The first major victory for federal authorities challenging Big Tech’s market dominance came on Monday when a U.S. judge determined that Google broke antitrust laws by spending billions of dollars to establish an illegal monopoly and become the default search engine worldwide.
A second trial might be held to evaluate possible remedies, such as the dissolution of Alphabet (GOOGL.O), Google’s parent company, which would alter the internet advertising landscape that Google has controlled for many years (opens a new tab).
Also, it gives the go-ahead for the United States antitrust enforcers to crack down on Big Tech, a sector that has received criticism from all sides of the political aisle.
The court has concluded that Google is a monopolist and has behaved in a monopolistic manner to preserve its monopoly, according to U.S. District Judge Amit Mehta of the Washington, D.C., court. Nearly 90% of all web searches and 95% of all smartphone searches are controlled by Google.
Google’s Take Against the Ruling
Despite Mehta’s decision, Alphabet intends to appeal. “This decision recognises that Google offers the best search engine, but concludes that we shouldn’t be allowed to make it easily available,” according to a statement from Google.
Attorney General Garland praised the decision, saying it was “a historic win for the American people,” and that “no company – no matter how large or influential – is above the law.”
With the “pro-competition ruling being a victory for the American people,” White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre proclaimed, “Americans deserve an internet that is free, fair, and open for competition.”
Spending Billions to Be a Frontrunner
To maintain its strong market dominance and make its search engine the default on smartphones and browsers, Google spent $26.3 billion in 2021 alone, as pointed out by Mehta.
“The default is extremely valuable real estate,” Mehta described in the paper he wrote. “Even if a new entrant were positioned from a quality standpoint to bid for the default when an agreement expires, such a firm could compete only if it were prepared to pay partners upwards of billions of dollars in revenue share and make them whole for any revenue shortfalls resulting from the change.”
The loss of defaults would have a devastating effect on Google’s financial line, he continued. As an example, Google has calculated that if Safari were to no longer be the default browser, it would lead to an enormous drop in search volume and a loss of billions of dollars in income.
This decision marks a watershed moment in a string of lawsuits challenging purported monopolies in the technology sector. The Trump administration took this matter up with a judge from September through November of last year.
Believe it or not, playing board games can help you develop critical thinking abilities essential for a business mentality. Playing board games makes it easy to plan your moves, anticipate what your opponent will do, and come up with winning strategies. In business, this leads to more significant strategic thinking and proactive decision-making.
Teamwork-based board games require good communication, teamwork, and trust between players. This helps strengthen teamwork abilities that are important for managing people and workplace relationships. Thinking creatively and finding one-of-a-kind solutions are often necessary to win games. This encourages out-of-the-box thinking and innovative problem-solving skills needed for handling unexpected business challenges.
In simple language, board games force you to strategize, collaborate, and think creatively – all skills directly translating to handling real business situations. They also offer a safe environment to make and learn from mistakes, fostering a growth mindset and the ability to embrace failure as a learning opportunity.
Let us now dive into some games that have been specifically chosen to turn your game nights into a business masterclass.
Decision-making, Financial management, Math and calculation, Deal-making
Best Board Games for Business Minds – Monopoly
‘Monopoly‘ is a timeless classic and one of the best board games that introduces fundamental concepts of business. This engaging and captivating game focuses on managing properties and assets, making sound financial decisions, and planning to beat your rivals. The skewed rent and property values draw attention to the benefits of intelligent financial choices and any possible downsides of making rash choices.
The game is built around the basic notion of communication. This helps the players become more skilled in that area and learn how to negotiate better deals to succeed. If you want to focus on developing a specific skill, you can choose from other game versions, including Empire, Millionaire, and Corporate.
The Entrepreneur Game
Board Game
The Entrepreneur Game
Skills Learnt
Marketing and Sales, Team Management, Innovation and Creativity, Business Strategy
Best Board Games for Business Minds – The Entrepreneur Game
The Entrepreneur Game is one of the top board games that teaches you how to generate ideas and launch a business from the ground up. By creating and establishing their own business, obtaining startup funding, producing goods and services, and launching to clients, players get a flavor of what it’s like to head a business. They encounter all of the highs and lows of operating a company in the fast-paced world of economic volatility. Different market conditions and situations can result in a variety of gameplay experiences, which helps to keep things fresh and challenging.
