One quick thing:  Rapido rolls out ‘Bike Direct’, Uber and Ola halt services again in Karnataka 

In today’s newsletter: 

• Dream11's Harsh Jain breaks silence on RMG ban 
• Amazon, Flipkart data to add to inflation math
• OpenAI plans big India hiring

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For a startup founder who lost 95% of revenue and 100% of profits at his $8 billion startup within a week due to the government’s real-money gaming (RMG) ban, Dream Sports co-founder Harsh Jain was remarkably composed when he spoke to us today.

In a wide-ranging interview, Jain described the law as an unexpected knockout punch but said he remains “a delusional optimist”.  He added that the company does not plan to challenge the ban on RMG apps in court. 

"I think the government has made it clear that they don't want this right now. I don't want to live in the past. We want to focus entirely on the future and not fight with the government on something that they don't want," Jain told us. 

His comments come amid speculation that several RMG companies are considering legal action to challenge the constitutional validity of the new online gaming law in the coming weeks.

Jain ruled out any layoffs at Dream Sports, saying instead that the company has significant internal demand for talent to build new products.

"We are interested in building with this talent to dig ourselves out of this hole. The only way to deal with 95% of your revenue being gone is to build new products that you can monetise in the future. That will always start with talent," he said. 

Jain added that Dream Sports has sufficient cash reserves to maintain its talent pool and run operations for a couple of years. 

• The company reported operational revenue of Rs 6,384.49 crore in FY23, up from Rs 3,841 crore in FY22

Jain said the focus is on leveraging Sports AI to expand into sports commerce, analytics and merchandise, capitalising on the company’s 260 million-strong subscriber base.

• Apart from Dream11, Dream Sports also owns sports content and commerce platform FanCode, sports experiences platform DreamSetGo, mobile game development unit Dream Game Studios, and fintech venture Dream Money

Read the entire interview (Prefer video? Watch it here)

Soon, your Amazon and Flipkart shopping bills will help the government do the inflation math more accurately. 

The government is set to include data from the e-commerce platforms to paint a more accurate picture of rising prices, i.e. consumer price inflation (CPI) or retail inflation. 

• The move comes amid booming quick-commerce and e-commerce growth in the country
  
  
• It will track purchasing patterns of consumers from the top 12 cities where the population is over 2.5 million
  
  
• Within e-commerce, which category gets how much weightage will be decided in two months and the new methodology will be introduced in Q1CY26
  
  
• The revamp of the index will also include data on airfares and streaming-media prices from online sources, which are dominant in these consumption segments 

An overhaul is needed because several have highlighted that India’s current consumer inflation measure is based on 2011-12 prices, which means prices are outdated. 

• E-commerce is a small, around 7-10%, component of the overall CPI basket, but is gaining prominence as it grows in size and will be a large, vital component in the future
  
  
• India had over 240 million shoppers in 2024. However, its population is over 1.5 billion, so an increasing number of transactors will move online as adoption increases  

With the move, India follows in the footsteps of advanced economies like the US and South Korea. 

Dig deeper

When the soil is fertile, even the smallest seed can grow into a forest.

OpenAI is gearing up for a significant hiring drive in India, according to Pragya Misra, who heads public affairs and partnerships in the country for the AI firm.

• Speaking at SheShakti2025, she highlighted that the expansion is aimed at strengthening India’s role in the company’s global growth.

This marks one of OpenAI’s strongest signals yet that India will be central to its plans.

Misra pointed to solutions that help farmers earn up to 35% more income by providing market linkages through mandis, or improve healthcare outcomes by supporting ASHA workers and rural hospitals.

• She also noted the role of Anganwadis in education, where AI can support frontline workers in managing data and resources more effectively

Importantly, Misra highlighted the need for more women leaders in AI to ensure that inclusion is built into the technology’s foundations.

For India, OpenAI’s hiring push comes at a time when the government and industry are pushing to expand AI infrastructure and adoption beyond metros.

• Alongside Misra, Laina Emmanuel, CEO of BrainSightAI, shared how advanced AI helps in brain mapping, early dementia detection, and psychiatric diagnosis.

Dr. Geetha Manjunath, CEO & CTO of Niramai Health Analytix, demonstrated AI’s role in detecting breast cancer using thermal imaging in over 300 hospitals across India and 20 countries.

Dig deeper

Peter Thiel–backed unicorn Sentient AI is positioning itself as the rebel of the AI era, aiming to decentralise intelligence and break it out of the grip of the big-wigs: OpenAI, Perplexity, Google, and Microsoft. 

• Founded in 2024, the San Francisco-based startup is building blockchain protocols, decentralised AGI, and AI chatbots

Its first major product, Grid, is an open-source AI platform that integrates multiple models, agents, and data sources into composable workflows. Developers can contribute and monetise through token rewards, fees, or subscriptions. Sentient pitches Grid as “Amazon for intelligence.”

•  At the time of its launch earlier this month, Grid offered over 40 agents, 50 data sources, and 10-plus models in a single user interface

Go deeper

• Perplexity AI is offering publishers the opportunity to share in the revenue their articles generate as the company looks to deal with criticism and legal action from some media outlets over the use of their work.
  
  
• OpenAI will hand out 5 lakh ChatGPT licenses to educators and studentsacross India over the next six months, the company announced on August 25.
  
  
• Infosys is revamping its delivery model by bundling services, leveraging AI for clients, and reorganising teams to enable cross-unit project work in a bid to drive growth amid market uncertainty.

• China is banking on AI to become a new growth engine, and there are projections that it could add several trillion yuan to the economy by 2035 amid a national push for computing power and a unified data market.

Remember when a movie night meant nachos and a fizzy drink? PVR Inox wants you to rethink that. 

In one of its Bengaluru multiplexes, butlers will now serve gourmet food right to your seat. 

• It also plans to stream esports and gaming on the big screen soon

The multiplex chain estimates 10-12% of its upcoming properties to offer such experiences. 

Find out more 

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