Peerzada Abrar And Shivani Shinde

Stories by Peerzada Abrar And Shivani Shinde

Tech firms offer 'support' to employees as Covid cases surge

Tech firms offer 'support' to employees as Covid cases surge

Rediff.com   20 Apr 2021

Infosys, Facebook, Genpact, and Cognizant, among others, have reached out to employees and offered support in different ways as the second wave of Covid cases sees an exponential rise. Companies are asking employees to stay indoors and prioritise the health and safety of their families. This is of significance as several information technology firms were going to take a call on work-from-home from June and had plans to allow some employees to come back to work.

50 more start-ups likely to join unicorn club in year or two

50 more start-ups likely to join unicorn club in year or two

Rediff.com   20 Apr 2021

There seems to be no dearth of funds to fuel this growth, report Peerzada Abrar and Shivani Shinde.

Top UPI players stare at uncertain future

Top UPI players stare at uncertain future

Rediff.com   20 Apr 2021

'How can we be told not to grow?'

Indian economy in better shape to tackle Covid 2nd wave: CEA Subramanian

Indian economy in better shape to tackle Covid 2nd wave: CEA Subramanian

Rediff.com   17 Apr 2021

'Overall, compared to the previous episode, we are in a better shape because the vaccine is already out there and vaccination drives are proceeding'

How Xiaomi passed the Covid lockdown test

How Xiaomi passed the Covid lockdown test

Rediff.com   16 Apr 2021

'One out of three phones sold in India is a Xiaomi phone.'

Infosys to consider share buyback on April 14, announce FY21 results

Infosys to consider share buyback on April 14, announce FY21 results

Rediff.com   12 Apr 2021

The IT services giant is also slated to hold a board meeting on April 13 and 14, to approve of and take on record the consolidated financial results of the company for the quarter and year ended March 31, 2021. Indian IT majors will be announcing their fourth quarter (Q4) and 2020-21 results starting April 12. At the end of the Q3 FY21 Infosys had cash and investment of $4.5 billion.

Byju's buys Aakash Educational Services for $1 bn over Zoom call

Byju's buys Aakash Educational Services for $1 bn over Zoom call

Rediff.com   6 Apr 2021

The stock-and-cash deal is the biggest in the education space.

Udaan, 'Bharat ka e-commerce' see huge surge in business

Udaan, 'Bharat ka e-commerce' see huge surge in business

Rediff.com   31 Mar 2021

Categories such as lifestyle, food and electronics accounted for over 1,350 sellers across the country last year.

Tech spend in 2021 to be better than last 2 years: Nasscom survey

Tech spend in 2021 to be better than last 2 years: Nasscom survey

Rediff.com   24 Mar 2021

With the economy gaining pace and large deals back on the table, chief executive officers (CEOs) of tech companies believe global tech spending will witness growth this year. According to CEO Survey by Nasscom, about 71 per cent chief executives expect global spend to grow over 4 per cent. The figure is significantly higher than the previous two years - 41 per cent and 59 per cent in 2019 and 2020, respectively. The survey also said the recovery in global tech spending will be led by the digital segment.

Foreign e-com cos creating massive unemployment, alleges RIL

Foreign e-com cos creating massive unemployment, alleges RIL

Rediff.com   23 Mar 2021

Capital dumping is being used by foreign e-commerce firms to subsidise and engage in predatory pricing, oil-to-telecom conglomerate Reliance Industries (RIL) has told the Associated Chambers of Commerce and Industry of India (Assocham) in an internal document. The document alleges that this is leading to massive unemployment and financial distress among small merchants and kirana stores. It consists of various recommendations and proposed changes that deal with Press Note 2 of 2018 (PN 2), which RIL wanted Assocham to present to the government, according to sources.

TCS is looking for 'talent on the cloud'

TCS is looking for 'talent on the cloud'

Rediff.com   23 Mar 2021

The company is also looking at creating an algorithm-based talent marketplace and an internal gig workers' community. Talent Cloud will be powered by Algo Talent Development, enabling associates to move across different technologies and industry domains.

Draft e-commerce policy is 'nationalistic'

Draft e-commerce policy is 'nationalistic'

Rediff.com   22 Mar 2021

Many industry executives have said the draft e-commerce policy is being perceived as nationalistic but not overly protectionist and it is providing preference to Indian players against foreign companies. This might have an impact on investment by large players such as Walmart and Amazon in the country, said the executives. They said e-commerce was a very small portion of the retail industry and at a nascent stage and did not require heavy hammer regulations. Though the policy talks about being equally applicable to foreign and domestic players, it mentions that foreign direct investment (FDI) takes precedence over the e-commerce policy in any area of overlap.