GoVenture Entrepreneur
Board Game
GoVenture Entrepreneur
Skills Learnt
Business Planning, Risk Management, Financial Literacy, Adaptability
Best Board Games for Business Minds – GoVenture Entrepreneur
This highly adaptable board game serves as an immersive business simulation that can be tailored to any industry, product, or market. Beginning with basic business scenarios, the game progressively introduces more complicated elements, offering players a comprehensive learning experience. By playing this game, participants gain extensive knowledge in finance and marketing. Notably, the inclusion of accounting journals and ledgers enhances the gameplay and provides an insightful addition for players managing their businesses. It is not compulsory to use them, but they make a great add-on to the game.
Free Market NYC
Board Game
Free Market NYC
Skills Learnt
Market Understanding, Strategic Planning, Critical Thinking, Social Skills
Best Board Games for Business Minds – Free Market NYC
Free Market: NYC being one of the best board games is a competitive and tactical board game with a light-hearted and satirical outlook on life. It is based on the concepts of a free market economy. The gameplay is spiced up by the unique benefits that each player gets to begin with. It comprises four rounds of gameplay where you have to oversee a team of people completing various tasks to increase their collective wealth. One of the most appealing aspects is the truck, which can transport workers into other sections of the board to overtake opponents’ businesses.
Acquire
Board Game
Acquire
Skills Learnt
Strategic planning, Financial management, Risk Assessment, Negotiation and diplomacy
Best Board Games for Business Minds – Acquire
Acquire’s primary purpose is to construct and strategically invest in hotel chains to build up wealth. To do this, players have to extend their financial resources, buy and merge hotel chains, and profit from the success of these chains. In addition, the game features stock certificates that reflect ownership of hotel businesses. An individual who owns more stock in a particular hotel chain will make more money. It requires thorough risk assessment and tactical planning.
Catan
Board Game
Catan
Skills Learnt
Strategic Planning, Probability and Mathematics, Resource Management, Trading Skills
Best Board Games for Business Minds – Catan
In this two-to-four-player top board game, players must gather resources and construct buildings on a modular game board to establish towns and cities. The board is made up of hexagonal tiles that depict various landscapes, including fields, pastures, hills, forests, and mountains. The goal of the game is to be the first player to reach a certain number of points, which are earned through various means, such as trade and victory points. Players begin by constructing towns and ultimately progress to cities. Multiple expansions for Catan add additional components, gaming mechanics, and scenarios. Catan is well known for combining resource management, strategy, and negotiating in a way that benefits business minds everywhere.
How To Play Catan
Steam
Board Game
Steam
Skills Learnt
Economic Strategy, Spatial Awareness, Competition and Cooperation, Resource Management
Best Board Games for Business Minds – Steam
In the fascinating economic board game Steam: Rails to Riches, you can take on the roles of 19th-century railway tycoons. Players strive to develop the most profitable and extensive railway network across a map of the United States. The participants have to invest in the business, build railroads, purchase locomotives, and transport goods between cities. To open up profitable distribution routes and increase the value of your network, you must understand how to connect cities strategically. You can win this game in several different ways. No game played again will be identical to the first. All in all, it offers an enjoyable, challenging, and fulfilling business simulation experience.
Best Board Games for Business Minds – I’m The Boss
This is a negotiation board game in which players compete for the title of ultimate entrepreneur. It is a frenzy of clever decision-making, bluffing, and bargaining. Strengthening your negotiating skills is essential to your success. There aren’t any other rigid rules that you must stick to. It is entirely based on interaction between participants. The excitement of outwitting your competition and its simple yet strategic gameplay make it the ideal game for business people.
Innovation Ultimate
Board Game
Innovation Ultimate Edition
Skills Learnt
Innovative Thinking, Collaboration and Competition, Critical Thinking, Resource Management
Best Board Games for Business Minds – Innovation: Ultimate Edition
Innovation: Ultimate Edition – Unleashing a Universe of Invention is considered one of the top board games of all time. It is more than just a board game; it’s a whole arena where you can unleash your innovator spirit. This edition includes the original game, its expansions, and the two new eras of Futurism and Beyond. Each generation has different scoring objectives, so be sure your strategies are aligned to meet them.
