One Thing Today in Tech

Tesla’s advanced driver assistance system, Autopilot, is being investigated by the US auto safety regulators after a series of crashes at emergency sites, according to multiple news reports. The investigation, by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, covers an estimated 765,000 Tesla Model Y, X, S and three vehicles from the 2014 model year onward. And in our tech conversation today,...

July 2021 has become the hottest month ever recorded, according to new global data released on Friday by the US National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s National Centers for Environmental Information. This comes on the heels of a report by the Inter Government Panel on Climate Change that added incontrovertible evidence that human activity such as burning fossil fuels has exacerbated adve...

Facebook may be required to sell off Giphy if a provisional finding by Britain’s antitrust authority is confirmed. The deal may impede competition between social media platforms and the in-display advertising market, according to Britain’s Competition and Markets Authority. EdTech startup Eruditus and local language technology platform VerSe raised capital in the latest funding rounds. In our...

Google and Apple, will be forced to allow third-party app stores and side-loading of apps if a new bipartisan bill in the US becomes law. The Open App Markets Act, led by three US lawmakers, would break open the business model of both companies’ app stores and the structure of their mobile operating systems. Samsung introduced Galaxy Z Fold 3 and Galaxy Z Flip 3 at the 'Galaxy Unpacked' event on W...

Google is blocking ad targeting of users under 18, based on age, gender or interests. It will also turn off its location history feature, which tracks location data, for users under 18 globally. Apple is doubling down on pro camera features for the upcoming iPhone lineup. Xiaomi launched Mi Mix 4 and Mi Pad 5. In our tech conversation, billionaire Bhavin Turakhia talks up his email for business—Ti...

Amazon has decided to end its relationship with one of its biggest sellers in India, Cloudtail—a joint venture between Amazon and India's Catamaran. The move comes after the US company was accused of giving preferential treatment for years to a small group of sellers. Apple will have a record year in India with sales of $3 bn in revenue. Ather has decided to share its proprietary fa...

Atlassian, is probably not a very well known company in India outside the world of software products. However, some of India’s best-known companies—from Reliance Industries to Flipkart and Ola—use Atlassian’s team collaboration software. Three years ago, Atlassian also set up its third global R&D centre in Bangalore. Mike Cannon-Brookes spoke to Forbes India about how Atlassian has grown throu...

Moderna, a US-based pharmaceuticals company, said a booster shot of the Covid-19 vaccine may be necessary as new variants of the coronavirus emerge. The company made the announcement as part of its second quarter earnings release on Thursday. Apple is implementing a technology to scan photo uploads to iCloud in the US screening for child abuse images. In today's tech conversation, Anand Ramamoorth...

Flipkart, its founders and current investor Tiger Global, are facing a 100 billion rupee or $1.35 billion fine from Enforcement Directorate for alleged violation of foreign investment laws. Flipkart has said it is in compliance with Indian laws and is cooperating with the directorate. And in today’s tech conversation, Neha Satak, co-founder and CEO of Astrome, talks about commercialisation of her...

Google will launch its own system on chip called Tensor on the Pixel 6 and Pixel 6 Pro phones later this year, CEO Sundar Pichai said in a blogpost on Monday. The chips, which have been four years in the making, are fine tuned to deliver the best of Google’s artificial intelligence and machine learning innovations to Pixel users, Pichai said. Edtech startup Unacademy raises $440 mn; and in our tec...

On Monday, India’s Prime Minister Narendra Modi launched e-RUPI, a cashless and contactless instrument for digital payments in the country. e-RUPI acts as an e-voucher based on a QR code or SMS string, which is delivered to the mobile phones of the beneficiaries. And in our tech conversation, Anshuman Bapna talks about his plan to train 100 million people on the crisis and the opportunity that is...

Amazon has been fined a record €746 million, or $887 million by the European Union for violations related to ad targeting under the general data protection rules. Amazon will appeal. Google’s scientists may have created the first time crystal, which could potentially advance quantum computing. And in today’s tech conversation, Manav Garg, CEO of Eka Software talks about bringing the kind of suppor...

Tata Sons is acquiring about 63.1 percent stake in Bangalore based telecom network gear maker Tejas Networks. The Tata group has signed an agreement to acquire 43.35 percent of Tejas for Rs 18.50 billion that triggered an open offer by Tata Sons to acquire shares of the company from the public. The acquisition strengthens the Tata group’s standing at a time when 5G wireless networks are rolling ou...

