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Fresh research from Mozilla Fellow Harriet Kingaby examines how the digital advertising ecosystem can surveil, misinform, and endanger consumers around the globe. Kingaby also offers insight on potential reform
Twenty years ago, digital ads were little more than online billboards — pesky pop-ups that didn’t know who was seeing the ad, or why.
Today’s AI-powered digital advertisements are exponentially more sophisticated. These ads can profile consumers and segment them into astonishingly precise audiences. And these ads are highly personalized, from the language and images used to the price of the item being sold.
This AI-powered advertising provides consumers around the world with “free” access to products and services. It’s highly effective for advertisers, and highly lucrative for platforms. But there are grave harms, and consumers bear the brunt of them.
Today, fresh research by Mozilla Fellow Harriet Kingaby examines these harms on a global scale. In the report titled “AI & Advertising: A Consumer Perspective,” Kingaby identifies seven major threats that AI-powered ads present to consumers, from discrimination to misinformation. Kingaby details the consequences of those threats, and how they will likely grow worse as AI technology advances.
The report also identifies major reforms that could mitigate these harms, and the steps that civil society, regulators, and industry must take to realize them.
Says Kingaby: “Digital advertising is a booming industry: over $300 billion in 2019 alone. It’s also the primary business model sustaining the internet, humanity’s most important communications tool. But as AI-powered advertising grows more pervasive and sophisticated, it is doing so without guardrails. There are few rules to ensure it doesn’t surveil, misinform, or exclude consumers. If the industry doesn’t undergo major reform, these problems will only grow more pronounced.”
Kingaby is a UK-based Mozilla Fellow embedded at Consumers International, where she researches the consequences of AI-enhanced advertising. Kingaby is also co-chair of the Conscious Advertising Network, a coalition of organizations supporting ethics in advertising.
The seven key harms identified in the report are:
- Excessive data collection. In order to tailor individual ads, multiple companies must collect and store huge amounts of data on consumers. Meanwhile, consumers are totally passive actors in adtech systems. They are something to be profiled and targeted, and are not given meaningful choices about how much data they would like to hand over, to whom, and for what.
- Discrimination. The personalisation of ads inherently restricts the products, services, and content consumers see. This can potentially lower consumers’ aspirations, restrict lifestyle choices, and hide products, services, or events from groups of consumers.
- Harm to the vulnerable. Digital advertising may encourage compulsive and harmful behaviour, mental health issues, or unsustainable consumption. Data that predicts when consumers are in particular emotional states is already in use, and targeting can also be used to single out consumers or groups who are particularly vulnerable or otherwise receptive.
- Online scams and misinformation. Fake news and misinformation have a lucrative business model via advertising, which favours content which garners a reaction. Social media sites, where disinformation can spread, have ad-based business models, and “addictive” interventions are designed to keep consumers on the sites for longer, enabling platforms to serve more ads.
- Limited agency. Consent mechanisms for advertising under GDPR and CCPA are poorly designed, and often nudge consumers into making choices which favor advertisers. Privacy policies and other terms and conditions are overly long, sometimes non-compliant, and frequently fall short of educating consumers. It is demonstrably not clear how the system works to the average consumer, making it hard, if not impossible, to make informed choices or obtain redress in the case of harm.
- Environmental harm. The number of data centres worldwide has grown from 500,000 in 2012 to more than 8 million today. The amount of energy used by them continues to double every four years, meaning they have the fastest-growing carbon footprint of any area within the IT sector. Researchers estimate that the tech sector will contribute 3.0–3.6% of global greenhouse emissions by 2020, more than double what the sector produced in 2007 and the estimated 2020 global footprint is comparable to that of the aviation industry. Online advertising consumed between 20.38 to 282.75 TWh of energy in 2019, and 11.53 – 159.93 million tons of CO2e was emitted to produce the electricity consumed.
- Hate speech. Global hate crimes are on the rise, and have been linked to social media, polarisation caused by personalisation, and “filter bubbles.” Platforms have struggled to keep up with policing hateful content, and AI is not yet sophisticated enough to be efficient. Far-right commentators and other hate preachers are continuing to make money through digital advertising on the open web or through platforms such as YouTube — which in turn radicalizes young people.
The report also identifies a lack of cross-sector collaboration as a critical issue holding back progress. It calls for cross-disciplinary, mediated forums to be created, comprising digital rights groups, consumer protection experts, funders, publishers and advertisers.
Forums should ensure ethics by design in AI-powered advertising, identifying harms and creating new initiatives to solve them as they evolve; as well as monitoring ‘unknown unknowns’ which arise as a result of new technologies.
Forum priorities to include:
- Maintaining consumer protection and human rights, using these as core design principles for new AI technologies.
- Proactive AI stewardship, using AI sparingly, tracking and acting on the emergence of harms in real time.
- Supply chain accountability, ensuring advertisers are able to take responsibility for their digital supply chains in the same way as their physical ones.