It offers layers of complexity and strategic depth by allowing you to explore ideas like entropy, parallel universes, and even the manipulation of time itself. The goal of the game is to demonstrate your intelligence and keep you captivated for years to come.
Throughout four rounds, players fight to acquire stock in companies that are building railroads across the country, manipulate stock prices, and finally reap the financial benefits of their strategic maneuvering. Players are exposed to a variety of investment scenarios in the game, which allows them to try out various tactics and assess their possible results. Every skill you pick up while playing the game translates very well in real life.
The game additionally has an expansion pack called ‘Continuing Corruption,’ which adds more market volatility to the game, making it an even more challenging experience.
Conclusion
Ultimately, the world of board games provides a surprisingly rich environment for refining the minds of business enthusiasts. Although these experiences cannot precisely replicate real-world experience, they can offer insightful information and give you a more robust mental toolkit to help you navigate the ever-changing landscape. It is not the outcome that is important; it is the journey that holds valuable.
What are the most popular board games for entrepreneurs?
Below are the most popular board games for entrepreneurs:
Monopoly
The Entrepreneur Game
GoVenture Entrepreneur
Free Market NYC
Acquire
Catan
Steam
I’m the Boss!
Innovation Ultimate
Stockpile
What is a business board game?
Business games also known as Business Simulation Games are educational simulations used for training in areas like general management, finance, organizational behavior, and human resources.
How do these board games help entrepreneurs?
Playing board games makes it easy to plan your moves, anticipate what your opponent will do, and come up with winning strategies. In business, this leads to more significant strategic thinking and proactive decision-making.
Company Profile is an initiative by StartupTalky to publish verified information on different startups and organizations. The content in this post has been approved by General Motors.
General Motors, a multinational corporation based in the United States, was the leading automobile company for 77 years until it was surpassed by Toyota in 2008. Despite this, GM has consistently ranked among the top 15 companies on the Fortune 500 list, and recently moved up from No. 8 to No. 5. With operations in eight countries and four brands, GM is also involved in joint ventures with Chinese automakers and produces military vehicles for the US government.
General Motors – Company Highlights
Company Name
General Motors
Headquarters
Michigan, US
Sector
Automotive
Founder
William C. Durant, Charles Stewart Mott. Frederic L. Smith
General Motors are the manufacturer, marketer, and distributor of vehicles and vehicle parts. GM is a public company owned by shareholders. General Motors formerly known as General Motors Corporation has been the world’s largest motor-vehicle company for most of the 20th and early 21st century. With a global presence, General Motors operates manufacturing and distribution plants not only in the United States and Canada but also across many other regions of the world. The company is majorly involved in the production of automobiles and trucks which also includes automotive components.
General Motors – Automotive Industry
The automotive industry comprises a wide range of companies and organizations involved in the business of manufacturing, design, marketing, and distribution of automotive products. The automotive industry began in the 1860s with a lot of manufacturers that pioneered change in the carriage system. Earlier the manufacturing process involved a lot of labor from engineering to very little work. At the beginning of the 1960s robotic equipment was introduced and now most of the work is automated. General Motors is been a leading manufacturer in the industry for decades.
General Motors – Founders and Team
The origins of General Motors date back to September 16, 1908, when the company was originally founded. However, the present-day version of the company is the result of a reorganization that took place on July 10, 2009. General Motors was established by William C. Durant, Charles Stewart Mott, and Frederic L. Smith.
William C. Durant
William C. Durant – General Motors
William Crapo Durant was a leading pioneer of the United States automobile industry. He co-founded General Motors and Chevrolet. He was the one who introduced the system of multiple marques with different automobile lines. He also founded Frigidaire.
Charles Stewart Mott
Charles Stewart Mott – General Motors
Mott was an industrialist and businessman in America. He co-founded General Motors along with the other two. He initiated the idea of building colleges and pledged $1 Million towards the project. He also founded the Flint Senior College now the University of Michigan – Flint.
Frederic L. Smith
Frederic L. Smith – General Motors
Frederic Latta Smith was the pioneer of the automobile industry. He was one of the founders of the Olds Motor Works before he co-founded the General Motors Corporation in 1908. During the early years of the Association of Licensed Automobile Manufacturers Smith managed to be its president.
