Sai Ishwar

Stories by Sai Ishwar

Parl panel plans to summon FB amid reports alleging bias towards BJP

Parl panel plans to summon FB amid reports alleging bias towards BJP

Rediff.com   17 Aug 2020

After a report mentioned that Facebook overlooked its hate speech policies in cases of BJP MLA T Raja Singh and 3 others, Shashi Tharoor, chairperson of Parliamentary Standing Committee on IT, said the committee 'would certainly wish to hear from Facebook'.

With OCEN, small businesses have access to instant loans

With OCEN, small businesses have access to instant loans

Rediff.com   6 Aug 2020

The protocol aims to "democratise" lending, reduce costs of credit, and ensure accessibility of credit to small companies and street vendors, according to Nandan Nilekani.

India's top IT firms' headcount drops first time in a decade

India's top IT firms' headcount drops first time in a decade

Rediff.com   28 Jul 2020

By the end of the June quarter, the top four - TCS, Infosys, Wipro and HCL Tech employed 10,15,000 employees - down by 9,144 employees over the previous quarter.

Clones of banned Chinese apps return to mobile phones in India

Clones of banned Chinese apps return to mobile phones in India

Rediff.com   27 Jul 2020

After India banned 59 Chinese apps last month, at least three more China-based video apps - Snack Video, Likee Lite, and Zili - have now made it to the list of top 10 downloaded apps in India on Google Playstore.

Paytm to launch stock-broking services soon

Paytm to launch stock-broking services soon

Rediff.com   24 Jul 2020

Paytm had received the approval for brokerage services from market regulator Sebi in January this year.

How TCS plans to make WFH its mantra

How TCS plans to make WFH its mantra

Rediff.com   21 Jul 2020

'At any given point in time, we expect only 25 per cent of our workforce will need to be in office.' 'And any given person will only be required to spend only 25 per cent of their time in office.'

Can TikTok beat the swadeshi brigade and come back?

Can TikTok beat the swadeshi brigade and come back?

Rediff.com   12 Jul 2020

TikTok is up against not just government sanction but also a set of feisty home-grown brands that have raised the 'vocal for local' banner to stake claim to the platform's vast small-town reach, point out T E Narasimhan and Sai Ishwar.

TCS to resume hiring outside talent

TCS to resume hiring outside talent

Rediff.com   11 Jul 2020

The Mumbai-headquartered company, however, said it would selectively hire experienced employees from outside.

Drones still can't deliver packages even in green zones

Drones still can't deliver packages even in green zones

Rediff.com   8 Jul 2020

Use cases for drones are, however, immense - industrial inspections, geospatial surveys, agricultural surveys, and general surveillance and security.

It's reverse brain drain! Start-ups woo talent returning to India from US

It's reverse brain drain! Start-ups woo talent returning to India from US

Rediff.com   6 Jul 2020

Indian start-ups and software product companies are trying to attract engineers and programmers who are either stranded in India because of the lockdown or H-1B visa holders who have been laid off.

Ban on Chinese apps: Will Indian players' dream run continue?

Ban on Chinese apps: Will Indian players' dream run continue?

Rediff.com   2 Jul 2020

The idea behind starting Chingari is not to build a TikTok clone but to position itself as a super app for India like WeChat.

India's Chinese app ban may hit their valuations

India's Chinese app ban may hit their valuations

Rediff.com   1 Jul 2020

The banned Chinese apps, which include TikTok, Shareit and UC Browser, earn revenue mainly from online advertisements, subscriptions, and commissions for selling products. India is the biggest driver of these Chinese apps due to the population. The ban on the 59 Chinese apps will negatively affect the valuations of the companies, especially those going for IPO.

What IT firms are doing to optimise staff costs

What IT firms are doing to optimise staff costs

Rediff.com   29 Jun 2020

Already 15-20 per cent of the workforce, earlier used to be procured from staffing firms and subcontractors, are replaced by freelancers tapped from platforms like Topcoder, GitHub, and Upwork.

Bleak future for Indian start-ups funded by Chinese investors

Bleak future for Indian start-ups funded by Chinese investors

Rediff.com   29 Jun 2020

According to experts, this will have major impact on new investments by Chinese players in companies, such as Paytm, Ola, BigBasket, Byju's, Dream11, MakeMyTrip, and Swiggy, when they go for follow-up funding. Chinese investors, such as Alibaba, Tencent, and Xiaomi, are active in the Indian start-up space, and have collectively invested billions of dollars.

Digital lenders step up to help early-stage startups

Digital lenders step up to help early-stage startups

Rediff.com   14 Jun 2020

In order to make it hassle-free, various start-up support groups such as TiE (The Indus Entrepreneur) and India Angel Network (IAN) are partnering with the digital NBFCs to extend debt finance to their member companies.

COVID-19 opening new doors to fintech companies

COVID-19 opening new doors to fintech companies

Rediff.com   27 May 2020

The coronavirus pandemic has changed how businesses look at payments. Earlier, fintech companies said when they were talking to merchants, they were not interested in digitisation.

Start-up founders turn to venture debt funds

Start-up founders turn to venture debt funds

Rediff.com   24 May 2020

The country's top three venture debt firms -- Alteria Capital, Innoven Capital, and Trifecta Capital -- combined deployed about $300 million (Rs 2,200 crore) in start-ups such as BigBasket, Cure.fit, Ninjacart, Dunzo and Lendingkart till April end, according to the government's Investindia website.

IT firms go aggressive on cost-cutting amid COVID-19 crisis

IT firms go aggressive on cost-cutting amid COVID-19 crisis

Rediff.com   13 May 2020

Top Indian IT firms, such as TCS, Infosys, and Wipro, have signalled taking aggressive cost take-out measures, including reduction in sub-contracting costs, travel expenses, freeze in salary hikes, and holding back variable payments, among others.

There will be no COVID-related lay-offs at Infosys

There will be no COVID-related lay-offs at Infosys

Rediff.com   21 Apr 2020

However, the company says it will suspended promotions and salary increments this year.

No salary hike for I-T sector workers this year

No salary hike for I-T sector workers this year

Rediff.com   18 Apr 2020

While industry leaders Tata Consultancy Services and Wipro have announced deferring wage-hike plans, other players such as Infosys and HCL Technologies are expected to follow suit, according to industry insiders.