One Thing Today in Tech
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Apple ends the iPod; Google I/O starts today; Delhivery's IPO subscription opens today; Lightspeed, Moore join Razorpay
Apple is ending the iPod Touch, the last of the company's series of music devices — including the iPod nano and the Shuffle — that changed how people listen to music forever. Google's annual developer conference starts today. Delhivery gets strong interest from anchor investors ahead of IPO subscription. And Razorpay offers staff an ESOP buyback while bringing on new investors
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Apple's ML specialist quits over return-to-office policy; Uber to cut back hiring and spending; Bitcoin crashes to a 10-month low
Apple's director of machine learning, Ian Goodfellow, is leaving the company due to its return to work policy, according to a tweet by Zoe Schiffer, a tech reporter with The Verge. Ride-hailing network provider Uber's CEO has promised cutbacks on spending, CNBC reports. And the global tech-led sell-off after US monetary tightening has hit cryptocurrencies as well, with Bitcoin losing more than half its value from its November peak
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LTI and Mindtree to merge, forming a $3.5 bln revenue company as IT services demand kicks into high gear
Larsen & Toubro Infotech (LTI) and Mindtree will merge to form a larger IT services company that could be more capable of challenging bigger rivals for digital transformation contracts and global talent. LTI chief executive Sanjay Jalona is leaving and Mindtree's boss Debashis Chatterjee is to lead the combined business
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Apple, Google, and Microsoft boost passwordless plans; IBM shareholders to know concealment risks; Wipro, HFCL to make 5G gear
Apple, Google, and Microsoft plan to expand support for a common passwordless sign-in standard created by the FIDO Alliance and the World Wide Web Consortium; IBM shareholders have urged the company to report on concealment clauses that prevent employees from discussing workplace wrongdoing. And Wipro and HFCL team up to make 5G routers.
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Amazon raises Indian exports goal on platform to $20 bln; Intel buys Siru Innovation; Paramount streaming to enter India
Amazon yesterday said that cumulative exports by Indian exporters on the Amazon Global Selling programme are on track to surpass the $5 billion milestone. The company has doubled its exports pledge to facilitate $20 billion in cumulative exports from India by 2025. Intel acquires GPU tech company Siru Innovation. More global competition for Netflix in India.
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Apple staff decry hybrid pilot as driven by fear; Google fires another AI researcher; Zepto, Traceable, Toplyne, and Kaleidofin raise funding
A group of Apple employees, calling itself Apple Together, has opposed the company's 'hybrid working pilot' return-to-office policy as a measure that actually kills flexibility, even diversity, and perpetuates a culture of working in silos. Google has sacked another AI researcher for questioning its science, NYT reports. And investors pour hundreds of millions more into Indian startups
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ISMC to invest $3 bln for chip plant in India; Amazon cuts back paid Covid-19 leave in the US; Rise Capital enters India
ISMC, a semiconductor consortium, will invest Rs. 22,900 crore ($3 billion) in India's southern state of Karnataka to set up a 65 nm analogue chip-making plant, the country's first. Amazon is pulling back Covid-related paid leave for workers in the US, CNBC reports. Wipro will continue to buy scalable businesses. Plus, VC firm Rise Capital enters India
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Meta's Sheryl Sandberg accused of pressuring Daily Mail over boyfriend; Google adds 'reject all' button in EU; HCLT projects 12-14 percent growth
Sheryl Sandberg, chief operating officer of Meta Platforms, used her influence to bury two stories about her then-boyfriend, Activision Blizzard CEO Bobby Kotick, the Wall Street Journal reports. Google adds a 'reject all' option so users in the EU can reject all cookie tracking with one click. And HCL Tech, India's third-biggest IT company, expects revenue growth of 12-14 percent for the current fiscal year
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Mindtree, LTI reportedly in advanced merger talks; EU close to mandating USB-C; Lightspeed elevates three execs to Partner
Mindtree and LTI, Mumbai-listed IT services companies that are part of the Larsen & Toubro group, are in advanced merger talks, according to Bloomberg and Economic Times. The combined entity would have more heft to go after larger deals, and retain their best talent. In the startup world, early-stage VC firm Lightspeed has elevated three executives to the role of Partner on its investment advisory team, including two women
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Accenture invests in Strivr; Brave releases De-AMP; Indian SaaS companies to see $6.5 bln in funding in 2022
Accenture has made a strategic investment, through Accenture Ventures, in Strivr, a provider of virtual reality-based, immersive learning and training solutions for enterprises. Brave is continuing its efforts to popularise a privacy focused rival to Chrome, with a new feature called De-AMP. And Indian SaaS companies will see their fortunes rise this year too, according to a new report
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Wipro names former Accenture, KPMG exec Satya Easwaran India head; The $80 bln India semiconductor opportunity
Indian industry could reap benefits of up to $80 billion by participating in the global semiconductor manufacturing supply chain, by 2030, according to a report by the Indian Electronics and Semiconductor Manufacturing Association. And Wipro has recruited Satya Easwaran, a former Accenture and KPMG executive as its country head for India