At just 31, Aravind Srinivas, co-founder and CEO of Perplexity AI, has become India’s youngest billionaire. As per the M3M Hurun India Rich List 2025, Srinivas now has an estimated net worth of INR 21,190 crore, powered by the remarkable global success of his AI startup.
From Chennai Classrooms to Silicon Valley
Born and brought up in Chennai, Srinivas’s journey reflects the classic story of Indian ambition meeting global opportunity. He studied Electrical Engineering at IIT Madras, one of India’s top institutions, before heading to the University of California, Berkeley, for a PhD in Computer Science.
During his academic years and early career, Srinivas worked with leading AI labs such as OpenAI, DeepMind, and Google Brain, gaining hands-on experience in the field of artificial intelligence. Those years laid the foundation for what would become one of the world’s most talked-about AI startups.
The Vision Behind Perplexity AI
In 2022, Srinivas co-founded Perplexity AI, a search engine built to change how people find information. Unlike traditional search tools that bombard users with links, Perplexity focuses on providing concise, verified answers — citing real sources and maintaining transparency.
The platform’s “answer engine” approach quickly captured global attention. With a clean interface and an emphasis on accuracy, Perplexity has positioned itself as a serious challenger to Google and OpenAI’s ChatGPT, attracting both users and investors.
India’s New Face of Deep Tech
Srinivas’s inclusion in the Hurun India Rich List is more than a personal milestone. It signals India’s growing presence in deep tech innovation. His rise shows how Indian engineers and researchers are shaping the future of global technology.
Inspiring a New Generation
Srinivas’s story has already become an inspiration for many young Indians chasing global ambitions. His mix of technical expertise, academic focus, and entrepreneurial drive has made him a name to watch in the AI world.
As AI continues to reshape how we learn, work, and interact, Srinivas’s success with Perplexity shows how innovation rooted in purpose, not just profit, can build both impact and wealth.
WeWork India launched an Initial Public Offering (IPO) worth ₹3,000 crore today (October 3, 2025). It’s a company that caters to creating flexible workspace solutions (either through leasing or transforming a building into modern office setups). According to the PIB website, there are over 505,000 startups in India, indicating that many would require office spaces to accommodate their staff. And many wonder with questions. Is it a good long-term investment? What does the grey market say about the stock and the gains? What are the risks and concerns? Should you invest? For all that, learn more.
Image Credits – WeWork Website
Key Details of This IPO
Dates:
The subscription opened on October 3, 2025
The subscription closes on October 7, 2025
Allotment (meaning, deciding on who gets shares): October 8, 2025
Listing (meaning, it’s when shares start trading on stock exchanges): October 10, 2025 (NSE & BSE).
Price band of shares: INR 615 – INR 648 per share.
Shares on offer: About INR 4.63 crore shares.
If the stocks are sold at the highest price (INR 648), then the total IPO value sums up to INR 3,000 crore.
Type of Issue: It’s 100% Offer for Sale (OFS)
This means that the company is not issuing any new shares; only the shares held by promoters and investors are being traded.
Therefore, the money will not go to WeWork India.
Anchor investors (big early investors): Before going public, the company raised INR 1,348 crore from 67 anchor investors at the top price of INR 648.
How Is the Subscription Going So Far?
Today is day one (October 3), and the demand is apparently subdued, which means it is weak.
Retail investors (general public) only subscribed to 7% of the stock by mid-morning.
Grey Market Premium (GMP)
According to the Grey Market Premium (unofficial market), the stock is trading at ₹15 above the issue price.
This means the market’s interest is currently moderate.
About WeWork India’s Business
WeWork is a leading co-working spaces provider in the country.
Business model is:
Lease premium office spaces for the long term.
Customise and design the workspace.
Sub-let the office space to clients on flexible terms, such as shorter leases and membership options.
Financials
The revenue-to-rent multiple of WeWork is 2.7 times. This number outperforms many of its competitors in the market.
Risks and Concerns
The company receives nothing from this IPO, so it has no new funds to grow.
High lease commitments: This means its clients have to pay massive rent regardless of whether their offices are fully occupied or not.
Risk:
If the occupancy of the workspaces drops → profits will fall too.
Clients can renegotiate for lower rents.
Past losses and pending legal issues: A petition has been filed accusing the company of making misstatements in its disclosures. Regulatory uncertainty in this market is also a risk.