General Motors – Startup Story
In the early 1900s, the General Motors company was formed under the leadership of William C. Durant. The formation was to consolidate several motorcar companies like Buick, Oldsmobile, Oakland, Marquette, and other several autos. This consolidation also includes Reliance and Rapid Trucks. The auto giant was the innovative body that first introduced the electric self-starter in 1912. Though it became obsolete in the beginning. GM became the leading American passenger car manufacturer in 1929.
Durant first formed the company as a holding company, with Charles Stewart Mott as a partner. The name was initially borrowed from General Electric. In 1919, with the acquisition of Guardian Frigerator Company, became the GMAC, General Motors Acceptance Corporation. GMAC provides financing to automotive customers and the acquisition was renamed Frigidaire.
In 1920, GM heavily competed with the Ford Motor Company under the leadership of Alfred P. Sloan. He implemented the pricing strategy from least to most expensive vehicles in his annual model changes. Sloan also created a market for the previous year’s car models as used cars. In 1921, GM patented the tetraethyllead (gasoline) compound and also developed Chlorofluorocarbons both were banned in the later years as harmful ingredients for the biosystem. In 1926, the Pontiac brand was introduced by GM along with the insurance program for its employees. In 1927, Sloan created the ‘Art and Colour Section’ of GM and Harley Earl was its first director. The automobile design created by Earl is still in practice. After Earl, Mitchell took over the design for GM.
GM invented the breakthrough in heat treatment by introducing the Jominy end-quench test for the hardenability of carbon steel in 1937. In 1939, the company placed its feet in the vehicle insurance market by finding the Motors Insurance Corporation. In the same year, the company introduced the world’s first affordable and successful automatic transmission.
Vast quantities of production happened during the times of world war 2 when the company supplied armaments, aircraft, and vehicles for the Allies of World War 2. Its German factories were destroyed by the U.S. forces during the war for which a compensation of $32M was received by the company.
In 1962, the first turbocharged engine was introduced by the GM for the Oldsmobile Cutlass Turbo-Jetfire. In the next two years, the company introduced its “Mark of Excellence” logo and trademark at the 1964 New York World’s Fair. The company used this mark as its main corporate identifier until 2021.
The first-ever hydrogen fuel cell car was released by General Motors Company in 1966. Though fuel cells were already in existence, GM was the first one to use them to power the vehicle. The budget to use the power cell supplied by Union Carbide was millions of dollars. It also introduced the first-ever turbochargers and gas turbine vehicles powered by kerosine, but later the techniques were abandoned due to the oil crisis in 1973.
GM produced the first rear-wheel anti-lock braking system for two vehicles namely the Toronado and Eldorado. The Oldsmobile Toronado is also the first retail car with a passenger airbag introduced in 1973. In 1975, GM installed the first catalytic converters in its models. The converters are exhaust emission control devices that convert toxic gases into less-toxic pollutants. Year after year GM proved itself by introducing various new techniques and innovations in the market.
In 1987, GM built the Sunraycer, which won the inaugural World Solar Challenge. This invention was a showcase of advanced technology. Later, in 1990, GM debuted the EV1 concept which is a battery electric vehicle at the LA Auto Show. But the EV1 lease was available to only a few dealers in California and Arizona. Production was stopped for this product as it would not be profitable for the company. This disappointed many people which led the company to deactivate and destroy the EV1s, 40 of which were donated to museums. The documentary film ‘Who Killed the Electric Car?’ covers the story of EV1. In 1993, Lotus cars by GM were sold to Bugatti.
It was in 1996, that GM completed the corporate spin-off of Electronic Data Systems. The next year, GM sold its military businesses of Hughes Aircraft Company to Raytheon Company. Being the king of inventions in the automotive industry, GM introduced the first full-sized pickup truck hybrid vehicle, the Chevrolet Silverado Sierra trucks in May 2004. Other than these mild hybrids, GM also developed another debutante using hybrid technology, along with DaimlerChrysler and BMW. In the same year, GM sold the electro-motive diesel locomotive design to Berkshire partners and Greenbriar Equity group.
GM added its “Mark of Excellence” emblem in all its productions till the reorganization in 2009. In 2005, GM newly created the vice president position to lead a global automotive design organization and made Edward T. Welburn the first VP. 2006 was the year when GM introduced the yellow gas cap on its vehicles to identify them as cars operated using E85 ethanol fuel and Saturn Vue Green Line.
