The Morning Brief

What happens when economic friction between two global partners sparks deeper strategic questions? In this episode of The Morning Brief, host Anirban Chowdhury talks to Agneshwar Sen, trade policy leader, EY India, to unpack the implications of recent US tariff on India and threats for more. From the unexpected 25% tariff to the intricate triangle of the US-India-Russia dynamic, the conversation n...

India’s pharma sector is at a turning point transitioning from a global generics powerhouse to a serious contender in biotech and innovation. In this episode, host Vikas Dandekar is joined by Namita Thapar, Executive Director, Emcure Pharmaceuticals, Aman Mehta, Managing Director, Torrent Pharma, and Sharvil Patel, Managing Director, Zydus Lifesciences to explore what it takes to climb the i...

Kerala, India’s smallest southern state by area, is often celebrated for its pioneering “Kerala Model,” where social progress laid the foundation for economic growth. Decades of focus on education and healthcare have led to high literacy, long life expectancy, and rising per capita income. But today, the state grapples with fresh challenges: outward migration of skilled talent, a...

Once valued at over ₹1 lakh crore, Anil Ambani’s Reliance ADAG group is now facing one of its biggest reckonings. The Enforcement Directorate has launched a sweeping probe into alleged loan fraud and money laundering worth over ₹24,000 crore—spanning Yes Bank transactions, shell firms, and suspected quid pro quo deals with Rana Kapoor’s family offices. In this episode, host Anirb...

Tata Consultancy Services (TCS) is set to lay off around 12,000 employees, its biggest workforce reduction to date. While the move might seem driven by automation, the company attributes it instead to a widening skills gap. As TCS shifts to newer technologies and agile delivery models, many existing roles especially at the mid and senior levels no longer align with business needs. Bench policies a...

When Tamil Nadu claimed the title of “India’s No. 1” in economic growth, Andhra Pradesh hit back with a sharp, self-aware message: “We are No. 2. We work harder.” Borrowing from a legendary advertising playbook, the move sparked a fresh wave of competition among southern states vying for investment and influence. In the first episode of our special limited series Sout...

What if the next billion-dollar idea wasn’t about making money but about making a difference? In this episode, host Anirban Chowdhury sits down with Varun Aggarwal, deeptech entrepreneur and AI researcher, and Shubham Bansal, a YCombinator alum turned social impact leader. Together, they lead Change Engine, a first-of-its-kind nonprofit accelerator aiming to build 20 nonprofit unicorns in In...

It’s been a turbulent fortnight for corporate leadership, with sudden CEO exits at companies like HUL, Coca Cola bottler HCCB, L’Oréal, Diageo, Kenvue and WPP. In this episode of The Morning Brief, host Ratna Bhushan speaks to ET’s Associate Editor Arijit Barman and Vibhav Dhawan, Partner at Positive Moves Consulting to unpack what’s driving this churn: from slowing...

India is not just watching the space race — it’s entering the arena with serious firepower. In this Corner Office Conversation, hosts Anirban Chowdhury and Nirmal John sit down with Pawan Goenka , Chairperson of IN-SPACe to explore how India is opening up the final frontier for private players. From transferring ISRO’s rocket technology to industry, to creating a Rs 1,000 crore s...

Bengaluru is rapidly emerging as India’s new advertising epicenter, challenging the long-standing reign of Mumbai and Delhi. What’s driving this transformation? A dynamic combination of thriving startups, digitally native D2C brands, and a fresh crop of independent agencies that are reshaping the creative landscape. From fintech to fantasy sports, the city is drawing in forward-thinkin...

India’s aesthetic legacy is lighting up luxury runways across Paris and Milan  from Louis Vuitton’s “Voyage to India” to Prada’s controversial Kolhapuri-inspired sandals. But behind the global admiration lies a deeper story: one of borrowed beauty, blurred boundaries, and battles for credit. We explore the fine line between celebration and exploitation. Fashion s...

What happens when a global FMCG giant hits pause on its playbook and places a bold new bet on leadership? In this episode of The Morning Brief, host Ratna Bhushan speaks with Sandip Ghose, HUL veteran and currently Managing Director of MP Birla Cement, and ET’s Senior Editor Sagar Malviya to unpack the high-stakes leadership transition at Hindustan Unilever Limited, where the abrupt exit of...

What happens when 20% of your code is written by machines? In this Corner Office Conversation, host Anirban Chowdhury speaks to Ravi Kumar, CEO at Cognizant, to unpack how the tech major is reimagining IT services through AI, automation, and open innovation. With a strong push toward interdisciplinary talent, Ravi explains how Cognizant is redefining productivity and expanding access to software d...

