The Signal Brief

In today's episode, we're discussing the latest uproar surrounding Nestle's baby food. Reportedly, Cerelac, its baby food sold in developing regions like India, Asia, and Latin America, has an average of nearly 3 grams of sugar per serving. Now, this is worrying because toddlers under the age of 3 don't need added sugar, as it can harm their health. Stay tuned till the end to find out why Nestle h...

For the first story, we are looking at China cracking down on people with bad debts and expanding its dystopian social credit system to punish citizens with poor financial histories, as the country grapples with a housing market downturn, slowing growth, and economic challenges. In our main story we dive into the monsoon predictions by the IMD that came earlier this week. What would an above norma...

In today's episode, we are talking about space junk and what are the risks associated with it. And for the second segment, we are taking a look at Taylor Swift’s massive influence on the world economies and the retail space. Episode credits: The episode was researched, written, and produced by Shorbori and Manaswini Edited by Venkat Ananth  Mastered and mixed by Yash Hirave

In today's episode, we're taking a close look at Tesla's recent setbacks. From a slump in sales to significant layoffs and a shake-up in leadership, the company is facing some serious challenges. But what's the root cause behind it all? In other news, we are talking about the plight of millions of Indian workers and their families stuck on the waitlist for American green cards. What's causing the...

For today’s line up we are looking at the Iran-Israel recent escalation and its impact on India. And for the main segment, we take a close look at how Vice India imploded. We're joined by our senior editor Soumya Gupta, who says that in Vice's undoing, there's a lesson for foreign media companies looking to set up shop in India. Also check out Soumya Gupta's latest story for The Impression: How Vi...

In today's episode, we are looking at Swiggy’s two contrasting policies for its employees and its gig workers. And mind you, these two policies are causing quite a stir online. And for our main story, we talk about financial scams in India and the role of mule accounts. To talk more about this, we’ll be joined by Richard Booth, head of the APAC at BioCatch which is a firm that specialises on behav...

Boeing just can’t catch a break. Another whistleblower has come out in public alleging some serious malpractices at Boeing. That’s our first story for this episode. In our main segment today, we're diving into India's waste management issues. Every year, India produces a whopping 62 million tonnes of waste. So, what's the fix for this? Well, sure, there are waste-to-energy plants, but are they the...

In this AI-driven, data is gold. It's AI food so to speak because the more data sets AI language models are fed on, the more accurate they can get. But tech companies are running out of data to train AI models as they race against each other for the most innovative and sharpest AI. How are they getting  For our main segment, we look at the widespread use of a risky drug — nimesulide, in India. To...

Some things always stay in style — like luxury watches. Although investing in luxury watches comes with risks, second-hand luxury watches are increasingly becoming a viable asset class for investors. In other news, Wipro has appointed Srinivas Pallia as its new CEO and MD after Thierry Delaporte stepped down. Why is Wipro lagging behind its IT peers and what work is cut out for Pallia? Tune in for...

Isn't it just easier to travel with a Schengen Visa? It’s just smoother mobility across borders. Thailand is actually batting for a similar joint-visa programme with some of its neighbouring countries like Cambodia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar and Vietnam.  In other news, Tesla CEO Elon Musk has posted on X, formerly Twitter that self-driving robotaxis will be unveiled on 8th August this year. But the...

In today's episode, we talk about the California bill that wants to give employees the right to disconnect and for the deep dive we take a look at the MotoGP deal. Earlier this week Liberty Media, owner of Formula One acquired MotoGP. But what does this mean for the motorsports world? We invited Kunal Shah, an FIA accredited F1 TV & print journalist to help us understand this deal better. Epis...

In today's lineup, we're delving into Vistara's crisis, with pilots protesting, flight cancellations, and merger issues causing turbulence for the airline. The are also looking at Moon getting a clock of its own. But why does the Moon need a standard time zone? Tune in to this episode of The Signal Daily to find out! Episode credits: The episode was researched, written, and produced by Shorbori an...

In today's episode, we're diving into the battle heating up Disney's boardroom. CEO Bob Iger is facing off against billionaire activist investor Nelson Peltz for control of two board seats, and it's a battle that could shape the future of this media giant. Plus, we've got Soumya Gupta, senior editor at The Signal and author of The Impression newsletter, joining us to provide some insights. In othe...

