Shivani Shinde &Amp;Amp; Peerzada Abrar

Stories by Shivani Shinde &Amp;Amp; Peerzada Abrar

Restaurant to jewellery, brands make a beeline for metaverse

Restaurant to jewellery, brands make a beeline for metaverse

Rediff.com   21 Jun 2022

'We're seeing major Bollywood celebrities, fashion icons, and even movie studios all wanting to build Metaverse experiences'

How to stay secure as cybercrime runs rampant in India

How to stay secure as cybercrime runs rampant in India

Rediff.com   14 Jun 2022

Like software-as-a-service (SaaS), CaaS has emerged as a well-orchestrated ecosystem for cybercriminals.

Dropout Who Built $100 Mn PhysicsWallah

Dropout Who Built $100 Mn PhysicsWallah

Rediff.com   13 Jun 2022

'With our focus and strategy we can solve at least 20 per cent per cent of India's education problems.'

A lot has changed since decades-old IT Act: Tata's Chandra

A lot has changed since decades-old IT Act: Tata's Chandra

Rediff.com   10 Jun 2022

N Chandrasekaran, chairman of Tata Consultancy Services (TCS) and Tata Sons, believes that the Digital India Act is a necessity. "The Digital India Act is a necessity because so much has changed over the decades since the original Information Technology (IT) Act was put in place. I am glad the government is developing a participative approach to developing the Digital Act," he said, while answering shareholders at TCS' 27th annual general meeting. Minister of State for Electronics and IT Rajeev Chandrasekhar a few months ago had said that the government would shortly roll out the Digital India Act - a renewed policy for the digital ecosystem and cyberspace in the country.

Edtech sector in crisis as Covid curbs ease; hybrid model offers hope

Edtech sector in crisis as Covid curbs ease; hybrid model offers hope

Rediff.com   10 Jun 2022

The reopening of schools and colleges has sparked a crisis in the edtech sector with falling valuations, slowing funding rounds and faltering investor sentiment. In a totally altered, post-pandemic landscape where students are back at school and colleges, companies are scrambling to revert to bricks-and-mortar tuition centres and adopting a hybrid model of offline and online education. Demand for online tuition has fallen, affecting the revenue of edtech companies in recent months. After two years of booming revenues, some experts say the sector is looking at a possible meltdown.

Flipkart promotes several leaders as it gears up for blockbuster IPO

Flipkart promotes several leaders as it gears up for blockbuster IPO

Rediff.com   7 Jun 2022

Flipkart has promoted several of its leaders into newer roles at a time when the Walmart-owned e-commerce giant has internally raised its IPO (initial public offering) valuation target to about $60 billion and aims for a US listing in 2023, according to the sources. "I am delighted to announce the promotion of some of our exemplary leaders," said Kalyan Krishnamurthy, chief executive officer, Flipkart Group, in an internal note, and which has been reviewed by Business Standard. "Each of them has been instrumental in delivering impact and creating long-term value for Flipkart.

Will TCS Enter The Metaverse?

Will TCS Enter The Metaverse?

Rediff.com   7 Jun 2022

'At present Metaverse is a hype cycle.' 'If it succeeds, then I would like to see TCS there, too.'

Murthy's advice for start-ups: 'Be trustees of outsiders' money'

Murthy's advice for start-ups: 'Be trustees of outsiders' money'

Rediff.com   4 Jun 2022

'Think of the poorest retail investor before you decide to go for an IPO'

Byju's COO Mrinal Mohit may head India ops as Raveendran focuses on global

Byju's COO Mrinal Mohit may head India ops as Raveendran focuses on global

Rediff.com   31 May 2022

Byju's is set to promote its chief operating officer (COO) Mrinal Mohit to a bigger role, including leading the India operations, according to people familiar with the matter. This is because Byju Raveendran, founder and chief executive officer (CEO) of the edtech giant - which is valued at $22 billion - is planning to focus on global expansion and acquisitions. Among the global regions, Raveendran may look at markets such as the US and the Middle East.

Start-up lay-offs accelerate on capital crunch worries

Start-up lay-offs accelerate on capital crunch worries

Rediff.com   27 May 2022

Falling valuations, slowing funding rounds and faltering investor sentiment seem to have prompted many start-ups to lay off employees in a bid to conserve cash. The latest to do so is SoftBank-backed Cars24, a leading e-commerce platform for pre-owned vehicles, which has laid off over 600 staff, according to sources in the know. The move, they said, is aimed at conserving cash amid cautious investor sentiment and a slowdown in funding.

Funding may dry up for next 12-18 months: Unacademy CEO tells employees

Funding may dry up for next 12-18 months: Unacademy CEO tells employees

Rediff.com   27 May 2022

Unacademy may see a funding dry spell for at least next 12-18 months and even last till 24 months and will cut costs to weather the lean period, said the chief executive of the education technology unicorn that recently laid off more than 600 employees. "This is a test for all of us. We must learn to work under constraints and focus on profitability at all costs. We must survive the winter," said Unacademy's co-founder and CEO Gaurav Munjal in a letter to the employees. "Winter is here. We are looking at a time when the funding will dry up for at least 12-18 months.