- Funding a healthy internet, directing ad budgets to support diverse voices, quality content, and accountable platforms.
Mozilla Fellows are web activists, open-source researchers and scientists, engineers, and technology policy experts who work on the front lines of that movement. Fellows develop new thinking on how to address emerging threats and challenges facing a healthy internet.


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Plant-based drinks should be included in the EU school scheme
The EU school scheme supports the supply of fruit, vegetables, milk and certain milk products to children together with educational activities teaching them about agriculture and developing healthy eating habits. The Commission will review the EU school scheme as well as the measures fixing this EU aid, building on the lessons learnt from its implementation since 2017. The review will contribute to promoting sustainable food consumption, in line with the Farm to Fork Strategy.
Through the EU school fruit, vegetables and milk scheme, the EU spends up to €90.1 million per school year on distributing milk to school children. Currently, plant-based dairy alternatives, such as those made from soy, legumes, seeds, nuts or cereals are not included in the school scheme although fortified plant-based drinks score similarly to dairy in terms of nutrient density. They also have lower environmental impact than cow’s milk.
The school scheme was designed to increase the consumption of dairy products. Today we know that animal farming is responsible for 70% of the greenhouse gas emissions from agriculture. Animal agriculture also has a more negative environmental impact than other types of farming on biodiversity, deforestation, soil degradation and pollution of water and air. Moreover, there is growing concern among European citizens about animal welfare. Dairy cows can be held in indoor confinement for long periods of time and have their calves separated from them, which causes distress.
In spite of the negative impacts on the environment and on animal welfare, cow’s milk is still often presented as the default choice in public canteens. By including plant-based drinks, the school scheme can give school children the possibility to familiarise themselves with dairy alternatives, based on for example oats, peas or soy, that can help lay the groundwork for healthy, sustainable diets.
Dairy products from intensive farming systems should not be subject to public funding through the school scheme. Instead, the school scheme should support farmers in their transition to organic production and higher animal welfare. The milk that is still included in the school scheme should only come from organic production and help reach the target of at least 25% of the EU’s agricultural land under organic farming by 2030 as laid out in the Organic Action Plan.
As part of the EU Farm to Fork strategy and the shift towards healthy, sustainable diets, the European Commission has opened a public consultation for the review of the school scheme. This is our opportunity to call on the European Commission to
- Include plant-based drinks in the school scheme
- Require that the cow’s milk that is still purchased through the scheme is organic.
The public consultation is open until midnight 28 July 2022.

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News After a long and cryptic series of tweets on Bitcoin (BTC), SpaceX and Tesla CEO Elon Musk elaborated his stance on cryptocurrencies in a Jan. 20 podcast. Noting that he’s “neither here nor there on Bitcoin,” Musk focused on its use for illegal transactions. The billionaire has recently been ..
Even many of cryptocurrency’s harshest critics acknowledge that there are serious problems with fiat currencies. Strangely, enough the most outspoken critic of government-issued currencies; former International Monetary Fund (IMF) Chief Economist Kenneth S. Rogoff, is also a foe of cryptocurrency. ..
The need for a form of decentralized money like Bitcoin was just validated… again. The reason: one of the world’s largest economics has just announced that it will be restricting large cash transactions, seemingly to eliminate crime, control the capital of their citizens better, and to force centra..
News The People's Bank of China (PBOC) announced that it will pilot a restriction on large-scale cash transactions in three different regions across the country, with one expert calling the move paving the way for its upcoming digital Renminbi token (RMB). On Nov. 14, local news outlet Xinhua..
News Cryptocurrency investment app Abra starts selling crypto for cash in all 7-Eleven stores across the Philippines with a new partnership with payment processor ECPay. Crypto in 6,000 outlets in the PhilippinesAbra announced on Sept. 18 that the partnership will bring crypto to 6,000 retail outl..
Australia is now moving forward with its proposed legislation to ban cash purchases over 10,000 AUD ($6,900) for business purposes. According to the treasury website: “The Black Economy Taskforce recommended this action to tackle tax evasion and other criminal activities.” While many Aussies are cel..
A pilot program saw Oxfam distribute financial aid in the form of tap-and-pay cards developed for Sempo’s payment platform that were loaded with DAI to 200 citizens of Vanuatu to test the efficacy of blockchain-based disaster relief solutions


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Currently, 16% of Nigeria’s GDP is from retail. That is according to Ali Djire, who views the sector as one of the many new frontiers that is rapidly growing and ripe for investment by both local and international investors.
That will be the main topic for discussion at the upcoming West Africa Property Investment Summit (WAPI), a two-day event in Lagos, Nigeria to be held November 15-16, 2018. The summit will delve into matters Artificial Intelligence (AI), cutting-edge technology, and big data; and how the multi-billion dollar retail market in Nigeria could leverage on them.