In today's episode, we're diving into the latest trend in India: the growing obsession with Chinese dramas, following the previous crazes for Korean and Thai shows. In other news, we are talking about Apple's significant contribution to employment in India, with over 150,000 people directly employed in its manufacturing ecosystem. So, the big question is: should India be putting more focus on manu...

In today's episode, we're diving into LinkedIn's plan to add TikTok-style short videos and gaming features to its platform. Will this change catch users' attention? Also, we're looking at why hospitals are shifting towards shorter patient stays. Major players such as Fortis and Max Healthcare are at the forefront of this trend. Tune in to this episode of The Signal Daily! Episode credits: The epis...

In today’s episode, our first story is about the woes of India’s labour market. Low pay, poor salary hikes, job burnouts, layoffs and high levels of unemployment are fueling the dismal conditions of the workforce  For our main segment, we’ll discuss how OTT platform Mubi didn’t live up to its promise. When this OTT platform launched in India in 2019, it promised a dedicated channel for Indian inde...

In today's episode we are talking about the business of metro networks in India. Are they profitable? Not really. How’s the ridership? Not all that great. So what’s the problem? Listen in to find out! In other news, The long-drawn proper battle between brother-sister duo Baba Kalyani and Sugandha Hiremath has now reached a Pune court. Bharat Forge chairman & MD Baba Kalyani’s niece and nephew...

In today's episode, we're delving into Boeing's recent top management shake-up. With CEO Dave Calhoun stepping down, the big question is: Who will be stepping up to take his place? And could this changing of the guard bring a fresh start for Boeing? Plus, we're exploring the persistent issue of basic minimum wages and India's ambitious plans to transition to living wages. Will this move address th...

In today's episode, we're talking the increasing role of AI in sports, particularly in football. We're also joined by Siddhartha Datta, co-founder of Tech At Play, who gives his insights on how AI is changing sports. In other news, we're looking at the thriving real estate market in India. Reportedly, residential property sales are hitting all-time highs, with a growing demand for premium housing...

Today, we're diving into India's crackdown on surrogate advertisements by liquor companies. In other news, we talk about the issue of fake news and the recent notification from the IT ministry designating the Fact-Checking Unit of the Press Information Bureau (PIB) as the official fact-checker for the Union Government. While the Supreme Court has temporarily halted this move, why is this proposal...

Inflection AI’s co-founder Mustafa Suleyman has ditched his own startup Inflection AI to head Microsoft’s new division which will focus on consumer artificial intelligence business. Why is it a big deal? We unpack it in today's episode. In other news, Zomato Founder Deepinder Goyal lands in a controversy with his "pure veg" fleet idea. Tune in!

In today's episode, we talk about Kishore Biyani, the Founder of Future Retail, and his bid for Mumbai’s SOBO central mall, despite Future Retail's debt. Is this a sign of a comeback? We talk to Harminder Sahni, founder and managing director of Wazir Advisors, for insights. In other news, we look at Japan's decision to end negative interest rates. We speak with Puja Mehra, a business journalist an...

In today's episode, we're diving into the recent navigation glitches affecting Indian users on Google Maps. Joining us to dissect this issue is Anup Semwal, staff writer at The Signal and The Core. We are also taking a look at the surge in demand for government affairs positions within companies and the reasons behind it. Tune in! Episode credits: The episode was researched, written, and produced...

On March 14th, Bitcoin reached an all-time high of $73,700, breaking its previous record set in November 2021 when it surged past $65,000. Moreover, Bitcoin has maintained a remarkable stability, remaining above the $60,000 threshold consistently for the past few weeks. But what's behind Bitcoin's remarkable rise to new record levels? Tune in to find out! In other news, the US is investigating Ada...

In today's episode, we're talking about the cocoa crunch in Ghana and Ivory Coast. Due to the effects of El Niño, this season has seen poor cocoa harvests, pushing chocolate companies to either reduce their packaging sizes or increase prices. And for the deep dive, we're looking into the Mahadev online betting scam and its potential connection to the recent slump in small and mid-cap stocks, which...