In 2008, GM concentrated on reducing landfill waste to achieve the status of landfill-free production. It started recycling and reusing the wastes from manufacturing processes. This was the year GM was conscious about the environment and offered a 2-mode hybrid system in most of its vehicles. It also installed the world’s largest rooftop solar power installation in its manufacturing plant in Zaragoza.
In March 2009, the company received bailouts of $17.4 B under the presidency of Barack Obama. Then, GM motors filed a chapter-11 reorganization and sold its assets including the logo to the new company and thus the new GM was born. General Motors Canada was not a part of Chapter 11 bankruptcy. The US department of treasury invested $49.5 B through the Troubled Asset Relief Program in GM and recovered only $39B with a loss of $10.3B. It also invested in the GMAC financing companies and had a profit of $2.4B. In 2009, the company shut down the production of the Saturn and Pontiac brands due to a lack of potential buyers. It also sold Hummer and Tengzhong in the same year.
After the reorganization, the company appointed a new CEO and made changes to the BOD team. The company became public through its public offerings in November 2010. This is one of the world’s top five largest IPOs to date. In the same year, the company became profitable. In the later periods of 2010, GM introduced extended-range electric vehicles (EREV) with backup generators powered by gasoline.
In 2013, GM and Honda partnered to develop a fuel cell system and hydrogen storage technology. They are the leaders in fuel cell technology holding most of the patents for fuel cells from 2002 to 2012. In 2015, the second generation Volt was launched in the United States and Canada. In 2017, GM introduced an autopilot feature in certain models of cars. In the same year, the GM Venezolana plant was seized by the Government of Venezuela in Valencia, Carabobo.
In November 2018, GM laid off 14000 employees in North America as it comprised the workforce by 15% and executive staff members by 25%. In 2019, GM ceased the production of the Chevrolet Volt and announced to begin of the production of the EV model in Lake Orion, Michigan. In January 2020, GM announced the return of the Hummer nameplate within the GMC portfolio known as GMC Hummer EV.
GMC Hummer EV
During the Covid period, GM assisted Ventec life systems to produce Ventilators. In September 2020, GM announced its partnership with Nikola Corporation to engineer and manufacture the Nikola Badger. Later, GM was committed to increasing capital investments in electric vehicles. GM in January 2021 announced its plan to stop the production and sales of fossil fuel vehicles as part of its goal to reach Carbon neutrality by 2040. It also announced its plan to start an automotive battery and battery pack laboratory in Michigan. GM facility at Brownstown Township is chosen to be upgraded as a battery pack plant. In April, GM announced its joint venture with LG to build batteries for electric vehicles.
Lately, GM also made the largest investment project in its home state, Michigan to invest $7B to convert plants to produce electric plants and build new battery plants.
Leading car brands in the United States in 2021, based on vehicle sales
General Motors – Mission and Vision
The original mission statement of GM is to earn customers for life by building brands that inspire passion and loyalty through not only breakthrough technologies but also by serving and improving the communities in which we live and work around the world.
The vision of the company is to stand together to drive the world forward. The statement is, “Everybody in. Our goal is to deliver world-class experiences at every touchpoint and do so on a foundation of trust and transparency.”
General Motors – Name, Tagline, Logo
General Motors – Logo
General Motors Company was formerly known as General Motors Corporation. The logo of GM fades from light blue to dark blue with GM letters in lowercase type. The logo intends to evoke the clean skies of a zero-emissions future and the energy of the Ultium platform. The company had only two basic emblems from the beginning of the company which is a script wordmark and a bow-tie design. The most recognizable bow-tie symbol was introduced in 1913 by William C. Durant on the Royal Mail model.
General Motors – Business Model
General Motors uses the Generic Strategy from Porter’s model as its business model. The competitive strategy of this model is cost leadership. This creates a competitive advantage based on the low costs of products.
General Motors – Revenue Model
The main source of revenue for the company is vehicle sales. It also earns an equal amount of revenue from its financing companies called GM Financial. The main stream of income for the company from the beginning is the manufacturing, assembling, and distribution of vehicles.
General Motors – Employees
General motors currently have 1,57,000 employees working in the company. The reward program at GM includes compensation, paid time off for holidays, high-quality health care, and GM family savings on vehicles, parts, and services.