What Analysts Are Saying?
They say that the demand for the stock is lukewarm. However, subscription from big investors (QIBs, HNIs) may say how strong the IPO will be in the days to come.
The market outlook is optimistic as the co-working spaces and modern offices are in demand (a growing market).
Global technology giant Zoho Corporation on 1st October unveiled Vani, a new brand inside the organisation that offers an all-in-one, intelligent platform that prioritises visuals and offers a fresh take on workplace creativity and collaboration.
Through the use of whiteboards, flowcharts, diagrams, mind mapping, and video conferencing, Vani enables teams to transition from conventional static tools to interactive, dynamic, and value-driven workspaces where participants can collaborate on ideas, plans, and innovations.
Vani unifies all of the data that is stored on a person’s desktop, discs, Excel sheets, and other devices into a single, shared, endless canvas, whether teams are developing a product roadmap, organising their next social media campaign, or co-creating a sales pitch. According to Karthikeyan Jambulingam, Head of Product at Vani, even a modest percentage increase in collaboration ease can result in remarkable productivity increases for small and medium-sized enterprises. SMBs can easily brainst
Features of Vani
An inventive Space and Zone concept that gives structure to cooperation and permits many stakeholders to operate Vani independently in parallel while maintaining a broad view of the project. A space serves as a project’s overarching canvas, and zones are smaller canvases inside the space that are utilised to divide work according to contributors, functions, phases, and other criteria. This method enables concepts to develop independently and then work together harmoniously when necessary. An assortment of templates and kits to speed up processes and provide teams with the initial push they need to complete a project. Vani also provides project planning, ideation, and strategy, and planning are all covered by templates.
Advanced components such as network diagrams, social media kits, and design diagrams are covered in kits. SMB teams can overcome obstacles in transforming unstructured thoughts into plans by using mind mapping tools to swiftly brainstorm, arrange, and visually connect ideas.
It has AI-powered features that can be integrated into daily tasks, such as the capacity to produce content and organised images like mind maps and flowcharts instantaneously, as well as summary tools that enable rapid insight acquisition across entire zones or down to individual frames, shapes, and objects.
Video Features
Vani also has features for native video meetings that facilitate easy and private cooperation. Without using separate third-party software, teams may instantly engage within the canvas by initiating a video chat, discussing, and aligning. Asynchronous cooperation is made possible by the ability to record these meetings for subsequent review.
Vani is now accessible worldwide and provides the most economical pricing in the market with a $5 per user per month team plan and a free plan that permits unlimited user onboarding. Vani’s pay-as-you-scale strategy allows it to expand alongside teams of any size, from startups to major corporations.
Quick
Shots
•Vani designed to enhance workplace creativity,
collaboration, and productivity through interactive visual tools.
•Vani includes whiteboards, flowcharts, diagrams,
mind mapping, and video conferencing for dynamic teamwork.
•Vani consolidates data from desktops, Excel sheets,
and other sources into a single, shared canvas.
•Vani helps SMBs brainstorm, organize, and visualize
ideas effectively.
According to a CNBC story, Google has let go of over 100 workers in design-related positions. Employees in the cloud division’s “platform and service experience” and “quantitative user experience research” teams, as well as a few other departments, were impacted by the layoffs that occurred earlier this week.
These positions are renowned for using data, surveys, and research to analyse user behaviour in order to inform product design. According to the report, many of the job losses affected US-based staff, and some cloud design teams saw their numbers cut in half. Some impacted employees have been given until the beginning of December to look for other positions within Google.
Layoffs Part of Google’s Restructuring Programme
The most recent round of layoffs is a component of Google’s continuous reorganisation as it makes greater strides towards artificial intelligence. The business has been investing more in AI infrastructure and reallocating resources from some positions to those it believes are more important for expansion.
More than 200 contractors who worked on AI tools like Gemini and AI Overviews were also let go, according to an article published by Wired last month. Workers’ worries about poor pay, job insecurity, and escalating conflicts between employees and management were brought to light in that report. Some workers claimed that protests over working conditions were the reason behind the job losses.
The design teams’ layoffs are not an isolated incident. In order to concentrate on areas that are essential to our business and secure our long-term success, Google cut employees in its cloud division earlier this year.
