Entrepreneur Stories
Rupert Murdoch Unknown Facts
Rupert Murdoch is an Australian born businessman and the founder of News Corp, who turned media into a lucrative business empire. With holdings in The Wall Street Journal, HarperCollins, Fox News and 20th Century Fox, Murdoch is one of the richest people in the world. Here are some unknown facts about the media mogul who is considered the inventor of the modern tabloid.
Unknown facts about Rupert Murdoch
1. As an ambitious 7 year old, Rupert Murdoch would hunt water rats for their skin and manure, which he would then sell for sixpence in his town. He would use his earnings to gamble in school.
2. Murdoch was an excellent cricket player and led his school’s cricket team to National junior finals.
3. His journalism career began with the Adelaide News, which he took over after the death of his father at the age of 22. Rupert Murdoch transformed the failing business into a successful newspaper.
4. He once counter bid for a New Zealand local newspaper, The Dominion, at the spur of the moment during a vacation and ended up winning the bid.
5. He was once declared dead by his own newspaper, The Sun, after digital vigilante groups Anonymous and LulzSec hacked into the newspaper website and published an article, claiming Murdoch died because of drug overdose.
6. He has appeared in two episodes of the hit series The Simpsons and his entrance line was “I’m Rupert Murdoch, the billionaire tyrant, and this is my skybox.”
7. Murdoch has a bad intuition towards social media, which was proven when Myspace, which Murdoch bought for $ 580 million, had to be sold due to its poor performance. He also passed a chance to buy Twitter and warned investors against investing in it.
8. He was awarded a papal honour award, Knight Commander of the Order of Saint Gregory the Great, by John Paul II in January 1998.
9. He once launched world’s first iPad only daily newspaper app, named The Daily. Murdoch invested $ 30 million in building the app. The app eventually shut down as the company started losing money after the launch.
10. He was inducted into the TV Hall of Fame in 2014 for launching Fox Broadcasting Company and changing the television landscape with shows like The Simpsons and The X-Files.
With a career spanning almost 6 decades, Rupert Murdoch saw many failures and controversies, but overcame them all and is now worth $ 21.9 billion.
A decade ago, the success of a startup was measured largely by its ability to raise capital. Today, a different metric is gaining importance: the ability to generate meaningful exits for investors. Large stake sales by early backers are becoming increasingly common, not because growth opportunities have disappeared, but because India’s startup ecosystem is entering a more mature phase where capital is expected to complete its full cycle from investment to returns.
This evolution is particularly significant for consumer brands that have successfully blended technology, retail, and strong brand-building. Companies that were once viewed as high-risk startup bets are now attracting institutional investors capable of absorbing large transactions. Such developments indicate that these businesses are no longer being valued solely on future potential; they are increasingly being assessed on operational performance, market leadership, and long-term profitability. In many ways, investor exits are becoming a validation of a company’s ability to create lasting enterprise value.
The broader implication extends beyond a single company or investor. Successful exits encourage more global capital to enter India’s startup ecosystem because they demonstrate that liquidity opportunities exist at scale. As more venture-backed companies approach public listings, secondary transactions, or strategic investments, the focus of founders and investors alike may shift from chasing headline valuations to building durable businesses. The next chapter of India’s startup journey will likely be defined not just by the creation of unicorns, but by the creation of companies capable of delivering sustained returns to all stakeholders.
Apple has unveiled the new MacBook Air with M5 chip, starting at $999 for 13-inch and $1,299 for 15-inch models. The MacBook Air M5 boasts a 2nm M5 chip with 12-core CPU, 18-core GPU, and 50 TOPS Neural Engine for seamless AI tasks like real-time translation and 8K editing. Up to 22 hours of battery life, Thunderbolt 5, and Wi-Fi 7 make it the ultimate ultraportable, now 10% thinner at 0.44 inches with fanless cooling.
Key MacBook Air M5 features include Liquid Retina XDR display (500 nits, nano-texture option), 12MP Center Stage camera, and six-speaker Spatial Audio. Colors like new Sky Blue join Midnight and Starlight. Pre-orders are live today, with macOS Sequoia 15.4 enhancing Apple Intelligence and iPhone Continuity for students, pros, and remote workers.
Why buy MacBook Air M5 now? It outpaces Snapdragon X Elite rivals with ecosystem magic and future-proof performance, eyeing top 2026 laptop sales. CEO Tim Cook calls it “more capable than ever.” Visit apple.com for M5 MacBook deals and specs.
Delhi NCR-based gaming startup Zupee has acquired Mumbai-based microdrama platform Vertical TV in a deal valued under INR 40 Cr. This move strengthens Zupee Studio, its short-video arm launched in September 2025, by integrating Vertical TV’s expertise in bite-sized dramas like romance and thrillers.
Facing challenges from India’s 2025 real-money gaming ban, Zupee valued at $1 Bn after raising $120 Mn has pivoted to non-gaming content, including recent layoffs of 40% of its workforce. The acquisition builds on its November 2025 purchase of Australian AI firm Nucanon for interactive storytelling, targeting its 200 Mn+ users with engaging, mobile-first formats.
This deal underscores the rising microdrama trend in India, helping Zupee diversify amid regulatory pressures and compete in the short-video space dominated by quick, shareable content for on-the-go audiences.