General Motors – Challenges Faced
GM was the leading automobile industry for almost 77 years before its bankruptcy in 2009. The bankruptcy was due to the rising gas prices as consumers started looking elsewhere for fuel-efficient cars. When the sales went down, the company struggled to meet even the fixed cost expenses.
General Motors – Mergers and Acquisitions
General Motors had several acquisitions all these years. Here is a timeline glimpse of the latest and key acquisitions made by the company.
Acquisitions
Acquired Date
Cruiser RV
March 2016
Cruise
March 2016
Sidecar
January 2016
Cadillac
July 1909
Vauxhall Motors
1925
Packard Electric
1932
Euclid Trucks
1953
General Motors – Awards and Achievements
General Motors bagged 4 awards in 2018 and 3 awards in 2017. It won the best CEO award in 2018.
General Motors – Competitors
General Motors ruled as a monopoly for the most of 20th century and the earlier times of the 21st century. But, it also has some heavy competition in the market like Tesla, Toyota, Chrysler, Honda, and Ford.
FAQs
What is General Motors known for?
General Motors Co. engages in the designing, manufacturing, and selling of cars, trucks, and automobile parts.
What does General Motors own?
General Motors owns Buick, Cadillac, Chevrolet, and GMC. Hummer returned as a GMC sub-brand. GM has a formal partnership with Honda to co-develop EVs.
What is the biggest controversy faced by GM?
GM was accused of having assisted the Nazis war during the second world war.
What was the reason for the failure of GM in India?
GM failed in India due to poor product planning and the lack of adaptability to the market.
The pandemic has contributed to the growth of the technology sector and made it a necessity. The entire world has shifted from offline to online mode.
All the office work, teaching, and learning went online. This gave rise to more and more platforms that support these services.
With schools, colleges, and coaching being shut down, the ed-tech sector became the need of the hour. One name in this sector that gained huge popularity is BYJU’S.
BYJU’S is one of the most popular platforms in the ed-tech sector. With its great teachers, learning material, and latest technologies, it has earned quite a big space in student’s life.
BYJU’S is a technology-based educational platform. It has various programs for students to learn between the 1st to 12thstandards. It also offers various courses for exam preparations. These include CAT, MAT, NEET, JEE.
The company aims to develop self-learning among children. It helps the students to clear their doubts many times without any hesitation. It provides learning through the best-qualified teachers.
Foundation
BYJU’S was founded in the year 2011. Byju Raveendran and his wife, Divya Gokulnath collectively found the company. As the name suggests, the company is named after the founder’s name.
The company has its headquarters located in Bengaluru.
Where Did the Idea Come for the Startup?
The idea came in Byju’s head while helping his friend crack the CAT exam during his vacations. He also gave the exam and cleared it with 100 percent.
After that, he began to conduct workshops on mathematics. Later, to expand his reach, he began to record his workshops. This was the time when startup seed was sown in his head.
BYJU’s and the Effect on Ed-tech Sector During Pandemic
The concept of tuition has always been there. The students who didn’t understand the course at school or couldn’t score well would opt for the tuition. Sometimes the students would go to their friends or someone elder living nearby to learn. The other times, especially the older students would join coaching centres.
BYJU’S helps the students to learn out of the four walls of the school. It clears various doubts of the students like tuition but in an online format. The concept of the company was amazing. But it didn’t get much popularity as most people didn’t want increased screen time for their children.
However, The pandemic changed the entire scenario. The whole learning process shifted to the online mode. Even the regular school’s classes got reduced to mere a screen. With lockdowns everywhere, the local tuitions and coaching centres got closed.
This was the time when people had to understand the need for online learning. During the pandemic, BYJU’S made its content for 1st-12thstandard free for all for a while. This helped the platform gain huge popularity and audience towards itself. Thus, the pandemic proved to be a boon for BYJU’S.
The company was also able to raise significant funding during this time and became a deacorn (A company valued at $10 billion) with a valuation of $10.5 billion.
Is BYJU’S Creating a Monopoly in the Ed-tech Sector?
