hi,
The age-old debate over work-life balance is taking center stage once again.
Recently, former Amazon executive Adam Broda sparked controversy on LinkedIn when he shared observations about his tech team in Bengaluru. His post, highlighting 60-hour workweeks and 3 a.m. calls as signs of dedication, drew sharp criticism. Many questioned whether these practices reflected genuine enthusiasm or workplace pressure, raising concerns about potential burnout rates among Indian tech workers.
The discussion comes on the heels of a controversial proposal earlier this year by Infosys co-founder NR Narayana Murthy advocating a 70-hour workweek to boost India’s growth.
The debate raged as the two became prominent Shark Tank India The judges took an opposing stance: While Shaadi.com founder Anupam Mittal dismissed work-life balance as a “big lie” in favor of “work-life harmony”, Namita Thapar of Emcure offered a practical counterargument. He argued that while founders may voluntarily work 16-20 hour days for substantial financial rewards, such expectations for regular employees are unfair.
Meanwhile, brokerage firm Zerodha highlighted the harsh reality of modern work in an Instagram post, illustrating how much time people spend with their colleagues compared to their pets, parents, or personal time at home.
Although the debate is still not over, we all look forward to spending the year-end with our loved ones.
We will talk about it in today’s newsletter
- Bitcoin in 2024
- How India can unlock the potential of AI
Here’s your trivia for today: Which three animal species walk with their right foot first, then both left feet?
Review 2024
Bitcoin in 2024
From a stormy start in January to shattering all-time records in 2024, Bitcoin evolved from a speculative asset to become part of institutional portfolios, driven by regulatory approvals and a growing global investor audience.
There were several reasons behind the asset class hitting these highs, including the return of pro-crypto Donald Trump to the US presidency, signs of regulatory relaxation for crypto trading in the world’s largest economy, as well as growing institutional interest.
Flashback:
- Investment company BlackRock launched the iShares Bitcoin Trust ETF in January, marking an important milestone in integrating digital assets into traditional financial markets.
- In July, crypto exchange WazirX was hacked and assets worth $234.9 million were transferred to unknown addresses. The investigation is ongoing, and your story It was exclusively reported that a person linked to the crime was arrested by the Delhi Police in August.
- Historically, every Bitcoin rally has been followed by an altcoin – all cryptocurrencies other than Bitcoin – rally. The Altcoin Season Index, which measures the performance of the top 50 altcoins over 90 days against Bitcoin, rose to 31 points on November 7.
Interview
How India can unlock the potential of AI
The potential of AI is still largely untapped and Alok Goyal, Partner, Stellaris Venture Partners, believes that India is best poised to harness the opportunities arising from the technology.
“There is a huge opportunity in front of us in the next two decades,” Goyal said in a conversation with founder and CEO Shraddha Sharma. your storyWith Stellaris partners Rahul Chaudhary, Ritesh Banglani and recently promoted partner Naman Lahoti.
Interrupting with AI:
- Lahoti said that AI is disrupting both the creation and distribution of digital products and services. He cited the example of GoodScore, a company in Stellaris’ portfolio that offers hyper-personalized financial education products to delinquent users to improve their CIBIL scores.
- “We are very enthusiastic and we are actively looking for companies that use AI to deliver education,” Chaudhry notes. “The challenge in education and edtech is that we’ve got a lot of users who have started using, companies have been built, funded, the effectiveness is still not delivered compared to what you can get in the offline world.”
- According to Goyal, three major opportunities in AI will remain for SaaS firms over the next one to two decades. One, almost every enterprise process will be rethought and reimagined. The way software is written is being rethought. The third is the merging of software and services.
Stellaris Ventures partners in conversation with YourStory Founder and CEO, Shraddha Sharma
News and updates
- Antitrust: Japan’s competition watchdog is expected to find Google guilty of violating the country’s antitrust laws. Nikki Asia Reported. The Japan Fair Trade Commission will soon issue a cease and desist order asking Google to stop its monopolistic practices.
- Trump vs. the world: US President-elect Donald Trump has threatened to demand control of the Panama Canal after accusing Panama of charging excessive tariffs to US ships that pass through one of the world’s busiest waterways. Trump also hinted at China’s growing influence around the canal that connects the Atlantic to the Pacific.
- Social media ban: Albania’s prime minister has announced that the government plans to block access to TikTok for a year after last month’s killing of a schoolboy sparked fears about the impact of social media on children. TikTok is already banned in India, Iran, Nepal, Afghanistan and Somalia.
What you should pay attention to
- New entrant: Zomato has created history as the first new-age technology platform to replace JSW Steel in the prestigious BSE Sensex, signaling the growing influence of new-age businesses in India’s economy. According to Nuwama, the inclusion is likely to result in over $500 million in passive inflows for Zomato. The company’s stock has gained 132% year-to-date, significantly outperforming the BSE Sensex’s 9.78% gain.
- Christmas gift: Ola Electric will open 3,200 stores on December 25, quadrupling the brick-and-mortar store footprint of electric two-wheelers. This will bring the company’s total store count to 4,000. These new stores will be opened in metros as well as tier II and III cities. The expansion came in November after growing consumer complaints about the company’s declining market share and after-sales service.
Which three species of animals walk first with their right foot and then with their left foot?
Answer: Cats, camels and giraffes.
We want to hear from you! To let us know what you like and don’t like about our newsletter, please mail (email protected).
If you haven’t already received this newsletter in your inbox, Sign up here. For past editions of YourStory Buzz, you can check out our Daily Capsules page here.