Data privacy: Tension between big technology firms and govt boils over

Data privacy: Tension between big technology firms and govt boils over

Rediff.com   22 Mar 2021

There is a perception getting built inside the government that big technology companies -- a common term used for firms like Facebook, Google, Twitter, Amazon and the like - are becoming very powerful and present multiple threats to entire nations and their citizens today. The digital ecosystem is replete with CSAM (child sexual abuse material), fake news, drug trade, radicalisation, trolling among other social vices. Given the network effect that these platforms have, it is important to ensure that these platforms are not misused.

Has Amazon actually broken India's e-commerce laws?

Has Amazon actually broken India's e-commerce laws?

Rediff.com   19 Mar 2021

Last November, a lawyer for Future Retail Limited (FRL) told Delhi high court that Amazon is interfering with its lawful business and thousands may lose their jobs and FRL may go bankrupt. Senior advocate Harish Salve, who appeared for FRL, likened Amazon to East India Company. Senior advocate Gopal Subramanium, who represented Amazon, told the Future counsel to keep the "East India Company" rhetoric aside, as Amazon has invested $6.5 billion all over India and created 900,000 jobs. This drama played out in the case in which Amazon has challenged Future's $3.4-billion deal with Reliance, alleging the retailer's deal breached an agreement with the American e-commerce firm.

'Make in India for India and the world'

'Make in India for India and the world'

Rediff.com   19 Mar 2021

'With nearly double the market share of our nearest competitor, we are shaping the digital transformation journey of close to 1,000 clients in India.'

Indian firms reject Google Play's new bill plan

Indian firms reject Google Play's new bill plan

Rediff.com   19 Mar 2021

Indian industry snubbed Google Play's decision to cut by half its commission for developers when they make $1 million in annual revenue for in-app purchases, saying the US tech giant may continue its "abrasive & monopolistic abuse" as it owns the Android system. Google Play said Tuesday that beginning July 1 it would slash its 30 per cent billing fee to 15 per cent for developers globally when they make the first $1 million of their annual revenue.

Wipro's Capco buy: A good deal, but devil lies in the execution

Wipro's Capco buy: A good deal, but devil lies in the execution

Rediff.com   15 Mar 2021

From the beginning of 2021 Wipro has moved on to a new organisational structure. Analyst tracking the company are now wondering if CEO Thierry Delaporte's attempt to bolster Wipro's presence in the BFSI (banking, financial services and insurance) space by acquiring Capco for $1.45 billion is a step taken too early. Though many agree that Capco as a target may be good, but Wipro, which has been the most aggressive player in acquiring firms compared to its Indian players, does not have much to show in terms of performance as it continues to lag peers.

Data breach could cost world's top brands up to $223 billion

Data breach could cost world's top brands up to $223 billion

Rediff.com   10 Mar 2021

The world's top brands across sectors might lose between $93 billion and $223 billion because of a data breach, a first-of-its-kind study by Interbrand and Infosys, called 'Invisible Tech, Real Impact', has found. This represents 4-9.6 per cent of their cumulative value. The study gains significance in the backdrop of yet another massive hack, this time of Microsoft's email software, which is estimated to have affected at least 60,000 known victims globally, according to Bloomberg. The study found that there is a long-term impact of data breaches on brands across sectors.

E-com firms want govt to 'tweak' existing export policies

E-com firms want govt to 'tweak' existing export policies

Rediff.com   9 Mar 2021

E-commerce firms and sellers including Amazon and eBay have made recommendations to the government for a differentiated policy framework for e-commerce in the revised Foreign Trade Policy (FTP) which is expected to come into effect from April 1, 2021. This is because the existing policies on exports have catered largely to traditional, offline and business-to-business exports. Suggestions have been made to the government that through the FTP, it is important to create a conducive policy framework for e-commerce exports that lowers the entry barrier for small businesses to start exporting, according to the industry sources.

'Cyber attacks meant to smear India's reputation'

'Cyber attacks meant to smear India's reputation'

Rediff.com   9 Mar 2021

'The hackers' objectives were centred around smearing India's reputation, causing productivity loss, creating operational damage and seeking financial gains.'