BYJU’S does have various competitors in the market. However, certain reasons are showing that it may be trying to create a monopoly. These are:
Empire Building
BYJU’s trying to establish itself not only in India but outside as well. BYJU’S didn’t see a sudden growth in the initial days. It took the company almost four years to gain a student’s audience of 40 million. During the pandemic, however, this number rose to 65 million.
The company aims to develop a learning app for global students as well. With its acquisition of WhiteHat Jr., it aims to serve the students in New Zealand, Australia, etc. By building an empire, BYJU’S seems to create a monopoly.
Byju’s Acquisitions Spree
BYJU’S has indulged in 18 acquisitions and an investment, spending more than $2.88 billion. Out of these 10 acquisitions were made in 2021. These included- Scholar, HashLearn, Gradeup, Great Learning, Aakash Educational Services, GeoGebra, Tynker, Whodat, Toppr, Epic.
Aakash Educational Services has a strong level of trust among the students and parents. It has been a tried and trusted source for Indian customers. BYJU’s acquisition of it gained a huge customer base and trust towards the company.
Startup Name
Acquisition Date
Acquisition Amount
Vidyartha
January 2017
Rs 50 Crore
TutorVista and Edurite
July 2017
$5 million – $30 million
Math Adventures
July 2018
$100 million
Osmo
January 2019
$120 million
WhiteHat Jr.
August 2020
$300 million
LabInApp
September 2020
–
Aakash Educational Services Ltd
January 2021
$1 billion
BYJU’s various acquisitions seem to be a reason that shows it is trying to create a monopoly in the ed-tech sector.
Valuable Unicorn
BYJU’S over the years has now earned a huge valuation for itself. In June 2021, BYJU’S became the most valuable unicorn in India. It even surpassed the digital payment platform, Paytm. BYJU earned this without going public.
The company hasn’t indicated any definite plans to go public. But when it goes, it is sure to create a huge impact in the entire ed-tech market with great success.
What Makes BYJU’S So Popular Than the Others in Ed-Tech Sector?
BYJU’S holds an important position in the ed-tech market but this position doesn’t come without competitors. It has various competitors like Unacademy, Vedantu, Toppr, and more.
There are certain points that make BYJU’S a highlight in the ed-tech industry. These are:
It has courses for children in kindergarten. Also, it has courses for students preparing for competitive exams.
The teaching methods used by BYJU’S are super effective. They impart knowledge through videos that have a super catchy pattern.
The lessons offered by BYJU’S are easier to understand. They are more interactive in nature than other platforms.
BYJU’S also has a pool of knowledge and study material for the people preparing for government jobs.
Unlike various platforms, BYJU’S offers lessons in many languages. For example- Hindi, Telegu, etc. This enables the company to attract a wide range of audiences to the platform.
BYJU’S also conducts live classes for various courses. For example- competitive exam prep, coding, and tutoring. This develops a better sense of interest among the students.
BYJU’S is one of the leading platforms in the ed-tech sector. The pandemic brought various competitors to the company. BYJU’S yet, with its expansion, acquisitions, and strategies, continues to stand out from the rest.
BYJU’s acquisition of Aakash Educational Services, Gradeup, and WhiteHat Jr. are the biggest contributions towards its growth. These helped BYJU’S gain trust and a huge customer base. With all these, BYJU’S does seem to create a monopoly in the ed-tech sector. However, only time will tell if it enjoys the status of monopoly in the future.
FAQ
Is BYJU’s creating a monopoly?
BYJU’S has indulged in 18 acquisitions with these many acquisitions it looks like Byjus is trying to create a monopoly in the edtech sector.
Did BYJU’s acquire Aakash?
Yes, Byju’s acquired Aakash in January 2021 for $1 billion.
A Monopoly is a situation in the market when a specific company or an enterprise is the only supplier of a particular product in the country. India has some companies in which have a monopoly in the market. Let’s look at the companies which have a monopoly in the Indian market.
IRCTC has a 100% monopoly in their respective sector in the Indian market. IRCTC stands for Indian Railway Catering and Tourism Corporation. IRCTC is a subsidiary company of Indian railways which involves in providing services such as ticketing, catering and tourism.
The company was founded in the year 1999 and has its headquarters located in New Delhi, India. The Company in the beginning was fully owned by the Government of India under the control of Indian Railways but during the year 2019, the company was listed on the National Stock exchange (NSE). The majority shareholding is still with the Government of India.
