BUSINESS
Comment | Suzuki and Toyota join forces– what’s in it for Maruti’s investors?
The alliance will help Maruti to avoid an existential crisis that it may face as soon India gets ready for for electric mobility.
BUSINESS
Comment | No 'originals' on foreign streaming services please, we're Indians
The national draft e-commerce policy brings over-the-top streaming services under the e-commerce arena. As the inventory-led model is barred for foreign-funded e-commerce firms, these OTTs won’t be able to stream original content – the key to their success.
BUSINESS
Comment | Will WhatsApp’s ‘search image’ help in fighting fake news?
To make its ‘search image’ feature work, WhatsApp will use Google’s reverse image search which itself is facing challenges.
BUSINESS
Comment | YouTube Music: Google is late to the party
YouTube Music starts journey in a market where less than 1 percent pay to listen to music. Besides, it will have to fight a dozen streaming apps who offer both free (with advertisements) and premium services.
POLITICS
Comment | Code of conduct cannot put the Social Media genie in the bottle
Advertisements on social media need to be defined properly. Will promotions by Bollywood celebrities and social media influencers be classified as advertisements?
BUSINESS
Opinion | Increasing scrutiny on social media platforms won’t resolve India’s fake news problem
Beyond a point, Facebook or other social media companies can do nothing. It’s the voters who need to stand against political propaganda and fake news.
BUSINESS
Comment | Ola’s Rs400crore EV investment is putting the cart before the horse
Ola’s electric vehicle plans are a leap from being a cab-hailing company. To make it a success, it may have to take one more leap, by setting up the required EV infrastructure.
BUSINESS
Comment | Startups want to go public, but privately
Confidential IPO filings work, like it has in the US. But, the regulator must maintain confidentiality at its end as well.
BUSINESS
Comment | Repeated extensions of KYC deadline for e-wallets is no solution
The cost of physical KYC is very high and cumbersome. The government must permit e-wallets to access CKYCR.
BUSINESS
Comment | India's draft e-commerce policy: Build a wall, they will still come
The policy talks less about online commerce, more about data protection; declares data its ‘national asset’
BUSINESS
Comment | Why is Uber selling its recent success Uber Eats to Swiggy?
Uber’s sole aim is to make its IPO successful and that is linked to how well it manages to sell the India growth story to the Street. A growing ride hailing business without the distractions of a food delivery business will allow it to do just that.
BUSINESS
Comment | FreshMenu is a good fit for Oyo but execution needs to be flawless
FreshMenu fits into Oyo’s core business, adding revenues and improving profitability. But the challenge is to reboot FreshMenu’s operations so that Oyo’s customers see value in its offering
BUSINESS
Comment | New angel tax norms are in the right direction
The latest notification has kept most of the startups out of the angel tax net, but there are riders that could hurt the ecosystem.
BUSINESS
Comment | In India, 7-Eleven will face its toughest challenge yet
Indian consumers are not accustomed to round the clock shopping, except in a few locations. Many states don’t allow it either. Since this forms the cornerstone of 7-Eleven’s business model, is it making a mistake?
BUSINESS
Comment | Grocery delivery may be a natural extension for Swiggy, but it won’t be easy
In grocery delivery, Swiggy will have to fight it out with likes of Amazon, and Walmart backed Flipkart.
BUSINESS
Comment | Twitter’s way out in India: #localleader, #talks, #engagement
Missing local leadership and no power to India representatives are among those that brought Twitter under the scrutiny of parliamentary panel.
BUSINESS
Comment | Why Facebook’s new ad rules won’t stop political parties from spreading misinformation
It is a good step to bring transparency to direct advertisements with political branding, but how to check social media influencers?
BUSINESS
Comment | Walmart can’t just exit Flipkart investment, even if it wants to
Selling Flipkart at a discount would hurt Walmart’s global shareholders. Even then, it won’t find a foreign buyer due to new ecommerce norms. An Indian buyer, if there is one, will like it dirt cheap.
BUSINESS
Comment | Angel tax: Before defining startups, define ‘fair market value’
Angel tax is on the difference of fair market value and face value, but methods of determining fair market value is flawed.
BUSINESS
Comment | Price cuts aren’t enough to revive iPhone sales, Apple needs to reinvent itself
Apple’s iPhones are not in sync with consumer needs unlike Chinese smartphones that come with seamless local integration.
BUSINESS
Comment | Automakers bypassed in Budget, new challenge lies in wait
Despite the FM’s statement that India will lead the ‘transportation drive’ at the forefront with ‘electric vehicles’, the Budget did not do much by way of specific measures.
BUSINESS
Comment | Tobacco exports to China will help ailing Indian tobacco growers
ITC being the largest buyer, processor and exporter of leaf tobacco in India will be beneficial from the India-China tobacco protocol
BUSINESS
Quick Take | Why Ola wants to hail an NBFC license
Cab aggregators are looking to diversify as business growth is slowing down. Softbank-backed Ola already does transactions and an NBFC licence will help it diversify into allied segments for growth.
BUSINESS
Quick Take | A DIPP notification on angel tax stops short of solving the problem
The notification excludes startups who already received assessment notices and only people with certain financial stature can be investors and it is taking the form of an investment tax.
