Latest News
23-10-2017 to 28-10-2017
Published
8 years agoon
This past week was filled with multiple technology updates, investments, resignations and cybersecurity attacks. While the founder of the ecommerce firm Amazon, Jeff Bezos, beat Bill Gates to become the world’s richest person for the second time, head of Zomato’s Base operations stepped down. If you missed the major news of this week, here’s our weekly wrap up.
1. GROUP VOICE, VIDEO CALLS COMING SOON TO WHATSAPP
The most commonly used messaging service finally announced a much awaited feature to its app. WhatsApp will release new features such as group video and voice calling for the users in a future update. Along with the ability to make conference calls on the app, WhatsApp will also be giving more power to group administrators. Group admins will now be able to choose if their participants can modify the subject, icon or description of the group. These new features have already been rolled out through the Google Play Beta Programme in the 2.17.387 version of the app.
2. FLIPKART TO INVEST IN SWIGGY, URBANLADDER AND URBANCLAP?
Flipkart, Bengaluru based ecommerce firm, is planning to diversify its strategy by investing in a large number of startups. To boost its presence in India, Flipkart is planning to invest in several startups. The company reportedly, is in talks with food delivery startup Swiggy, home services startup UrbanClap and furniture retail firm UrbanLadder. In a bid to ward off any competition from Amazon India, the company raised a whopping $ 3 billion from SoftBank Group Corp, Tencent Holdings, eBay Inc., and Microsoft Corp.
3. FACEBOOK AIMS AT CREATING MORE ORGANIC AND ORIGINAL CONTENT FOR ITS USERS.
Social media giant Facebook has begun testing a major change with regards to the News Feed. Facebook is looking at creating two new sets of news feeds that will be divided on the basis of original content for friends and adverts and promoted content. This test is being carried out in six countries including Bolivia, Cambodia, Guatemala, Serbia, Slovakia and Sri Lanka. While paid promotions will not be affected by this change, promotions of pages that are not paying Facebook for advertising will be affected. The aim is to replace original content with paid content and give users more time to browse.
4. TOPPR RAISES RS. 45 CRORES IN SERIES B FUNDING ROUND
Edutech firm Toppr, based in Mumbai, has raised $ 6.92 million in a Series B funding round from existing investor SAIF Partners along with Helion Ventures and FIL Capital Management. The personalized elearning solutions provider plans to use these funds to expand their geographical footprint and accelerate their user acquisition. Founded in 2013 by Zishaan Hayath and Hemanth Goteti, Toppr provides personalized educational services for students from classes 5 to 12, across CBSE, ICSE and various other State Boards. With a strong presence in 16 cities, they also provide tailored content to help students prepare for board and competitive exams like IIT JEE and NEET, among others.
5. SAMIR KUCKREJA, HEAD OF ZOMATO BASE, STEPS DOWN
Samir Kuckreja, the head of the cloud based Point Of Sale (POS) system, Zomato Base, resigned from his post from the restaurant discovery and food delivery firm, Zomato. Kuckreja, who had joined the firm just eight months ago, decided to call it quits following the company’s decision to not follow the growth road map for Zomato Base that he had agreed with the firm originally. More than half a dozen C suite executives have recently quit Zomato within months of joining. Chief Operating Officer of Zomato Deepak Gulati, also resigned last month.
6. NEW RANSOMWARE SPREADS THROUGH RUSSIA AND EUROPE
The year 2017 has seen multiple cybersecurity attacks that have left nations crippled. The latest attempt at creating havoc was the new ransomware called BadRabbit which spread across Russia, Ukraine and other Eastern European countries. Corporate networks, computer systems for the Kiev Metro, Ukraine’s Odessa International Airport and several Russian media outlets were affected by the malware before reaching Turkey, Bulgaria and Germany. Reports suggested this ransomware attack was planned in advance and was spread using tools similar to the NotPetya ransomware. Computers affected by the malware were asked to pay a ransom of 0.05 Bitcoins or roughly $ 276 in exchange for their data.
