One Thing Today in Tech
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IMF revises 2023 growth upward; Apple working on a foldable iPad — report; ChatGPT can fix software bugs
The International Monetary Fund yesterday revised upward its global growth projections for the year, after better-than-expected data on spending by American households and businesses, and in other countries, and Europe's handling of its energy crisis, CNBC reports. Also in this report, pet fish apparently changed their owner's Nintendo username, downloaded a new avatar, set up a PayPal account and even charged his credit card, CNN reports. And, after getting an MBA, ChatGPT is now fixing software bugs
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Google should sell ad manager suite — US; Startup funding in India fell 38 pct in 2022; Indian SaaS projected at $35 bln in 2027
The US Justice Department yesterday accused Google of abusing its dominance in digital advertising, and said the internet giant should be forced to sell its ad manager suite, Reuters reports. Venture capital funding of startups fell more than 38 percent in 2022 versus 2021, GlobalData finds. Indian software-as-a-service companies, however, were a relative bright spot, according to a separate report, by Bain & Company, a consultancy, which estimates the sector is maturing and will continue to grow. And Pune startup Ecozen has raised $25 million in equity funding and loans
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Amazon launches air cargo service in India; Salesforce in Elliott's crosshairs — report; Log9 raises $40 mln
Amazon has launched Amazon Air, its dedicated air cargo fleet in India, partnering with Quickjet, the ecommerce giant said in a press release yesterday. It will start with Delhi, Mumbai, Hyderabad and Bengaluru. Activist investor Elliott Management's next target is Salesforce, Wall Street Journal reports. Also in this brief, Microsoft invests more money in OpenAI, and GPT3, the AI chatbot, just passed an MBA exam at the prestigious Wharton School, NBC News reports
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India's Supreme Court rejects Google's appeal to block Competition Commission order; PhonePe raises $350 mln
India's Supreme Court yesterday rejected Google's ask that an order by the Competition Commission imposing a fine and changes to its market practices with respect to Android software be stayed. Google had approached the top court after the National Company Law Appellate Tribunal, earlier this month, had refused to stay the Competition Commission's order while it heard the matter. Also in this brief, TCS wins an order from Bombardier. And PhonePe is now privately valued at $12 billion, after a new investment from General Atlantic
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GoMechanic, Sequoia-backed venture, to cut 70% staff, after SoftBank walks away over irregularities
GoMechanic, a car service startup backed by VC investors including Sequoia Capital, Tiger Global Management and Chiratae, will cut 70 percent of its staff and undergo an independent audit of its books, the company's co-founder Amit Bhasin said in a post on LinkedIn yesterday. Also in this brief, Microsoft yesterday confirmed the 10,000 job cuts that had previously been reported in the news, and a TIME investigation reveals how OpenAI used lowly paid workers in Kenya to remove toxic content from ChatGPT
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Microsoft may cut 5% workforce, announce 10,000 layoffs — reports; Mad Street Den raises $30 mln
Microsoft will likely announce thousands of job cuts soon resulting from a decision to cut 5 percent of its global workforce, Sky News reported yesterday. With more than 220,000 employees at Microsoft, that could mean more than 10,000 layoffs, The Verge pointed out. Also in this brief, Apple's new MacBook Pro laptops with the M2 chips, Google's plan for an Airtag-like tracker, and investors take IBM to court for alleged misleading information on its cloud and AI revenue
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ShareChat latest unicorn to lay off staff with 20 pct cut; Amazon's open software jobs plummet — report
ShareChat, yesterday, joined a growing list of Indian startup unicorns that have laid off employees amid a funding winter. The company has laid off 20 percent of its workforce to conserve cash, as the current global economic slowdown has made it harder to raise funding, according to multiple reports. The desi social media venture is among the most funded startups in India. Also in this brief, a Swiss entrepreneur is launching a privacy-first smartphone operating system based on a version of Android, and a Chinese company has built the world's biggest wind turbine
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Infosys raises outlook amid signs of slowdown, as cloud and automation propel both digital and core
Infosys yesterday raised its revenue outlook for FY23 citing strong growth momentum from the first nine of the fiscal year and a record order book, even as a recession looms large in its biggest markets. The company's numbers beat street expectations and CEO Salil Parekh said its strong capabilities in cloud technologies and automation had helped Infosys win the highest number of large contracts in a quarter in the company's history. He also flagged signs of an economic slowdown and delays in decision-making among clients in investment banking, telecom, hi-tech and retail
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US flights resume after nationwide disruption due to 'damaged database file'; ChatGPT paid version coming
Normal air traffic operations are slowly resuming in the US after flights were halted across the country on Wednesday, due to a software glitch in the Federal Aviation Administration's computer systems, BBC reports. Also in this brief, Jio crosses 100 cities with its 5G services; and Maruti Suzuki India expects to launch the eVX, an electric SUV, by 2025 with a range of 550km per charge, the Japanese carmaker said at India's auto show, according to Reuters
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Microsoft in talks for 49 percent stake in ChatGPT owner OpenAI — report; OneWeb closer to global constellation
Microsoft is in talks to invest $10 billion into OpenAI, the owner of ChatGPT, the AI app that has gone ultra-viral, Semafor reported yesterday, citing people familiar with the matter. OneWeb yesterday confirmed the successful deployment of 40 satellites launched by SpaceX, taking it to a total of 542 low-earth-orbit satellites and a step closer to offering "global" connectivity. Also in this briefing, Infosys Foundation is seeking submissions for its Aarohan Social Innovation Awards 2023
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TCS Q3: revenue crosses $7 bln, staff strength dips for first time since Covid outbreak; Google invests in Cropin
Tata Consultancy Services, India's biggest IT services company, said its quarterly revenue has crossed the $7 billion mark, with sales for its fiscal third quarter, the October-December period, coming in at $7.075 billion. A near-term slowdown in demand is apparent in the staff addition numbers. TCS saw a net reduction in its workforce, for the first time since the Covid pandemic began to fan out across the world. For the rest of the current fiscal year, TCS doesn't expect to add many more people. Infosys, HCL Tech and Wipro will report their Q3 earnings this week