Google Making Small Changes to Improve Collaborations
Google stated in remarks to Reuters that it is implementing “small changes” across all teams to enhance customer service and teamwork. However, a variety of departments have been impacted by these developments. Employees in the fields of human resources, hardware, search, advertising, marketing, finance, and commerce have been eligible for voluntary leave packages since the start of 2025.
Additionally, Google has been reducing the number of management tiers. Reports state that the organisation has cut middle managers—especially those in charge of small teams—by more than a third. The company’s ambition to expedite decision-making and optimise operations while allocating resources to AI development is reflected in the restructuring. Google is still one of the biggest employers in the tech industry in spite of the layoffs.
According to a February regulatory filing, the corporation has 183,323 employees as of December 2024. The recent layoffs are a part of a larger trend in the tech sector, where a number of businesses are laying off employees in order to minimise expenses and redirect funds to automation and artificial intelligence.
Quick
Shots
•Many affected employees were US-based; some cloud
design teams saw headcount halved.
•Some impacted staff have until early December to
find other positions within Google.
•Layoffs align with Google’s shift toward AI,
reallocating resources to priority areas.
•Over 200 AI tool contractors (e.g., Gemini, AI
Overviews) were also let go earlier.
Mira Murati, former Chief Technology Officer (CTO) at OpenAI, started (February 2025) her own AI company called Thinkig Machines Lab. The company was in a “stealth mode” (working in secrecy to protect the intellectual property). The company was just launched on October 1, 2025, called Thinker. Notably, Tinker is a powerful tool for AI, which can be used to make AI by anyone (from researchers to hobbyists). So, how can one build and customise advanced AI models with Tinker?
Image Credits – THINKING MACHINES LABS
What Is Tinker?
Making advanced AI models is a difficult process and requires:
Huge amounts of computing power with lots of GPUs working together.
Several kinds of software tools.
Constant monitoring and a team to make sure the training goes well.
Tinker is a powerful AI tool that helps anyone to build and fine-tune AI models:
Tinker is specialised in simplifying this process, as it automates most of the hard, technical aspects of AI.
The users can focus more on what they want their AI to do because their messy backend is taken care of.
Who Is It For?
Researchers
Developers
Even hobbyists (tech enthusiasts who want to experiment with AI)
So, anyone who wants to play with or create advanced AI without needing a giant tech company’s resources and computers can do so.
Who’s Behind “Tinker”?
Mira Murati (ex-OpenAI CTO, now founder of Thinking Machines Lab).
John Schulman (former OpenAI employee, also co-founder).
The rest of the team comprises former OpenAI researchers who contributed to the development of ChatGPT.
Why Is It Important?
Democratisation of AI
Apparently, only companies like OpenAI, Google, Meta, or big universities can train custom AI models.
However, with Tinker, even smaller labs, startups, or individuals can achieve this.
Accessibility + Control
Some Beta testers said that Tinker is more user-friendly than other tools.
You don’t lose control because you can still manage your data and the algorithm. However, you don’t need to handle any of the super-technical “distributed training.”
Innovation Potential
Tinker helps to create AI models for specific tasks, like:
Solving math problems
Drafting legal documents
Answering medical questions
One doesn’t need massive infrastructure, framework or a big engineering team to do this anymore.
“We believe Tinker will help empower researchers and developers to experiment with models and make frontier capabilities much more accessible to all people, said, Mira Murati.”
Zomato’s parent company, Eternal Ltd., has approved a fresh grant of employee stock options (ESOPs) worth approximately INR 211 crore, covering 64.13 lakh equity shares. The allotment aims to reward and retain key talent amid a competitive market.
Details of the ESOP Allotment
The Nomination and Remuneration Committee of Eternal approved the grant under three schemes: the Foodie Bay Employee Stock Option Plan 2014, Zomato Employee Stock Option Plan 2021, and Zomato Employee Stock Option Plan 2024. The largest allocation was made under ESOP 2021, followed by ESOP 2024, while a minimal number of options were granted under the 2014 plan. Each option carries an exercise price of ₹1 per share, convertible into fully paid equity shares.
With Eternal’s current share price around INR 330, the new options are valued at INR 211 crore. Earlier this year, the company granted 10.13 lakh options under ESOP 2021, worth around INR 33 crore.