A sweeping revision of Bihar’s voter list has stirred debate. The Election Commission’s first Special Intensive Revision in over 20 years demands new, unfamiliar documents from thousands within just 30 days. Critics call it rushed, exclusionary, and potentially unconstitutional. The Commission defends it as essential housekeeping ahead of elections. But why now? Why Bihar? Is this a te...

In a significant development, SEBI has barred Jane Street, one of the world’s leading proprietary trading firms, from participating in Indian markets. The action follows concerns over aggressive options trading strategies and suspected manipulation, particularly around Bank Nifty’s weekly expiries. This move reflects the regulator’s growing focus on tightening control over algori...

Women regardless of privilege or education continue to shoulder the invisible burden of caregiving and domestic work. They may appear independent and empowered but behind the scenes, most women are still doing it all, unpaid and unacknowledged. In this conversation host Apoorva Mittal talks with Sunaina Kumar, Senior Fellow at Observer Research Foundation, about the weight of domestic labor, the n...

Labubu, the “cute but creepy” character from The Monsters series by Hong Kong artist Kasing Lung, has taken over the world….and now India. Once a niche designer toy, Labubu is now a global collectible phenomenon fuelled by Pop Mart’s blind box strategy and major celebrity endorsements from Rihanna to Karan Johar. With prices ranging from ₹4,000 to over ₹1 crore, Labubu is...

Axis Bank, MD & CEO Amitabh Chaudhry sits down with ET’s Saloni Shukla and banking editor Sangita Mehta for an unfiltered conversation on growth, competition, and resilience. Since taking over in 2019, Chaudhry has led Axis to become India’s third-largest private sector bank. Yet, questions remain about its relatively slower growth especially when compared to peers like ICICI and H...

As India sends Group Captain Shubhanshu Shukla into orbit on the Axiom-4 mission, we pause to meet his biggest cheerleader and strongest support system. Dr Kamna Shukla—Shukla’s wife, best friend since Class 3, a dentist and mother—opens up to TOI's Chethan Kumar about the daring, dedication and decisiveness that drives Shukla, his bonding with other astronauts, his goofiness and...

What happens when long-simmering tensions between two regional powers erupt into a flashpoint for global concern? In this episode of The Morning Brief , host Anirban Chowdhury is joined by Barbara Slavin, distinguished fellow at the Stimson Centre to unpack the fragile but ferocious dynamic between Iran and Israel. Framed by the October 7th Hamas attacks and the Gaza War, the conversation traces t...

An Air India flight took off on June 12 and within seconds, it became one of the deadliest air crashes in recent memory. Only one of the 242 people aboard survived. The official investigation has been hamstrung by a severely damaged black box that had to be flown to the NTSB lab for decoding.   Host Anirban Chowdhury speaks to Aurobindo Handa, former head of India’s air accident pr...

Seconds after taking off from Ahmedabad en route to London, Air India flight AI171 crashed, killing 241 of 242 people onboard, marking India’s worst aviation disaster in over a decade. In this episode of The Morning Brief, host Anirban Chowdhury speaks with safety and flight ops expert Amit Singh, founder of Safety Matters Foundation as well as ET’s aviation experts Forum Gandhi and Ar...

As rare earth shortages disrupt global manufacturing, India’s auto sector is feeling the crunch. In this episode of The Morning Brief, hosts Anirban Chowdhury and Shally Seth Mohile speak with Ankit Somani (Co-founder, Conifer), Hemal Thakkar (Senior Practice Leader and Director, Crisil Intelligence), and Vinnie Mehta (Director General, ACMA) to unpack how China’s tightening grip on ra...

DHL Express, has made a strategic turnaround in the last 15 years to become a key revenue driver for the DHL Group. At the helm is its CEO John Pearson, a 40 year veteran at the logistics behemoth. But as geopolitical forces give new directions to global trade, DHL must find new anchors. In this Corner Office Conversation Pearson talks to Anirban Chowdhury, who joins him at DHL’s Dubai facil...

A bottle of mango lassi, neatly sealed and within its expiry date, erupts like a shaken soda—over-fermented and undrinkable. Delivered in 10 minutes from a quick commerce dark store, it should’ve been safe. But it wasn’t. And it isn’t an isolated case. As India’s quick commerce boom races ahead with 10-minute deliveries, dark stores—those invisible micro-warehou...