How Infosys regained its mojo, improved employee morale under Salil Parekh

How Infosys regained its mojo, improved employee morale under Salil Parekh

Rediff.com   26 May 2022

In 2017, when Infosys announced that Salil Parekh would be its next chief executive officer (CEO) and managing director (MD), very few in the industry or the analyst community doubted his ability to bring the company back to a healthy growth trajectory, improve morale within the company and, more importantly, win the promoters' trust and investor confidence. There were reasons for this confidence. He was not only the deputy CEO of the Paris-headquartered IT services major Capgemini, but also one of the only non-European faces on the executive board of the company.

From double-digit hikes to promotions, IT talent takes the cake

From double-digit hikes to promotions, IT talent takes the cake

Rediff.com   25 May 2022

Employee costs for Indian IT services players have touched an all-time high as salaries soar in their effort to retain talent. Engineer salaries are going through the roof. According to a news report, Infosys, which reported a 27.7 per cent attrition rate for the fourth quarter of FY22, plans to have an average salary hike of 12-13 per cent. High potential employees will get increases of 22-23 per cent.

Consumer protection agency sends notice to Ola, Uber

Consumer protection agency sends notice to Ola, Uber

Rediff.com   21 May 2022

CCPA said the primary issues raised in the notices included 'deficiency in service'. This includes lack of proper response from customer support, driver refusing to take payment by online mode and insisting for cash only.

Vedantu lays off 424 employees as it expects a scarcity of capital

Vedantu lays off 424 employees as it expects a scarcity of capital

Rediff.com   20 May 2022

Edtech unicorn Vedantu has laid off 424 employees, about 7 per cent of its workforce, according to a blog post shared by the Bengaluru-based firm. This comes as the focus in the edtech space has shifted to profitability, according to experts. The lay-off comes days after the company fired 200 contractual and full-time employees, at a time when offline schools and colleges are opening up and learning is evolving into a more nuanced blended delivery model with a mix of online and offline.

Is the pace of unicorns in India slowing down?

Is the pace of unicorns in India slowing down?

Rediff.com   13 May 2022

The Indian startup ecosystem recently celebrated the 100th unicorn milestone. It came after a month of no big fund announcements. Compare this to 2021, when three to four unicorns were being added every month. Nevertheless, the 100th unicorn needs to be celebrated since the first unicorn was announced in 2011 - 11 years ago.

Uber to hire 500 engineers for its India tech centres

Uber to hire 500 engineers for its India tech centres

Rediff.com   13 May 2022

Uber Technologies said it is doing a fresh round of recruitment for its India tech centres and is planning to hire 500 more tech employees by December. The app-based mobility and delivery company has a 1,000-member tech team across its centres in Hyderabad and Bengaluru. The firm said the hiring plan is a testament to Uber's commitment to India, and its recognition of the engineering talent in the country. Uber hired 250 engineers to its India teams in 2021.

2nd innovation hub in US to strengthen TCS position

2nd innovation hub in US to strengthen TCS position

Rediff.com   12 May 2022

IT major Tata Consultancy Services (TCS), in its Q4FY22 results, said the company's banking, finance services and insurance (BFSI) crossed the $10 billion milestone. This includes revenue from financial products, services and platforms. For Suresh Muthuswami, who recently took over as Chairman of North America, one of the focus will be to grow this percentage going ahead. The first step to grow the US market is hiring. Muthuswami said that the company will be hiring more in the US, especially from the campuses. In FY22 TCS hired over 7,000 people in the US and going ahead too the numbers will be similar.

Why cybercrime is running rampant in India and how to stay secure

Why cybercrime is running rampant in India and how to stay secure

Rediff.com   9 May 2022

Do you suspect that your partner is cheating on you and want to find out the truth by installing spyware on their phone? Or, perhaps you are a student who wants to get out of an online classroom so you can play an online game with friends? How about some Zoom raiding for a mere Rs 50-100? Or, are you a person who wishes to hack into someone's phone or laptop, and steal their financial details? Crimeware-as-a-Service (CaaS) allows you to do all this and more.

45% growth in active internet users in rural India since 2019

45% growth in active internet users in rural India since 2019

Rediff.com   6 May 2022

There has been a 45 per cent growth in 'active internet users' in rural India since 2019, according a study by Nielsen, a global company for audience measurement, data and analytics. The Bharat 2.0 Internet report said that female active internet users grew by 61 per cent since 2019. The report said that India has 646 million active Internet users aged 2 years and above as of December 2021. Rural India has 352 million internet users--almost 20 per cent higher than urban.