Financial Performance Context
In the first quarter of FY26, Eternal’s revenue from operations surged 70% to INR 7,167 crore, up from INR 4,206 crore in the same quarter last year. However, the company’s profit fell sharply, down 90% to INR 25 crore compared with INR 253 crore in Q1 FY25. Despite this, Eternal’s stock continues to trade around INR 330, giving it a market capitalisation of over INR 3.19 lakh crore.
Strategic Implications
The ESOP grant reflects Eternal’s strategy to align employee incentives with company performance, supporting retention and motivation. The move is especially significant given the company’s rapid expansion and competitive pressures in the Indian foodtech and delivery market.
In an effort to free up CEO Satya Nadella and his engineering executives to focus on technical innovation, especially in artificial intelligence, Microsoft is reorganising its senior leadership team. Long-time sales boss Judson Althoff will now be in charge of marketing and operations.
On October 1, Nadella sent out an email to staff members announcing Althoff’s appointment as the new CEO of Microsoft’s Commercial Business. As part of this increased role, he will now be in charge of the organisation’s operations. This new commercial business unit will include Microsoft’s Chief Marketing Officer, Takeshi Numoto. Nadella’s email claims that the change will allow him to spend more time on product development, artificial intelligence, and the company’s substantial data centre expansion.
Prior to joining Microsoft in 2013, Althoff served as the company’s chief commercial officer and executive vice president. He had top sales roles at Oracle and EMC before joining Microsoft. Althoff returned from an eight-week sabbatical shortly after the reorganisation.
What Nadella’s Email Stated to the Employees?
According to Nadella, Microsoft is going through a tectonic transition in its AI platform, which means that it must manage and expand its commercial company at scale today while simultaneously creating the next frontier and performing perfectly across both. History demonstrates that general-purpose technologies like artificial intelligence (AI) lead to significant increases in GDP and productivity. The brand has a special chance to assist its clients and the global community in fulfilling this promise.
Microsoft’s success hinges on empowering its partners and clients in the public and private sectors to transform their operations by fusing their human capital with cutting-edge AI capabilities. In order to boost growth and solidify the company’s position as the go-to partner for AI transformation, it will need to collaborate more and more with sales, marketing, operations, and engineering. In light of this, Nadella has requested Judson Althoff to assume a more expansive position as the company’s CEO.
Judson has been in charge of Microsoft’s worldwide sales team for the last nine years. He was also the driving force behind the creation of Microsoft Customer and Partner Solutions (MCAPS), which is now the “number one seed” in the sector and the key growth engine for our business.
Judson to Lead New Commercial Leadership Team
In order to drive Microsoft’s product strategy and governance, GTM readiness, and sales motions with shared accountability for the rigour and executional excellence our customers expect, Judson will also serve as the leader of a new commercial leadership team that consists of leaders from engineering, sales, marketing, operations, and finance.
This will also enable Nadella and Microsoft’s engineering leaders to lead with intensity and speed in this generational platform shift by focusing entirely on our most ambitious technical work, which spans the brand’s data centre buildout, systems architecture, AI science, and product innovation.
Quick
Shots
•Judson Althoff appointed as CEO of
Microsoft’s Commercial Business, taking charge of marketing, operations, and
global sales.
•New commercial business unit includes
Microsoft’s Chief Marketing Officer, Takeshi Numoto.
•Nadella emphasizes that AI is a
generational platform shift and crucial for global productivity and growth.
•The leadership change frees Nadella
and engineering teams to focus on technical innovation, AI science, and
product strategy.
Every year, as the festive season knocks at the door, each household prepares for new beginnings, for generations, bringing home gold on auspicious days like Dhanteras and Diwali has been seen as a symbol of prosperity and good fortune. People often head to their trusted jeweller to purchase a coin, a small bar, or an ornament, believing it will invite wealth and blessings for the year ahead.
However, gold has also become a crucial investment choice, offering certainty in fluctuating markets. While our parents and grandparents used to rely on jewellery or coins, the younger generation prefers to invest in Gold ETFs, sovereign gold bonds, digital gold, and gold mutual funds.
In this article, we will guide you through the best ways to invest in gold this festive season, helping you decide which option suits your needs, whether you’re buying for tradition, investment, or a bit of both.
Why Should Gold Be Part of Your Investment Portfolio?
In today’s unpredictable economic climate, where stock markets swing wildly and inflation remains high, gold stands out as a safe and reliable investment. Beyond protecting your capital, it provides stability during global financial uncertainties, making it a trusted choice for investors.
