how strong our relationships are with our clients and the level of trust they place with us.

Google versus Epic Games verdict in US cheers Indian gaming developers

Google versus Epic Games verdict in US cheers Indian gaming developers

Rediff.com   13 Dec 2023

The verdict in the Google versus Epic Games antitrust case in the US has spread cheer among the Indian gaming and app developers. Ending a three-year legal battle, the San Francisco jury found that Google turned its Play app store and billing service into an illegal monopoly. American video game maker Epic Games, best known for Fortnite, had sued Google in 2020.

Why Deepfakes Are A MENACE

Why Deepfakes Are A MENACE

Rediff.com   7 Dec 2023

'With free software on the Internet and apps, creating a deepfake video can take 3 to 5 minutes. Anyone can make these videos.'

Tata Technologies IPO becomes the new buzzword of Street, investors

Tata Technologies IPO becomes the new buzzword of Street, investors

Rediff.com   27 Nov 2023

Her reasoning is simple, "It's a Tata company. No shareholder will let go of this opportunity," she told Business Standard. When asked if the other reason for lining up for the IPO is the technology sector and the fact that the combination of Tata and tech is happening after almost two decades, she replied: "The name of the company and the group matter. Tata means stability and credibility," she added.

India core to our products and services: JPMorgan Chase CIO Lori Beer

India core to our products and services: JPMorgan Chase CIO Lori Beer

Rediff.com   20 Nov 2023

For Lori Beer, chief information officer, JPMorgan Chase & Co, largest banker in the US, India is a big part of the organisation's global technology footprint and is core to its products and services. This is evident from the fact that in less than two months since JPMorgan & Chase chief executive officer Jamie Dimon visited India, Beer has come here to see the recently opened centres in Mumbai and Bengaluru. "What is different for me this year are our new centres and to be able to come and see the vibrancy, and connectedness is great.

'We are confident our H2 will be better than H1'

'We are confident our H2 will be better than H1'

Rediff.com   11 Nov 2023

'Our Q1 was almost flat, and there was very negligible growth in Q2, but the deal pipeline and the order book have been fairly significant.'

'We see strong momentum for the second half'

'We see strong momentum for the second half'

Rediff.com   9 Nov 2023

'We will have a strong exit as our third quarter is strong.'

Campus Hiring In Slow Lane For IT Giants

Campus Hiring In Slow Lane For IT Giants

Rediff.com   19 Oct 2023

TCS saw its headcount reduced by 6,333. Infosys' headcount decreased by almost 7,500, and HCLTech saw its employee numbers shrink by 2,299.

Israel-Hamas Conflict: India's IT Companies On Edge

Israel-Hamas Conflict: India's IT Companies On Edge

Rediff.com   18 Oct 2023

'IT companies do not have a large presence there either in terms of market and team. So, the impact of the war will be minimal. But West Asia is an emerging economy.'

How Meta Is Supersizing WhatsApp

How Meta Is Supersizing WhatsApp

Rediff.com   11 Oct 2023

WhatsApp's advantage is that it is the first app millions of Indian check first thing in the morning and innumerable times during the day and night.

Results preview: IT companies brace for Q2 setback on muted growth

Results preview: IT companies brace for Q2 setback on muted growth

Rediff.com   9 Oct 2023

However, the second quarter of FY24 is expected to be muted, and, with that, the hope of double-digit growth is now being pushed to FY25. However, analysts are expecting the momentum in the closure of record total contract values (TCVs) will continue, as has been the case over the last two quarters.

Amazon Pay India growing at 40-50%: CEO Mahendra Nerurkar

Amazon Pay India growing at 40-50%: CEO Mahendra Nerurkar

Rediff.com   14 Sep 2023

With over 80 million Unified Payments Interface (UPI) users, Amazon Pay, the payments business of e-commerce giant Amazon, has been growing at 40-50 per cent year-on-year (Y-o-Y), said Mahendra Nerurkar, chief executive officer (CEO) and vice-president (V-P), Amazon Pay India. "Leveraging just the micro peer-to-peer (P2P) transactions on UPI is not a business model. "While we have enabled those features, we do not chase monthly active users based on this.