One Thing Today in Tech
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US justice officials probe Instagram harming children; new Google features for India; plus, a chat with Rahul Nanwani, CEO of ImageKit
A coalition of America's top justice officials—comprising several state attorney generals—is leading a nationwide investigation into how Instagram knowingly harms children. Google has released more features on its products and platforms for users in India. Plus, a conversation with Rahul Nanwani at ImageKit on staying profitably bootstrapped and focused on the product
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US to fund 1 billion more Covid-19 vaccines; ex-Googlers' Arbo Works gets Sequoia funding; plus, Sri Ambati on his open-source AI movement
US President Joe Biden's administration is offering funding to drug companies including Pfizer and Moderna to expand Covid-19 vaccine capacity by a billion doses next year, Bloomberg reports. Arbo Works, a fintech company started by eight former Google executives, has found backing in Sequoia Capital India and more than 120 angel investors. Plus, Sri Ambati, an open-source AI icon, reflects on the next steps at his company H2O.ai
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Covid-19 vaccine profits at $1000 per second; UK to probe Nvidia-Arm deal; Plus, Sabeer Bhatia on his latest venture
Pfizer, BioNTech, and Moderna—three of the world's biggest Covid-19 vaccine makers are earning an estimated $1000 every second in profits even as the world's poorest go unvaccinated, according to a press release from Oxfam, a UK-based non-profit development organisation. Britain is probing deeper into the Nvidia-Arm $54 billion deal. Plus, a chat with Sabeer Bhatia on his latest venture
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Paradigm's $2.5 billion crypto fund; Microsoft's Edge update for Windows 11 criticised; and a chat with Sanjay Nekkanti of Dhruva Space
Paradigm, a crypto-focused VC firm, has raised a $2.5 billion venture fund, the industry's largest to date. There is no consensus yet on cryptocurrency regulations in India as investors continue to pour money into crypto startups. Microsoft will soon update Windows 11 to block redirection of taskbar search results to browsers other than its Edge browser. Plus, a chat with Sanjay Nekkanti, founder and CEO of Dhruva Space
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Special briefing: Sanat Rao, CEO of Infosys Finacle, unpacks some of the emerging trends in banking and the role of technology
Technology is not just an enabler, it has become central and strategic to banking. New financial products, such as buy now pay later, are becoming all the rage. The idea of open banking is also catching up, with pieces of software called open application program interfaces allowing third-party fintech startups to provide innovative financial products and services built around established banks. In this conversation, Sanat Rao, CEO of Infosys Finacle, unpacks some of these emerging trends
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SoftBank may invest $10 bln in India in 2022; Spotify buys Findaway; and a chat with Shashank Kumar, CEO of DeHaat
SoftBank Group may invest as much as $10 billion in India next year, said chief executive Rajeev Misra in a virtual conference on Thursday, according to a Tech Crunch report. US President Joe Biden signed a law tightening license restrictions against Chinese tech companies deemed a threat. Spotify buys leading audiobook platform Findaway. Plus, a chat with Shashank Kumar, co-founder and CEO of DeHaat
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US, China's surprise climate change pact; Twitter's crypto team; Rivian surges on Wall Street debut; and a chat with Prateep Basu at SatSure
The US and China made a surprise joint announcement on Wednesday at the ongoing COP26 UN climate summit, pledging to work together to find concrete measures to combat climate change, Bloomberg reports. Electric truck maker Rivian Automotive surged on its Wall Street debut, becoming more valuable than Ford. Twitter is putting together a team to build crypto, blockchain, and other decentralised technologies. Plus, a chat with Prateep Basu, co-founder and CEO of SatSure, on the company's satellite data based decision intelligence platform
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DoorDash buys Wolt for $8 bln; Facebook releases data on bullying and harassment; and a chat with Kartikeya Bhardwaj of SpoofSense
DoorDash is acquiring Finland based company Wolt in an all-stock deal worth €7 billion, or $8.1 billion, adding 4000 employees and 23 countries to its operations, the company said in a press release. For the first time, Facebook released data on bullying and harassment on its platforms. Plus a chat with Kartikeya Bhardwaj about his live face detection technology SpoofSense
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US, Japan reopen borders; Spotify founder Daniel Ek invests in Helsing; and a chat with Abhishek Bansal, CEO of Shadowfax
Easing entry bans imposed due to the Covid-19 pandemic, the US and Japan have reopened their borders to fully vaccinated travellers. Spotify founder Daniel Ek has made the first investment from his billion-euro tech fund into Helsing—a defence tech startup that produces live maps of battlefields. Plus, a chat with Abhishek Bansal, founder and CEO of Shadowfax, on his vision for a comprehensive gig economy platform
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Apple hires another Tesla engineer; Alphabet launches AI drug company; and a chat with Raghunandan G of Zolve
Apple has recruited another former Tesla engineer to build its electric car team, Bloomberg reported on Sunday. Alphabet, Google's parent company, has started a drug discovery company in Britain, based on DeepMind's AI technology. Plus, a chat with Raghunandan G, founder and CEO at his cross-border fintech company Zolve, on plans after a $40 million Series A funding
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Facebook is now Meta; Apple warns of supply constraints; Lightspeed to raise $5.5 bln; a chat with Gramophone's CEO Tauseef Khan
Facebook has rebranded itself as Meta. CEO Mark Zuckerberg sees the future of the business being built increasingly around the virtual world of metaverse that the company is investing heavily into. Apple, despite another record year, is facing tough supply chain conditions. Plus, agri startup Gramophone's co-founder and CEO Tauseef Khan on plans ahead after fresh funding round