1) Hidden treasure
The universe of cryptocurrency appears to be going through a meltdown, owing to external factors such as inflation and geo-political upheaval. Bitcoin fell to $17,628 over the weekend—its lowest since November 2021. This downward spiral is more than enough to force traders and investors to take a step back and re-evaluate their next moves. But if we look closer to home, the broad sell-off of digital assets has not affected the enthusiasm of crypto and Web3 startups in India that are still attracting funding. In the six months of 2022, they have raised more than $1 billion in funding across 43 deals. What's fuelling this long-term bullishness of investors? Answers are in this Take One story. Read more
2) Bridge the gap
Since 2017, the UK has mandated public disclosures of average gender pay gaps for companies with 250 or more employees. Disclosures made by other Indian tech companies present in the UK indicate that on a median hourly basis, female employees in Infosys earn 0.7 percent less than their male counterparts, while the pay gap is 7.5 percent in Tata Consultancy Services (TCS), and 9 percent in Wipro. Before Covid-19, the world had put wage penalties on the life choices made by women. Pandemic added another layer to the uphill battle for gender equality. Income disparity is a result of systemic biases, socio-cultural norms, and low representation of women in the workplace. Companies can address this by being more intentional about equity, and the government can bring it about through policy change. Read more
3) India: Apple's new orchard
In April this year, Apple announced that Foxconn, its contract manufacturer, would begin manufacturing the company’s latest offering, the iPhone 13, out of India. Until 2017, the Cupertino-based tech giant was only focused on the retail market in India—cornering a paltry one percent of the smartphone market in the country. That year, Apple’s other contract manufacturer, Wistron, began manufacturing the iPhone SE out of its factory near Bengaluru. In 2021, Apple shipped out nearly 6 million phones out of India. Here's a curious case of Apple's new flourishing, desi orchard. Read more