Experts also suggest that gold prices could continue to rise, as central banks around the world keep adding gold to their reserves. In India, investing has become easier than ever, thanks to options like digital gold and Sovereign Gold Bonds, allowing both beginners and seasoned investors to enter the market conveniently.
With its high liquidity and long-term value retention, gold is more than just a safe haven; it’s a strategic asset that can bring balance and security to your investment portfolio. A thoughtfully designed gold investment plan can be a cornerstone of financial stability in your overall wealth strategy.
Key Things to Keep in Mind Before Investing in Gold
How to Invest Gold Wisely
Know Exactly What You’re Buying: If you’re saving for a wedding or planning to purchase a specific item, say, a 10-gram gold necklace, make sure the savings agreement clearly mentions the design, weight, and total price. Having these details in writing will protect you from sudden price hikes or last-minute surprises when you finally redeem your gold.
Check Credibility and Trustworthiness: Always research the jeweller or platform you’re dealing with. Go through customer reviews, ratings, and social media feedback. If you find repeated complaints about delayed delivery, poor product quality, or lack of transparency, it’s best to walk away. A reliable jeweller or platform will always provide clear, upfront information about their products and services.
Stay Updated with Market Prices: Gold prices fluctuate daily, and even small changes can make a big difference in your investment. Keep track of prices using financial news portals or apps. If you notice an upward trend, consider buying sooner rather than later to lock in a better rate. Timing your investment wisely ensures you get maximum value.
Watch Out for Hidden Charges: Before signing any agreement or plan, carefully read the terms and conditions. Some schemes may include hidden fees or additional charges that can eat into your returns. Cross-check all details with your understanding so you don’t get caught off guard later.
Sovereign Gold Bonds are one of the most trusted and secure ways to invest in gold since they are issued by the Government of India. However, they’re not available year-round. Instead, the government opens subscription windows a few times a year, usually for about a week. If you miss this window, the only way to invest is by buying previously issued SGBs through the secondary market. Each bond not only tracks the gold price but also pays 2.5% annual interest, making it a strong choice for long-term investors. For 2025, investors are still waiting for the government to announce the next tranche.
Digital Gold
For those who prefer convenience, digital gold is a modern alternative. Through apps like Paytm, PhonePe, and Google Pay, you can start buying gold with as little as INR 1. The gold you purchase is stored securely by trusted partners such as SafeGold or MMTC-PAMP (a joint venture of India’s MMTC and Switzerland’s PAMP SA). Digital gold is especially popular among young investors and those who want flexibility without worrying about storage.
Gold Coins
If you want something tangible but still easy to store, gold coins are a great option. They are available through jewellers, banks, NBFCs, and even e-commerce platforms. All coins come hallmarked under BIS (Bureau of Indian Standards) guidelines to ensure purity. Ideally, buy them in tamper-proof packaging, which helps prevent damage, fraud, and counterfeiting. Coins typically range from 0.5 grams to 50 grams, making them suitable for gifting as well as investment.
Gold ETFs (Exchange-Traded Funds)
A Gold ETF is essentially a mutual fund that invests in 99.5% pure gold. These ETFs trade on the stock exchange, just like company shares. This means you can buy or sell units anytime during market hours. The biggest advantage is liquidity, you get the benefit of gold price appreciation without worrying about storage. However, you’ll need a Demat account to invest in them.
Gold Savings Schemes
Many jewellers now offer gold savings plans, where you deposit a fixed sum of money every month for a chosen duration. At the end of the term, you can buy gold or jewellery worth the accumulated amount, often with an added bonus or discount from the jeweller. These schemes are particularly attractive to families planning to buy jewellery for weddings or festivals.
Gold Jewellery
Buying gold jewellery remains the most traditional and sentimental form of investment. However, it comes with added costs, mainly making charges, which can go up significantly for intricate designs. There’s also the concern of safety and styles becoming outdated over time. While jewellery is not the most efficient investment, it continues to hold cultural value and remains a festive favourite.
Which Gold Option is Best for You?
Investor Type
Best Option
Why?