7. EBAY INC ACQUIRES 5.44% STAKE IN FLIPKART
eBay, the ecommerce platform, has acquired a 5.44% stake in Flipkart. This deal, was in exchange for their Indian business, which was valued at $ 211 million and for a $ 514 million cash investment in Flipkart. In the quarterly report filed with the US Securities and Exchange (SEC,) the company also mentioned it gained $ 167 million through the sale of its eBay India business. The companies received approval from the Competition Commission of India (CCI) for the acquisition of 100% share capital of eBay India in June this year. eBay India could not get a stronghold in the Indian market despite being in the market two years before Flipkart.
8. SOFTBANK AND OTHERS JOIN ECOMMERCE LOBBY GROUP INDIATECH
Japan based venture capital firm SoftBank along with Matrix Partners and Kalaari Capital have joined the industry lobby group Indiatech.org. The venture capital firms will provide all the member startups with financial strategic expertise. Investors such as Tiger Global Management, Steadview Capital and Accel India were also invited to be a part of the initiative along with SoftBank and Matrix Partners. The lobby group, headed by Sachin Bansal, aims to represent local ventures seeking protection from resourceful global rivals. Indiatech will also focus on issues like job creation, skills training and providing resources to scale up Internet businesses.
9. ASIA HAS MORE BILLIONAIRES THAN USA
According to a report by Union Bank of Switzerland (USB) and PricewaterhouseCoopers, Asia has overtaken the United States of America with the highest number of billionaires. 117 people broke past the billion dollar mark in 2016, bringing the total number of billionaires in Asia to 637. Overall, in 2016, the world’s 500 richest people added $ 824 billion to the total, recording an increase of 19% in their wealth. The net worth of the world’s richest people combined is estimated at $ 5.2 trillion as of 25 October 2017. While China and India contributed to three quarters of the world’s new billionaires, US added only 25 billionaires for a total of 563.
10. WHATSAPP LAUNCHES ITS LATEST FEATURE: RECALL.
Facebook owned messaging service WhatsApp finally gave users what they have always wanted. The “Recall feature” will allow people to delete messages once sent in both the sender’s and the receiver’s phone. However, users can only delete the messages after seven minutes of it being sent. The deleted messages will be replaced with a “This message was deleted” message instead. Although the feature has been rolled out globally, only a few countries have received the update so far. But messages that are in quotes along with broadcasts cannot be deleted.
11. AMAZON TO DOUBLE DOWN ON INDIAN INVESTMENTS
Jeff Bezos, the founder of ecommerce firm had made a commitment to invest close to $ 5 billion in the lucrative Indian market. In this regard, Amazon plans to double down on its investments in India to focus on key areas such as its digital payments platform Amazon Pay and the Prime membership program. The company has already spent close to $ 2 billion to scale up its Indian business and recently pumped Rs. 260 crores in its online payments platform Amazon Pay. Both ecommerce majors, Flipkart and Amazon have been battling to claim the top position, post this year’s month long festive season sale.
12. IPHONE X SOLD OUT MINUTES AFTER PRE ORDERING STARTS
The latest smartphone released by technology giant Apple, iPhone X was sold out ten minutes after the pre orders were opened. The shipping time for the different models began to slip soon after the pre orders began at 12:01 A.M., on Friday, 27 October 2017. Consumers in Australia and UK also saw a delivery delay of five to six weeks. According to the ecommerce site eBay, there were 36,555 searches for iPhone X from midnight until 1 P.M., Eastern Standard Time. The first all screen smartphone, iPhone X, was revealed in September this year and is equipped with super retina display, Face ID scanning and wireless charging.
That’s all for this week! Subscribe to our portal to never miss updates from the startup world! If your startup has an exciting announcement coming up, you can even write to us at [email protected]. Catch up with the highlights of the week with our The News This Week section.
Latest News
IIT Hyderabad Unveils Palyanka, Heavy-Lift Drone for Air Ambulance Use
Published
5 days agoon
July 17, 2025The Technology Innovation Hub on Autonomous Navigation Foundation (TiHAN) at IIT Hyderabad has set a new standard in drone technology with the launch of Palyanka, a heavy payload drone designed as an autonomous air ambulance. Capable of carrying up to 200 kg, Palyanka is engineered to swiftly transport patients, medical equipment, or critical cargo across challenging terrains, bypassing traditional barriers like road congestion and remote inaccessibility. This advanced UAV operates autonomously, making it highly effective for rapid response in both urban and rural emergencies, and stands at the forefront of disaster relief operations in scenarios such as floods and fires.
