BUSINESS
SAP Labs India to hire over 1,500 this year: Sindhu Gangadharan, SAP Labs India MD
Sindhu Gangadharan on a year of COVID-19 pandemic, future of work, hiring and diversity and inclusion in the workplace.
BUSINESS
Gupshup becomes 10th unicorn of 2021, Tiger Global leads $100 million round
The company is also eyeing public listing. “As a company we want to be ready within the year, maybe later this year. But the actual listing depends on external factors that are not in our control,” co-founder and CEO Beerud Sheth said. Gupshup will focus on building the right organisation, with a business model that is predictable and profitable.
BUSINESS
Caught in refund trouble, Zoomcar talks April-end solace
The self-drive car rental startup was shut from March-August 2020 because of COVID-19. As business took a hit, refunds became a casualty. One customer even had to send over 100 emails for a refund. These refunds pertain to cancelled bookings, broken-down cars and other issues.
BUSINESS
Tech firms see increased dropouts as talents are armed with multiple job offers
Top IT and tech firms have hundreds of positions open with Accenture alone reporting over 18,000 job openings across the service lines. Skills that are in most demand include full stack developer, machine learning, and data analytics.
BUSINESS
As demand for techies increase, expiry of H-1B ban to benefit Indian IT and tech firms
Technology-related occupations account for about 56,000 of the 85,000 visas issued every year, according to a US report. The expiry of the ban has also coincided with the filing of fresh H-1B petitions, which started on April 1, 2021
BUSINESS
Prominent valley investors Naval Ravikant and Balaji Srinivasan invest in Koo, Tiger Global likely to lead next round
Koo co-founder and CEO Aprameya Radhakrishnan confirmed to Moneycontrol that Ravikant, who was an early investor in Twitter and Clubhouse, and Srinivasan, invested in the company last month.
BUSINESS
Tata Technologies employees rejoice as the firm withdraws termination notice
According to the complaint submitted to the labour commission, about 800 employees were expected to leave the firm by March 31. The company , however, has denied these claims. The company said that given the positive business outlook, they will strive to find projects for these employees and re-deploy them.
BUSINESS
Hacker claims to have deleted MobiKwik users' data; security researchers cautious
The massive breach of MobiKwik user data reportedly included KYC details of 3.5 million people and phone numbers, email, hashed passwords, addresses, bank accounts and card details of close to 10 crore users. This data was available for sale on the dark web for anyone who could pay 1.5 bitcoins, which is equal to $8,8434.
BUSINESS
Internet Freedom Foundation calls for CERT-IN inquiry into reported MobiKwik data leak
The Cert-IN is governed by the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology. MobiKwik continued to deny that the data has been leaked and said it would get a third party to conduct forensic data security audit.
BUSINESS
USCIS completes H-1B lottery selection for FY22
The selected petitioners can start filing applications from April 1, 2021. Every year the US issues 85,000 fresh H-1B visas.
BUSINESS
MobiKwik data leak: Security researchers, users not convinced with denial
Despite the outrage, and tell-tale signs of a blunder, the company is in the denial mode and under the current laws, there is nothing that can possibly be done, even if highly sensitive information has been stolen.
BUSINESS
Wipro hires former PayPal, Walmart executive Subha Tatavarti as chief technology officer
US-based Subha Tatavarti worked at PayPal for nearly a decade before moving on to Walmart in 2020
BUSINESS
Clubhouse could launch its Android version as early as May 2021
The launch can boost the Clubhouse users in India, which now stands at 100,000. The iOS only app currently has 13.4 million downloads.
BUSINESS
Explained | All about the new WhatsApp privacy policy and why the competition watchdog ordered a probe
The Competition Commission believes that WhatsApp should have allowed users to opt out of the policy, as it did with a 2016 update. One of the biggest complaints against the platform is that it collects more data about users automatically and also through third parties.
BUSINESS
Coinbase to set up base in Hyderabad, hire staff despite uncertainty around cryptocurrency regulation
The company is looking at establishing base in Hyderabad, where it will set up IT services, including engineering, software development and customer support operations.
BUSINESS
Uncertainty grips Indian investors as they await EB-5 regional investor programme to be reauthorised
A short term technical lapse in authorization of the programme could increase the expected wait time to immigrate to the US by many months. Increasing wait times come with an additional risk – a well-to-do project invested in, might go bust. In the unlikely case of non-renewal, all investments would be reduced to naught
BUSINESS
New class action lawsuit against H4 processing delays brings hope to Indian H-1B spouses
The lawsuit alleges that close to 91,000 of them have lost jobs as the US immigration agency “stalled processing visa extension”. The lawsuit also highlights the plight of L-1 visa holders. Of the 1.25 lakh H-4 visas issued in the US in 2019, Indians accounted for over 1 lakh.
BUSINESS
US H-1B visa | Relief for techies, Indian IT firms as Joe Biden administration proposes 18-month delay for wage hike rule
The proposed delay, the statement said, will also give them the time to compute and validate prevailing wage data covering specific occupations and geographic areas, complete necessary system modifications and conduct public outreach.
BUSINESS
It may be raining job offers for techies in India, but it is a talent war for tech firms
As one executive put it: It is better to hire expensive, great talent and be tough in their evaluation, than to hire average and end up never letting them go because you can't find talent at that salary
BUSINESS
InfoEdge Sanjeev Bikhchandani and MakeMyTrip Deep Kalra on their IPO journey, and what has changed
Both Kalra and Bikhchandani took their company public in 2006 and 2010, respectively. This was a time when the internet companies were looked through the same lens as that of the rest in India.
BUSINESS
Google wants to change the future of hiring with its career certificates. Will it work in India?
The tech giant’s certification programme can revolutionise the job market, making it skills oriented and inclusive, but experts say its success requires a change in mindset as Indian companies would still prefer people with conventional degrees although Google’s certificates as an add-on would give job seekers an edge.
BUSINESS
H-1B ban: Computer jobs on the rise, continued visa restrictions can hurt businesses, says US policy think tank
The NFAP pointed out in its report that nearly 56,000 of the 85,000 H-1B visas issued every year are for computer-related jobs that are growing significantly of late. Indians corner a chunk of the H-1B visas.
BUSINESS
Accenture doles out one-time bonus to employees
The company added 22,365 people during the quarter even as its attrition stayed low at 12 percent.
BUSINESS
Explained | Why Indian tech entrepreneurs are unhappy with Google
Indian entrepreneurs say Google is abusing its monopolistic power to arm-twist them with Play Store fee, which they find exorbitant even after the tech giant promised to halve it. They say an Indian app ecosystem is needed to break the monopoly, but this requires government intervention and support.