Traditional Buyers
Physical Gold
& gifting value
Tech-Savvy Millennials
Digital Gold / Gold ETFs
Small-ticket & easy to trade
Long-Term Investors
Sovereign Gold Bonds
Govt-backed, safe, interest + appreciation
First-Time Investors
Gold Mutual Funds
No Demat needed, SIP-friendly
How to Create a Balanced Gold Investment Plan?
Before investing in gold, it’s essential to clarify your financial objectives. Are you seeking security and capital protection, or are you aiming for long-term wealth creation? Depending on your goal, financial experts often suggest allocating 10–15% of your overall portfolio to gold.
Choose the type of gold investment that aligns with your risk tolerance and investment horizon. Options include physical gold, digital gold, Gold ETFs, and Sovereign Gold Bonds. For long-term growth, setting up a Systematic Investment Plan (SIP) in gold mutual funds can help you invest consistently and benefit from market fluctuations over time.
A well-thought-out gold plan not only provides stability to your portfolio but also ensures financial security, combining the cultural value of gold with smart investment practices.
Conclusion
Investing in gold has always been more than a financial decision in India; it is a time-honoured tradition, especially during festivals like Dhanteras and Diwali. By choosing reputable and organized players, understanding the specifics of your purchase, and exploring modern options such as digital gold, Gold ETFs, and Sovereign Gold Bonds, you can make your investment both safe and rewarding.
Gold not only helps preserve wealth but also adds stability and balance to your overall investment portfolio. With the right strategy, it can serve as a hedge against market volatility and inflation, while offering long-term growth potential. Whether you invest in physical gold for tradition or digital instruments for convenience, a well-planned gold investment can be a valuable pillar of your financial future, blending culture, security, and smart wealth management.
Buying gold on Dhanteras and Diwali is considered auspicious in India. It symbolizes wealth, prosperity, and good fortune for the year ahead. Families often purchase gold coins, jewellery, or bars as part of festive traditions.
What are Sovereign Gold Bonds and why should I invest in them?
Sovereign Gold Bonds (SGBs) are government-issued securities linked to gold prices. They not only give price appreciation benefits but also pay 2.5% annual interest, making them safer and more rewarding than physical gold.
Is digital gold safe to buy during Diwali?
Yes, digital gold is safe if purchased through trusted platforms like Paytm, PhonePe, or Google Pay. The gold is stored securely by partners such as MMTC-PAMP or SafeGold, ensuring purity and safety.
Is buying gold jewellery a good investment option?
While jewellery holds cultural and emotional value, it is not the most efficient investment due to high making charges and design depreciation. Coins, ETFs, or SGBs offer better returns for pure investment purposes.
Employees are growing more concerned that their employment may be in jeopardy due to a surge of cost-cutting driven by artificial intelligence (AI). Jensen Huang, the CEO of Nvidia, is also not providing any consolation. He claimed that electricians, plumbers, and carpenters will be the true beneficiaries of the AI era, rather than office workers, in a recent interview with Channel 4 News in the United Kingdom.
One Huang told the publication that “the skilled craft segment of every economy is going to see a boom,” claiming that the construction of AI data centres will necessitate continuous growth, “doubling and doubling and doubling every single year.”
Even if recent evidence from the Yale Budget Lab suggests that AI has not yet substantially disrupted the labour market, his viewpoint is gaining momentum among other executives. However, if Huang is right, the talents that demand higher compensation may change over the course of the next ten years.
Why Corporate and IT Sector are Showing Concerns?
Huang, whose business just committed $100 billion to OpenAI’s data centre buildout, contends that the true opportunity is in developing the physical infrastructure behind AI, rather than software experts and programmers being the obvious beneficiaries. His forecast is in line with worries expressed by other business executives who perceive a disconnect between the manpower needed to complete the industry’s ambitious data centre buildout and the available capacity.
Larry Fink, the CEO of BlackRock, Inc. (BLK), for instance, brought up the matter directly with the White House earlier this year, cautioning that a severe labour shortage may result from the combination of tight immigration laws and waning interest in trades among young Americans. “We’re going to run out of electricians that we need to build out AI data centres,” Fink stated during an energy conference in March. “I’ve even told members of the Trump team that.” “We just don’t have enough.”
Without a college degree, a single 250,000-square-foot data centre can hire up to 1,500 construction workers during buildout, many of whom will make over $100,000 plus overtime. According to a recent McKinsey report, once a data centre is up and running, it supports roughly 50 full-time maintenance jobs, each of which creates an additional 3.5 jobs in the local economy. With data centre capital expenditures expected to reach $7 trillion globally by 2030, the type of labour required by the IT industry may change significantly in the future.