Built for versatility, Palyanka doesn’t just function as an air ambulance. Its robust design enables use in rescue missions, cargo deliveries, and even as an air taxi for metropolitan connectivity. Inspired by the Sanskrit word for palanquin, the name “Palyanka” reflects the drone’s role as a safe and efficient carrier. All components, from conceptual design to IP, have been developed in-house at IIT Hyderabad, ensuring the drone meets stringent standards for durability and performance under extreme conditions.
With a development journey spanning over five years and led by Prof. P. Rajalakshmi, TiHAN’s team has transitioned from early drone prototypes to a full-scale, high-capacity solution like Palyanka. The team is now preparing pilot projects in hilly terrains and working on further enhancing the drone’s endurance with innovative heat-resistant materials. By pioneering such indigenous solutions, IIT Hyderabad’s TiHAN is transforming emergency medical services and logistics, marking a pivotal advancement in India’s urban mobility and public safety landscape.
Latest News
X’s Major Price Cut in India: Premium Plans Now More Accessible Than Ever
Published
1 week agoon
July 12, 2025X, the social media platform formerly known as Twitter, has announced a major reduction in its subscription prices across India, slashing fees by up to 48%. The Basic plan now starts at ₹170 per month, down 30% from its earlier price, while the Premium plan has dropped 34% to ₹427 per month on the web. The Premium+ plan has also become more affordable, now costing ₹2,570 per month—a 26% reduction. For mobile users, the discounts are even steeper, with Premium priced at ₹470 per month and Premium+ at ₹3,000 per month, reflecting the impact of app store commissions.
This marks the first comprehensive price adjustment across all three tiers—Basic, Premium, and Premium+—since the service launched as Twitter Blue in India in February 2023. The move comes shortly after Elon Musk’s AI venture, xAI, rolled out the new Grok 4 model and follows xAI’s acquisition of X earlier this year. The price cuts are seen as a strategic effort to boost adoption in India, one of the world’s largest internet markets, by making premium features more accessible to a wider audience.
Each subscription tier offers a range of features: Basic users can edit and write longer posts, enjoy background video playback, and download videos. Premium subscribers get additional perks like a blue checkmark, creator tools, analytics, and fewer ads, while Premium+ members benefit from an ad-free experience, article publishing, and exclusive access to advanced AI features. These changes are expected to make X’s premium services more appealing to Indian users looking for enhanced social media experiences.
Latest News
Leadership Shakeup at X: Linda Yaccarino Resigns After Two Years at the Helm
Published
2 weeks agoon
July 11, 2025Linda Yaccarino, the CEO of X (formerly Twitter), announced her resignation on July 9, 2025, bringing her two-year leadership of Elon Musk’s social media platform to a close. Yaccarino, who previously led NBCUniversal’s advertising division, was appointed in 2023 to help stabilize X’s advertising business and guide the company through its ambitious transformation into an “everything app.” In her farewell message, she expressed gratitude to Musk for entrusting her with the mission of revitalizing the company, protecting free speech, and prioritizing user safety, though she did not specify a reason for her departure.
Her exit comes at a turbulent moment for X, following the recent controversy involving Grok, the AI chatbot developed by Musk’s xAI, which posted antisemitic content referencing Adolf Hitler. This incident intensified scrutiny of X’s content moderation policies and added to the challenges Yaccarino faced, including restoring advertiser trust after a period of strained relations with major brands. Some analysts have suggested that differences in management style between Yaccarino and Musk, as well as the evolving structure of X after its integration with xAI, may have contributed to her decision to step down.
Elon Musk publicly thanked Yaccarino for her contributions, while her departure leaves a leadership gap as X navigates ongoing business, regulatory, and reputational challenges. The company’s next steps will be closely watched as it seeks to maintain its influence in the social media landscape and fulfill Musk’s vision of a multifaceted digital platform.
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