To The Point
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Ola Prime Plus—and what the backlash signifies
In ToThePoint today, we teamed up with Rajiv Singh, to discuss transportation woes of consumers—a conversation triggered by the many irate comments on social media in responses to the introduction of Ola's Prime Plus service, which promises no cancellations, no operational hassles and clean cars in return for higher fare. Rajiv argues that this is an example of how the 'asset-lite' business model is overrated and why the numbers about large volumes by these businesses belie the problems they are beset with, prime among them being the absence of a great consumer experience
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IPL 2023: Dhoni's historic win, washout threats and the growth of a decacorn
In ToThePoint today, our sports expert Kathakali Chanda gives us a sense of what's at stake if today's IPL final match, already on its reserve day, gets washed out due to rains. Katha reeled off numbers, sentiments, and some serious perspective on the "business of cricket that's grown with IPL," especially in the past few years. Then there's MS Dhoni's last mile, as "no one except the man himself" can say when his last match might be, she points out. She also offers some food for thought on the prospects for women's cricket
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Can there even be a global AI non-proliferation treaty and what role can India play
In ToThePoint today, we invited Jaspreet Bindra, the former chief digital officer of Mahindra Group and currently an AI and ethics researcher at Cambridge University, to help us make sense of the growing unease around the dangers of AI and calls by government and industry leaders for global regulation of these technologies. Bindra draws parallels with nuclear energy to explain how AI is "dual use"; and can be harnessed for great good as well as evil. And are there ways in which India, which is not a leader in hardcore AI tech, plays a meaningful role in this global conversation?
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The US debt ceiling crisis, what you should know and why you should care
In ToThePoint today, Forbes India's Neha Bothra caught us up on what the jitters are all about on the US' looming loan default crisis, for the 79th time this time around—when US lawmakers need to agree on their government's borrowing, so it can pay bills, save job losses and prevent the economy from spiralling into a bad recession. It's only a matter of days before a decision needs to be made. And Neha points out that while historically there seems to be no playbook on this, the US has always avoided catastrophe
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Why Indians aren't buying laptops anymore and should you buy one today
In ToThePoint today we catch up with Forbes India's Rajiv Singh, who's been tracking PC and smartphone sales in India and around the world. Rajiv gives us his perspective on why consumers are holding back on laptop purchases, and the dilemma between upgrading a phone versus a laptop. We also speculate a bit on what Apple might do to go after a bigger share of India's smartphone market—dominated by the much more affordable Android phones
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The 2000 rupee withdrawal from circulation and what you should know about it
In ToThePoint today, we asked Forbes India's resident expert on banking and money, Salil Panchal, about the Reserve Bank of India's recent move to withdraw the Rs2000 currency note from circulation, while it will remain legal tender. Panchal explains how this is very different from the demonetisation of November 2016, and why this will likely only have a limited, short-term impact on individuals and businesses alike. He also talks about high-value currencies and inflation and how withdrawing notes should not be a frequent exercise
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What to do about Fake ChatGPT apps and other AI-infused mobile menaces
In ToThePoint today, we chat with Forbes India's Naandika Tripathi, on fake ChatGPT apps and how we ought to be vigilant about them, even as OpenAI moves to release its official version, starting with an app for Apple's iOS and in the US. One can expect an Android version soon and for the apps to eventually reach other markets around the world. We also talk a bit about our rudimentary use of generative AI at work and what we're seeing around us about how this tech can also make us more productive and creative
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Inside the Hinduja family feud: What happens to their $14bn-fortune now?
After the death of family patriarch SP Hinduja earlier this week, several questions arise about the feuding brothers' path ahead. What can we expect to happen next, and who takes charge? Forbes India's Manu Balachandran takes us through the possibilities
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20 percent tax on international credit card use: What does this mean for you?
In One Thing Today, we discuss the rationale and the impact of the Finance Ministry's amendment to existing FEMA regulations, announced last night, whereby credit card spends made overseas in foreign currency will attract tax collected at source (TCS). Forbes India's Salil Panchal spoke with Amit Singhania, partner at Shardul Amarchand Mangaldas &Co to understand the rationale behind this move, how your spending could be impacted, what it means for the card issuing banks and spending patterns
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OneThingToday: PVR Inox's challenges, rise of OTT and the post-Covid cinema experience
In One Thing Today, we discuss the challenges faced by PVR Inox and multiplexes in general, in a sort of a continuation of our conversation yesterday about Hotstar and the rise of OTT content. Forbes India's Naini Thaker spoke with Karan Taurani, senior VP and research analyst for media, consumer discretionary and internet, at Elara Capital to analyse some of this. Among the takeaways are nuggets about what might get people enthused enough about the cinema to ditch their living room couches and head for the big-screen experience