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Business News

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Updated 11 May
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Updated 26 Jan

4 Jun

Why Big Tech is tokenmaxxed out

Amazon built a leaderboard to track how much AI its engineers were using. Employees gamed it. Costs exploded. Last week, the leaderboard was gone. Uber burned through its entire annual AI budget in four months — after telling staff to use AI "as much as possible." Microsoft cancelled most of its Claude Code licences six months after rolling them out. Three companies, the same couple months, the same lesson: that measuring AI adoption is turning out to be a very different thing from measuring AI productivity. 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.

4 Jun

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12 min
4 Jan

How Indigo ran out of pilots—gradually, then suddenly

India's largest airline crisis made headlines for weeks. Last month, Indigo cancelled nearly 4,000 flights over 10 days, forcing the government to cut 10% of its schedules until March. The culprit? A severe pilot shortage that the airline had two years to prepare for. While Air India doubled its pilot strength ahead of new flight duty rules, Indigo ended up with fewer pilots than before. The airline's response has been less than encouraging. Cut leaves, slash night allowances, and even telling unhappy pilots "where else will you go?" With India needing 30,000 new pilots over the next 15 years, IndiGo's treatment of its crew is coming back to haunt it. And the monopoly mindset that fueled its growth may now be its biggest liability. 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.

4 Jan

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13 min
19/10/2025

Shopping at an Indian airport? Almost everything you touch could belong to Adani

When Dreamfolks Services entered India’s aviation scene, it quietly built the plumbing that made airport lounge access possible. It linked banks, card networks, and travellers to hundreds of lounges nationwide. For years, it stayed out of sight, powering a privilege most flyers never thought twice about. Now, it’s being shown the door. Adani, India’s biggest airport operator, is moving fast to take full control — not just of the runways, but everything that happens beyond security. Lounges, food courts, duty-free zones, and retail stores are all coming under its fold. Some are being rebranded, others replaced — and nearly all are being pulled into Adani’s growing airport ecosystem. 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.

19/10/2025

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8 min
19 Jan

Make in India pushed electronics to deliver volume. Depth is still loading

India has become one of the world’s largest electronics manufacturers, powered by scale, assembly lines, and global contracts. But much of the design, components, and technology still sit elsewhere. In this episode, we look at why the government is now backing electronics components, what India’s EMS firms built first, and what they postponed. As India pushes deeper into the supply chain, the question shifts from volume to ownership. What does it take to move from assembling electronics to truly building them? Also, how did China get it right? 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.

19 Jan

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12 min
28 Jan

Why Gita Gopinath says pollution hurts more than tariffs

Every winter, Delhi chokes. Masks become mandatory, air purifiers work overtime, and life somehow goes on. But beyond the health crisis lies an economic catastrophe most people ignore—until now. Gita Gopinath's recent warning at Davos sparked controversy, but the numbers don't lie: pollution is costing India 1.67 million lives and nearly 3% of GDP annually. Meanwhile, China turned its pollution crisis around in just a few years with ruthless accountability. India has the knowledge and technology. What it lacks is political will. And every year of delay continues to put lives at risk and pushes the $5 trillion economy dream away. Host Rachel Varghese explores what exactly is at stake. 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.

28 Jan

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15 min
04/08/2025

At work, it’s 'AI or bust'. What’s your move?

What happens when AI at work isn't optional anymore? Across the board, companies are investing in AI tools for their teams. But with that access comes a new kind of pressure to work smarter, move faster, and think more creatively. So what does that actually look like in practice? And how does it feel on the ground? In the latest episode of 90,000 Hours, Razorpay CEO Harshil Mathur, The Ken's Deputy Editor Arundhati Ramanathan, and others break it down. Tune in. Check out Arundhati's story. Got a favourite AI tool at work? Tell us here

04/08/2025

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28 min
09/10/2025

Ozempic sparked the weight-loss drug trend. Mounjaro is leading it in India

Six months after launch, Eli Lilly’s Mounjaro is already India’s second-biggest pharma brand, ahead of antacid Pan and just behind antibiotic Augmentin. Days later, Eli Lilly announced a $1 billion investment and a new Hyderabad hub. The timing is no accident: India has one of the world’s largest obese and diabetic populations, Ozempic’s patent expires in 2026, and local pharma giants are gearing up with cheap GLP-1 generics. In this episode of Daybreak, host Rachel Varghese unpacks how this landscape presents both an opportunity and a challenge for Eli Lilly. 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.

09/10/2025

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11 min
01/09/2025

Why Peyush Bansal did the opposite of every rulebook move before Lenskart's IPO

When Peyush Bansal spent more than Rs 200 crore to buy back Lenskart shares from investors at a deep discount, it wasn’t just a bold trade. It was a rare move few founders manage. He essentially clawed back equity before heading into an IPO. And this extra stake pushed him into “promoter” status, a role many startup leaders once avoided but are now racing to embrace. Why the sudden shift? What does it reveal about founders, investors, and regulators in India’s IPO boom? 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.

01/09/2025

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10 min
15 Apr

Anthropic built an AI that can supposedly break into anything. Then it forgot to lock its own door

Anthropic has spent years building a reputation as the AI company that actually cares about safety. Then, in the span of two weeks, it leaked an unannounced model, exposed its own source code, and accidentally handed hackers a blueprint of its most widely-used product. The fix came in 24 hours. The blueprint can't be unlearned. And the companies that trusted Claude Code with their deepest systems are still running on publicly documented defences. If the most careful AI company couldn't prevent this, what does that mean for everyone else? 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.

15 Apr

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17 min
11/02/2025

What does it take to sell makeup to men?

It’s 2025 and the idea of “masculinity” has undergone a complete overhaul. You see, after several product life cycles, the men’s grooming business has reached a stage where brands aren’t just formulating shampoos and body washes exclusively for men. They are also coming up with compacts and concealers, and a bunch of other makeup products targeted at men. In fact, in the last decade or so, India has actually become the biggest market in the Asia Pacific region for beauty products for men. And yet, nothing much has changed about how these brands pitch their products to men. 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. We are now on WhatsApp at +918971108379. Text us and tell us what you thought of the episode!

11/02/2025

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11 min

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