The Pfizer-BioNTech Covid-19 vaccine’s protection against severe cases of the disease holds steady after six months, according to new data released by the companies. The vaccine’s efficacy against those severe cases stayed high at 97 percent for the entire six-month stretch after people got their shots. And in our tech conversation today, Beerud Sheth talks about building Gupshup into a leade...

Apple reported another set of record-breaking earnings results on Tuesday, but warned of supply constraints and that sales could be slowing down in the current quarter. The company had double-digit growth in many markets and “especially strong growth in emerging markets, including India, Latin America and Vietnam” for the June quarter, CEO Tim Cook told investors. And in our tech conversation toda...

Biocon Biologics, a fully integrated biosimilars company and a subsidiary of Biocon, has won an exclusive license from US-based Adagio Therapeutics to manufacture and commercialise an antibody treatment for Covid-19, based on the American company’s ADG20 monoclonal antibody, for India and some emerging markets. Byju’s is mopping up smaller competitors; and in today’s tech conversation, Venkatesh P...

India is discussing a plan to create power islanding systems in several cities to protect critical infrastructure from potential attacks on the electricity grid, power minister Raj Kumar Singh said. Bengaluru, India’s tech capital, and Jamnagar, which has two of India’s largest oil refineries, are among the cities being assessed. And in today’s tech conversation, Nikhil Ramaswamy and Gokul NA at C...

Twitter CEO Jack Dorsey confirmed to investors that bitcoin will be a “big part” of the company’s future. Dorsey sees opportunities to integrate cryptocurrency into existing Twitter products and services. Reserve Bank of India is planning the phased implementation of India’s digital currency. And in today’s tech conversation, Priyanshu Mishra and Vidhyashankar Sriram at Crayon Data explain what AI...

Instagram is testing a new feature 'Collab' with creators in the UK and India to help them increase audience reach. Wipro announced new partnership with Celonis, an execution management company. Byju's, one of the world's biggest EdTech companies, has acquired Epic Creations for $500 million. And in our tech conversation, CTO Ajit Narayanan talks about bringing AI to consumers at online healthcare...

Amazon’s founder Jeff Bezos said it was his ‘best day ever’ on Tuesday, after he made a historic sub-orbital flight to space in a capsule, carried by a rocket—both built by his company Blue Origin. This was 21-year-old Blue Origin’s first human space flight. Swiggy raises $1.25 billion to go beyond food delivery. And in our tech conversation, part 2 of a chat with Sandeep Nailwal on the basics of...

HCL Technologies founder Shiv Nadar has stepped down from his position as chief strategy officer and managing director, India’s third biggest IT services company told the stock exchanges on Monday. The company has named Nadar as chairman emeritus and strategic advisor. CEO C Vijayakumar has been named managing director as well, for a term five years. In today’s tech conversation, Sandeep Nailwal,...

Lenskart has raised $220 million in an investment led by Singapore's sovereign wealth fund Temasek and Falcon Edge Capital, taking its total to $315 million. Peyush Bansal-led Lenskart is now valued at $2.5 billion and will use most of the fresh funds to expand into Southeast Asia and West Asia. In the tech conversation today, Sumit Sarawgi, MD and senior partner at BCG, talks about efforts worldw...

Xiaomi has displaced Apple to become the world’s second-biggest smartphone vendor by the number of handsets sold for the April to June period, according to data from market research company Canalys. Wipro reported its best quarter ever, with sales surging in the April-June quarter. And, in our tech conversation today, Kausambi Manjita—CEO of Mason—explains the promise of ‘no code’ tech

Infosys, increased its full-year revenue forecast on Wednesday on the back of its strongest quarterly growth in 10 years, and accelerating demand ahead. India’s second biggest IT services company reported that revenues for its fiscal first quarter rose 16.9 percent from the same period a year ago, and 4.8 percent sequentially. And in our tech conversation, Pankhuri Shrivastava talks about online s...

Google, has been fined 500 million euros (or $593 million) by France’s competition authority, for failing to comply with the regulator's orders on how to conduct talks with the country's news publishers in a row over copyright. Smartphone maker OPPO has released a paper on its 6G strategy; and in today’s tech conversation, Taranjeet Singh Bhamra—CEO of AgNext—talks about bringing AI to agriculture