What New Research Released by Yale’s Budget Lab States?
Nearly three years after the debut of ChatGPT in November 2022, a new study released 1 October from Yale’s Budget Lab reveals minimal evidence of severe disruption to the labour market. However, compared to earlier technological upheavals like the emergence of the personal computer and the internet, work changes are occurring a little more quickly.
Despite this, the change has been gradual so far, with the patterns beginning before ChatGPT’s arrival, “undercutting fears that AI automation is currently eroding the demand for cognitive labour across the economy,” according to the paper. The researchers looked at unemployment rates among people in high-risk industries, job shifts in occupations exposed to AI, and overall employment trends. None displayed overt indications of job losses due to AI.
The vocational shifts seem to have started in 2021, long before generative AI became generally accessible, even in industries with the highest exposure to AI, such as professional, financial, and information services. According to research, fresh college graduates’ work mix differs little from that of older grads, suggesting some potential early consequences. However, the Budget Lab warns that this might be a sign of a sluggish labour market that, as usual, is having a greater impact on younger people.
Quick Shots
•Demand for
AI data centres is set to skyrocket, doubling yearly and requiring massive
infrastructure buildouts.
•Huang
believes physical infrastructure roles will benefit more than software
developers as AI expands.
•Labour
shortages in trades could become a major bottleneck for AI growth, warns
BlackRock CEO Larry Fink.
•A single
data centre can employ 1,500+ construction workers, many earning $100,000+
annually without a college degree.
Months after announcing a global restructuring programme, Procter & Gamble Co. said it would be closing its operations in Pakistan. The Cincinnati-based firm stated in a statement that P&G Pakistan, which produces Tide detergent and other home products, will stop its manufacturing and commercial operations as well as its razor division, Gillette Pakistan Ltd. It stated that it will keep serving customers from other businesses in the area.
In June, P&G declared that, as part of an operational revamp, it would reduce the number of brands it owned and lay off up to 7,000 employees over a two-year period. In order to account for the effects of trade tariffs and deteriorating consumer patterns, the company likewise reduced its guidance.
Reason for P&G’s Exit
In light of broader business and economic issues, such as restrictions on profit repatriation and low demand, P&G is the most recent multinational to reduce its operations in Pakistan. Gillette, after hitting a record three billion rupees two years prior, saw Pakistan’s revenue nearly halve in the fiscal year that concluded in June 2025.
Despite being the fifth most populated country in the world, international corporations have retreated from Pakistan in recent years, including Shell Plc, Pfizer Inc., TotalEnergies SE, and Telenor ASA. Last year, P&G sold its Pakistani soap production plant to Nimir Industrial Chemical Ltd.
P&G and Pakistan Bonding
After entering Pakistan in 1991, P&G became one of the leading consumer goods companies in the nation, with well-known brands like Pampers, Safeguard, Ariel, Head & Shoulders, and Pantene. In 1994, it acquired a soap plant, and in 2010, it acquired a detergent facility, further increasing its local presence. According to an official statement, the company has determined that the most sensible approach to continue serving customers in Pakistan at this time is to use a third-party distribution strategy.
Employees would be given consideration for separation packages or overseas assignments, it stated. The board of Gillette Pakistan will convene to discuss discontinuance measures, including potential delisting. Its stock surged to a three-week high, surpassing the daily limit of 10%.
Saad Amanullah Khan, a former CEO of Gillette Pakistan, stated, “I hope such exits make the rulers aware that all is not well,” pointing to regulatory pressures, high power bills, and inadequate infrastructure. In order to “stop hearing of multinational exits”, he expressed his optimism for improved circumstances.
Quick Shots
•Move follows Shell, Pfizer, TotalEnergies, and
Telenor exits in recent years.
•Decision driven by low demand, trade restrictions,
and economic challenges.
•P&G Pakistan had been operational since 1991,
with brands like Pampers, Safeguard, Ariel, Head & Shoulders, Pantene.
•Company sold its soap plant last year to Nimir
Industrial Chemical Ltd.
•P&G will continue serving customers via
third-party distribution.
•Employees offered severance packages or overseas
assignments.
Apoorva Bajj