Coal India has an 82% monopoly in their respective sector in the Indian market. Coal India Limited is also a company which is undertaken by the Government of India. The company was founded in the year 1975 and has its headquarters in Kolkata, India.
Coal India is the largest coal-producing company in the world. The company is also a Maharatna public sector undertaking. The company has a contribution of around 82% of the total coal production in India. Coal India is owned by the Union Government of India and its operations are taking place through the Ministry of Coal. It is the 8th most valuable company in India.
ITC has a 77% monopoly in their respective sector that is the manufacturing of Cigarettes in India. ITC Limited is an Indian based multinational conglomerate. The company was founded in the year 1910 and has its headquarters located in Kolkata, India.
ITC has a monopoly over their cigarette brands in the country other than that they have a wide range of products and services such as Hotels, FMCG, Packaging, Paperboards, Agribusiness and Specialty Papers. The company was formerly known as India Tobacco Company limited and later in the year 1974 it was renamed as ITC Limited where ITC doesn’t stand for any acronym.
Pidilite
Pidilite has 70% monopoly in their respective sector in the Indian market. Pidilite Industries Limited is an Indian based manufacturing company. It was founded in the year 1959 and has its headquarters located in Mumbai, India.
Pidilite Products
The company is mostly involved in the manufacturing of adhesives and also has its monopoly share in the adhesive manufacturing sector. Other than this the company is involved in consumer products such as art materials, food and fabric care, car products, stationery materials, etc.
They are also involved in the manufacturing of specialty industrial products such as industrial pigments, industrial adhesives, textile resins and leather chemicals. One of the major brands under Pidilite is Fevicol.
Nestle has a 97% monopoly in their respective sector that is Cerelac in India. Nestle is a Switzerland based multinational conglomerate. It was founded in the year 1866 and has its headquarters in Vaud, Switzerland. The company is involved in the manufacturing of food and drinking products. Nestle is the largest food company in the world.
Nestle Products
Cerelac is an instant cereal which is manufactured under Nestle. Other than this Nestle has a wide range of products such as baby food, medical food, bottled water, coffee and tea, dairy products, confectionaries, ice cream, chocolates, frozen food, pet foods, etc.
Marico
Marico has a 73% monopoly in their respective sector that is Premium Edible Oils in India. Marico is an Indian based company. The company was founded in the year 1990 and has its headquarters in Mumbai, India. Marico is one of India’s leading companies in the consumer goods sector.
Other than Premium edible oils the company has a wide range of products and brands such as hair care, skincare, male grooming, health foods, fabric care, etc. Marico has its presence in almost 25 countries across Africa and Asia.
Hindustan Zinc
Hindustan Zinc has a 78% monopoly in their respective sector that is the manufacturing of Zinc in India. Hindustan Zinc Limited is an Indian integrated mining and resource-producing company. The company is undertaken by a Central Public Sector. The company was founded in the year 1966 and has its headquarters located in Rajasthan, India.
The company is involved in the mining and resource production of zinc, lead, cadmium and silver. In the year 2003 Hindustan Zinc was sold to Vedanta Ltd. Currently, the company is a subsidiary company of Vedanta Ltd.
HAL has a 100% monopoly in their respective sector in the Indian market. Hindustan Aeronautics Limited which is commonly known as HAL is an Indian company that is owned by the state. The company was founded in the year 1940 and has its headquarters in Bangalore, India. HAL is an aerospace and defense company.
HAL is involved in the operation of aerospace and is also involved in the design, assembling and fabricating of aircraft, jet, engines, helicopters and their spare parts. The company is governed under the management of the Indian Ministry of defense.
A monopoly is a firm who is the sole seller of its product, and where there are no close substitutes. Examples: Microsoft and Windows.
What are the 4 types of monopolies?
Natural monopoly, Geographic monopoly, Government monopoly, and Technological monopoly are 4 types of monopolies.
Is Coca Cola a monopoly?
Coca-Cola, Pepsi, etc are not a monopoly because they are in one of the most crowded industries – Drinks and Soft Drinks.
Conclusion
These are the top companies that has a monopoly in the Indian market. A monopoly market has its own benefits and disadvantages. It is always good for a country to have a mixture of companies with some monopoly companies.
Tripti Agarwal
