From Forbes India 30 Under 30 Class of 2025 to Yashasvi Jaiswal's rise through the ranks, our top stories of the week

In this week's newsletter, also read about the impact of RBI's rate cut, Yotta Data Services' plans for the AI revolution in India and more

By Forbes India

Published: Feb 8, 2025 10:30:00 AM IST

Updated: Feb 7, 2025 06:10:56 PM IST

1) Forbes India 30 Under 30 Class of 2025

(L-R)Devika Gholap, Co-founder and chief product officer, OptraScan; Rohit Saraf, actor; Yashasvi Jaiswal, cricketer; Kavya Karnatac, Founder, KK Create

It is that time of the year. The most coveted and highly-anticipated Forbes India 30 Under 30 Class of 2025 list is out now. This year, the list comprises achievers from 19 categories, from enterprise technology and clean energy to agritech and design. Artificial intelligence, which promises to solve so many problems and change millions of lives, makes its debut on the list. From Nancy Tyagi to Rohit Saraf to D Gukesh to Yashasvi Jaiswal, here's a look at who made the cut.

2) In sync with fiscal policy

RBI Governor Sanjay Malhotra Image: Indranil Mukherjee / AFP

At the year's first MPC meeting, RBI governor Sanjay Malhotra chose not to err on the side of caution and reduced the repo rate by 25 basis points to 6.25 percent. The rate-setting panel unanimously voted to revive growth against a volatile global economic backdrop. On February 1, Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman unleashed the best policy measure in her Union Budget speech to boost consumption. She announced zero income tax payments for up to an income of Rs12 lakh annually (under the new tax regime). The decision was made to improve the expendable income for people. Both decisions are made to stimulate the economy. But is that enough? Here are some answers.

3) US tariffs and the Indian stock market

Illustration: Chaitanya Dinesh Surpur

The nonstop executive orders machine in the White House of Trump Administration 2.0 has everyone around the globe on edge, and Indian stock markets appear to be no exception. Investors are dumping Indian stocks and flocking to assets like bonds. FM Nirmala Sitharaman's Budget 2025 speech did little to get them out of this bearish mode and buy Indian stocks. Here's an analysis of why Indian equities, once touted as the best markets for maximum returns, have lost their sheen over the past few months.

1) Amid the AI revolution

Sunil Gupta, co-founder and CEO of Yotta. Image: Mexy Xavier

Last year, Yotta Data Services became the first Indian company to acquire AI chips from Nvidia. Co-founder and CEO Sunil Gupta's company currently holds the maximum number of GPUs in the country. Yotta recently launched myShakti, India’s first fully sovereign B2C generative AI chatbot that runs off DeepSeek. The Navi Mumbai-based company is at the forefront of the AI revolution in India and the world. In conversation with Forbes India, Gupta shared the details about myShakti, security concerns around DeepSeek, Yotta's listing plans, and more.

2) Rising through the ranks

Yashasvi Jaiswal, cricketer. Image: Neha Mithbawkar for Forbes India

2024 will be known for the brilliance of Jasprit Bumrah in the world of cricket. But another youngling in the same team was writing his own page of history. Yashasvi Jaiswal emerged as the second-highest Test run-getter and the highest Indian run-getter in the Border-Gavaskar Trophy. All four Test centuries he has scored since his debut in July 2023 have been 150+, two of them double centuries. The rising star speaks to Forbes India about his emotional beginnings, what he has learned from Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli, and what his batting strategy has been.

3) A case for decentralised work models

Josh Drean and Deborah Perry Piscione, Cofounders, Work3 Institute

Deborah Perry Piscione, a Silicon Valley serial entrepreneur and VC, and Josh Drean, an advisor at the Harvard Innovation Labs and co-founder of DreanMedia, co-founded the Work3 Institute, an AI and Web3 advisory firm. They are also the authors of Employment Is Dead: How Disruptive Technologies Are Revolutionizing the Way We Work. In an interview with Forbes India, they discuss how businesses can leverage disruptive technologies to reimagine work, making it more engaging, human, and democratised.

4) Backing artistic voices

Hansal Mehta, Filmmaker, director and producer Image: Bajirao Pawar for Forbes India

Over the years, prolific filmmaker Hansal Mehta has delivered thought-provoking films such as Shahid and Aligarh and popular web shows such as Scam 1992 and Scoop. He knows the importance of having a voice and giving it a loudspeaker. To challenge the conventional mindset, Mehta has launched his new production house--True Story Films. Read more about Mehta's decision, his creative and commercial vision, the reason he won’t cease to be an independent director, and why long-form storytelling excites him.