Audio
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Women in IT: Is the return to office hurting their prospects, and what can help?
TCS' global head of HR Milind Lakkad's candid comments in the company's latest annual report has put a spotlight on how a domestic "reset" has come in the way of women returning to work in the IT industry. TCS saw a marginal dip in the overall proportion of women in its workforce from 36.2 percent at the end of FY20 to 35.7 percent at the end of FY23. Infosys, over the same period, has seen a 160-basis-point increase to end FY23 with 39.4 percent. Forbes India's Divya Shekhar discusses what she's found and what needs to change to help women stay on
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Jayanta Banerjee on how tech is helping Tata Steel as the multinational behemoth's focus shifts to India
In this episode, Jayanta Banerjee, group CIO of Tata Steel, talks about how the company built successful IT architectures for multiple acquisitions as it ramped up its operations in India. Jayanta, who previously lead the energy and resources practice at Tata Consultancy Services, talks about the big-picture context in which the digital transformation projects at Tata Steel are being implemented and the growth of the business in a sustainable fashion. We began with how he sees his role and the many ways in which it has changed over the years
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Instagram rumoured to be developing an AI bot with 30 personalities — fancy engaging with one?
The latest rumour is that Instagram is working on an AI bot that could offer users as many as 30 personalities to engage with, according to screenshots shared by developer and tipster Alessandro Paluzzi. These AI agents or chatbots can "answer questions and give advice". We speculate on what this might mean for Instagram users on a daily basis, and how this impacts the 'social' aspect of the network
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Can Apple Vision Pro give developers, and so consumers, a whole new canvas?
Vivek Goyal, co-founder of PlayShifu, one of India's best-known AR and VR startups, talks about his surprise that Apple started at the top end, with its mixed reality headset, the $3,500 Vision Pro, that was announced yesterday. He walks us through how Apple's approach stands out, starting with how VisionOS, the headset's software allows Apple's existing app ecosystem to show up on the new hardware. Goyal is also looking forward to the time when Apple will release tools and software kits for developers to exploit the potential for 3D rendering within Vision Pro
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Meet the GE Aerospace engineer who is responsible for more than 30,000 engines
In this episode, Mohamed Ali, vice president of engineering at GE Aerospace, talks about his long tryst with India, where he says "All the action is." He talks about the globally integrated role GE Aerospace's 1200 staff in India play in developing the company's next generation of products, including its RISE technologies—GE's bid to develop sustainable aviation of the future. He also talks about what inspires him every day as an engineering leader and some lessons from his career so far
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Why fewer than 1 in 3 seed-funded Indian startups get Series A funding
Arun Natarajan, founder and CEO of Venture Intelligence, talks about the market researcher's latest report that spotlights the state of the Series A startup funding landscape in India. Less than one-third of startups that receive seed funding are able to secure a Series A round, in India, roughly tracking global trends, Venture Intelligence finds. And the number of Series A rounds increased by 8 percent annually from 2017 to 2022—an indication of the maturity of the startup ecosystem in India, Natarajan says. Sequoia Capital tops the list of VC firms that have helped most startups f
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An era for the right-brained to reimagine the world: Satish HC of Infosys
Infosys recently released all its AI tech—including its generative AI knowhow—as a comprehensive suite of services, solutions and platforms under the brand name Topaz
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Pride Month: How do we make workplaces truly inclusive?
The LGBTQ+ community says significant strides have been made since Section 377 was decriminalised at India's workplaces, but we have a long way to go. Forbes India's Divya Shekhar, who actively tracks diversity and inclusion, joins us on this episode, as we speak with Sahil Patel. Patel identifies as a transman, and works as a consultant for PeriFerry, which facilitates employment for transgender people. He speaks about daily workplace struggles, sensitisation needed and policies that need change
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Satish HC on how Infosys is pulling together all its AI experience and why everyone is getting an AI twin
In this episode, Satish HC, executive vice president and co-head of delivery at Infosys, talks about how the company is bringing all its AI experience and capabilities into one comprehensive suite of services, solutions, and platforms—including its generative AI know-how. The company released this recently under the brand name Infosys Topaz. Satish also talks about how Infosys is using these technologies in-house to raise the bar on its performance, starting with how its recruits are trained, with everyone now getting an AI twin
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India's surprise Q4 GDP numbers: Making sense of them and what's next
Forbes India's Samar Srivastava, our resident specialist on all things economy, offers some pointers to help make sense of the better-than-expected quarterly GDP numbers for India. The important thing to note is that for this to sustain, strong private sector capex needs to kick in. There's only so much the government can do and private industry needs to do the heavy lifting—to "sow the seeds of future growth," Srivastava explains. And while there is some evidence to suggest that that might be beginning, the jury is still out on that, he says
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Hemant Charaya on how Log9 built its cell tech team and a glimpse into their innovation efforts
In this episode, Hemant Charaya, senior vice president for battery cell technology at Log9 Materials, talks about how this Bengaluru venture is attempting something that's never been done before in India. One factor that's helped is that "people stuck around", he says, which helped him build a team of over 40 cell and battery tech specialists. Charaya also attempts some simple descriptions of the cell chemistries, processes, and materials Log9 has selected, as India's first commercial EV cell manufacturer, and the innovations it has developed