The Ken

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Channel • 6 Shows

Business

Business

Updated weekly
Business News

Business News

Updated weekly
Technology

Technology

Updated weekly
Business News

Business News

Updated daily
Careers

Careers

Updated 20 Jan
Entrepreneurship

Entrepreneurship

Monthly

29/05/2024

How Wakefit and other new-age mattress companies are selling you sleep

New-age D2C mattress brands like Wakefit and The Sleep Company have successfully made orthopaedic mattresses into a mass product. They are changing the landscape of the mattress market in India with their innovative science and tech based approach and clever marketing techniques. Wakefit, for example, literally offers a “sleep internship" where all you have to do is "sleep for 9 hours everyday for a hundred days and earn up to 10 lakh rupees." It's come to a point where even older and bigger mattress makers have had to adapt these changes and start selling these orthopedic mattresses. But is this really about the science or more about the selling? Daybreak is produced from the newsroom of The Ken, India’s first subscriber-only business news platform. Subscribe for more exclusive, deeply-reported, and analytical business stories.

29/05/2024

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9 min
20/10/2025

If AI is really changing everything… where’s the evidence?

Is the AI revolution already running out of steam? Despite years of hype about a world transformed by smart tools and endless innovation, the data tells a quieter story. The growth is flat, the excitement is fading, and there have been fewer breakthroughs than expected. Has AI already peaked or are we just looking in the wrong places? In today's episode, we dive into one of The Ken’s most thought-provoking essays by Praveen Gopala Krishnan, 'What does an AI bubble burst look like?'Tune in. Daybreak is produced from the newsroom of The Ken, India’s first subscriber-only business news platform. Subscribe for more exclusive, deeply-reported, and analytical business stories.

20/10/2025

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13 min
16/01/2023

How some edtechs are forcing tutors to drive sales

With the funding crunch and slow growth, edtechs like Unacademy and Vedantu are giving teachers monthly targets to sell online courses to students. Not meeting sales targets is reason enough for edtechs to fire teachers as part of cost-cutting exercises. Tune in to find out how teachers are being forced to become the new sales force in some edtech companies.

16/01/2023

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12 min
11/11/2025

Why VLCC is still opening weight-loss clinics in the Ozempic era

When Ozempic began changing how the world lost weight, most slimming companies panicked. But VLCC didn’t. Backed by Carlyle, it’s opening more clinics than ever before. Because to Carlyle, Ozempic isn’t a threat—it’s just another doorway into India’s beauty economy. In this episode, we look at how VLCC’s new owners are turning an existential challenge into expansion, why its products are taking a back seat to real estate, and what the future of India’s weight-loss industry looks like in the age of GLP-1 drugs. Tune in.

11/11/2025

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13 min
29/12/2025

When private equity acquires schools, the price may be quality education

Private equity is reshaping India’s schools. A relaxed New Education Policy and rising demand for international curricula have opened the doors for global operators to buy up chains across the country. The promise is scale, better infrastructure, and tighter governance. But the reality looks a little different—lean budgets, shrinking salary hikes, and a growing focus on cost-cutting. And the fallout? Increasing staff attrition, decreasing academic quality, and schools trading their founder-led ethos for a standardised model. Tune in. *Disclosure: The writer comes from a family that previously owned a school acquired partially by International Schools Partnership (ISP) **This episode was originally published on September 16th 2025Daybreak is produced from the newsroom of The Ken, India’s first subscriber-only business news platform. Subscribe for more exclusive, deeply-reported, and analytical business stories.

29/12/2025

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12 min
25/08/2025

The price drop in weight-loss drugs Indian pharma can’t handle

Even though GLP-1 drugs have helped nearly 20 million people shed weight across the world since 2021, Indians had to wait until 2025 to get in on the action legally. To be fair, the country wasn’t entirely in the dark. Semaglutide—the molecule behind pharma giant Novo Nordisk’s blockbuster drugs Ozempic and Wegovy—was already available for diabetes treatment. But this March, Eli Lilly’s Mounjaro (which uses a different molecule, tirzepatide) entered the market. In July, Wegovy arrived. And suddenly, India went from “we know GLP-1” to “we want the skinny shot”. Since then, the GLP-1 market in India—across diabetes and weight loss—has grown from Rs 531 crore to Rs 628 crore. And now, depending on the vantage point, things are about to get much bigger. And much cheaper. And naturally, pretty much every major Pharma major wants in on the action. Tune in. Do you work in IT? Take our surveyWant to join The Ken's team? Fill this form.

25/08/2025

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10 min
14/09/2025

Why Zoho is opting out of the cloud-AI industrial complex

Most SaaS companies have accepted the “cloud and AI tax” , the cost they pay to Amazon, Google, and Microsoft for storage and processing data. But Zoho is refusing to play along. Famous for its frugality, Zoho is now building its own AI models and data centers to keep costs down for the small and medium enterprises that make up most of its clientele. While rivals lean heavily on third-party clouds, Zoho has bet on a homegrown LLM—Zia—to power its products and stay affordable. But the strategy comes with risks, because building AI from scratch demands huge capital and relentless innovation. Tune in. Compete in India's first and only case competition. Daybreak is produced from the newsroom of The Ken, India’s first subscriber-only business news platform. Subscribe for more exclusive, deeply-reported, and analytical business stories.

14/09/2025

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13 min
18/08/2025

The hard truth about the American dream

For decades, studying in the US was seen as a golden ticket: a degree that promised not just world-class education, but a clear path to jobs, visas, and a better life abroad. But in 2025, that promise looks very different. We surveyed 50 Indian students and recent graduates in the US. Almost half told us they’ve either already moved back to India or are planning to. In this episode of 90,000 Hours, we follow the journeys of Indian students who chased the American dream and discovered the reality was far more complicated. From shrinking job markets and tougher visa lotteries to the hard decision of whether to stay or return home. The American Dream isn’t gone. But for Indian students, it has shifted from a one-way ticket to something far less certain. Tune in. Do you work in IT? Take our surveyWant to join The Ken's team? Apply here

18/08/2025

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23 min
14 JAN

Meta has an illegal gambling ads problem. It doesn't really care

Four months after India's nationwide ban on online gambling ads, Meta platforms were still running them—140 in December alone. A Reuters investigation into leaked internal documents reveals this isn't an oversight. Meta made specific calculations about how much enforcement it could afford, and governments worldwide are hitting the same wall. From Malaysia to the Philippines, removal requests pile up while the ads keep running. What happens when a platform decides compliance is negotiable? Daybreak is produced from the newsroom of The Ken, India’s first subscriber-only business news platform. Subscribe for more exclusive, deeply-reported, and analytical business stories.

14 Jan

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13 min
23/12/2025

Career forecast 2026: Pyramid collapse, hiring woes, and being human in an AI world

We started 90,000 Hours because we believe careers are at an inflection point. Nothing seems to be certain anymore as old rules are actively being thrown out of the window. As we wrap up five months of this podcast, our reporting and stories reflected just that. We have covered everything from how the American dream has shifted to how traditional networking has upended. Across all these episodes, some themes showed up time and again. And before heading into 2026, we ask: — What will replace the pyramid structure in organisations? — What will the assessment of AI-led productivity look like? — How to get hired when hiring is broken? Have thoughts on the episode? You can take this short survey or write to us at rahel@the-ken.com and vidhatri@the-ken.com. Credits: Written and produced by Rahel Philipose, Vidhatri RaoEdited by Rajiv CN

23/12/2025

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29 min

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