The retail market in Nigeria has a lot of room for growth; especially when you consider how big a population the West African nation has yet a lot of investors salivating after this market, often miss to make their mark. That has mainly been attributed to missed or misjudged opportunity due to lack of relevant, actionable, and useful data.
Nigeria has a Robust Retail market
Ali Djire, the country head of Fraym and an emerging thought leader in the field, firmly believes that for a successful run in the retail market in Nigeria. One needs to embrace big data analysis using cutting-edge technology such as AI is the path to sustainable success.
Djire says anything other than that will see retail players in the market flop in the manner Nakumatt chains of supermarkets flopped. Failure to employ data, tech, and AI is what leads to players struggling with retail chains in new locations due to lack of critical consumer mix, steep competition, and lack of appreciation of data.
“The need for a data-driven approach is becoming an imperative for retailers to not only inform what products to carry on the shelf, but also to get unprecedented insights into where to locate their stores, how to price based on ability to pay, and how to respond to competition,” said Djire.
The Retails Sector is a growing earner for Nigeria’s GDP
Currently, the retail market in Nigeria accounts for 16% of the country’s GDP. Thought leaders in the industry like Djire, firmly believe the retail sector is one of the new frontiers of growth for both local and international investors looking for some real ROI.
Jan Van Zyl, head of property development at Novare Equity Partners, a leading pan-African real estate development fund seem to share the same views:
“Nigeria is the largest economy in Africa. Therefore, you cannot brand yourself as a sub-Saharan Fund and not have a presence in Nigeria,” said Van Zyl.
He further said that his fund is also looking for opportunities to enter the neighboring markets in Ghana and Cote D’Ivoire.
Though the Nigerian retail market has attracted a lot of investors, both locally and international. Experienced investors have come to appreciate the value of data, technology, and AI for exponential growth in this space. Otherwise, it will be a case of trial-and-error with serious loss of capital when things go south.
Novare Equity Partners’ $300 million Investment
“We believe that we are at the right place, at the right time, and we have invested in four shopping centeres in Nigeria since 2010 with a book value in excess of $300 million,” said Van Zyl.
Novare Equity Partners is one of the bullish international funds in real estate across the African continent, and Van Zyl believe they are there in Nigeria for the long-term. However, he points at some tough times in the Nigerian economy over the last one year, when things were not going well, despite their best efforts. Though he is quick to point out that the tough economic times is not just unique to Nigeria but all emerging markets overall.
Political environment uncertainties over the Feb 2019 Elections
“Combined with elections in February 2019, we find that many potential new entrants are waiting on the sidelines until the uncertainty surrounding an election period has settled. It is important to note that, such a cycle is not Nigeria-specific, but is experienced in most emerging markets throughout Africa and other continents.”
Van Zyl further points out to the trend of reducing the size of future shopping centers in the current market. As one of the ways, the market is recalibrating itself to cope with the current in the recession economy.
Kfir Rusin, the Managing Director of the WAPI Summit, believes that big data and cutting-edge technology are the key tools that could quicken the rather slow-paced recovery in the retail market post the recession period.
“As a pioneer in their field, Fraym’s use of Geospatial data, AI, and Machine Learning technologies can provide actionable intelligence on communities down to one square kilometer across the country. This unique and relevant data has the potential to be a transformative catalyst to growth for the retail sector.”
Djire further adds that with the increasing use of data, most of the big players in the retail sector in Nigeria are recalibrating their approach.
“We are actively working with global investment players, development organization, as well as local companies, to get actionable market insights. Through our data, we are seeing early signs of companies leveraging Fraym’s geospatial data platform to streamline their operations and retail strategy. We see a growing need for actionable data for companies to be able to make effective decisions,” said Djire
Rusin further interjects, “This year’s WAPI will provide a platform for the traditional retail sector to network and realize the real-world benefits of how relevant data and tech is essential to growing the formal retail sector.”
Djire stresses that WAPI will be a forum for engagement. As he puts it: “WAPI is the platform where the message of a data approach in retail could gain grounds. There is a unique opportunity to engage directly with decision-makers, demystify the concept of [geospatial] data, walk them through the idea of a data approach and how it could affect their business and bottom line. More importantly, it’s an opportunity to hear from them about the ways they think about the market, their business, and their consumers, to ensure that we’re all on the same wavelength.”


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Tennessee Electric Company Inc. (now TEC Industrial) was recently hit by a devastating cyber-attack that initially cost them $327,000. Once they realized what had happened, TEC notified their bank, TriSummit Bank, who were able to recover $135,000, leaving TEC on the hook for approximately $193,000.
According to Krebs On Security, “Tennessee Electric alleges that the bank only called to seek approval for the fraudulent batch on May 10, more than a day after having approved it and after [Krebs] contacted Tennessee Electric to let them know they’d been robbed by the Russian cyber-mob.”
Whereas consumers who bank online are protected by Regulation E — which limits their liability for lost money from unauthorized account activity online like this — businesses like TEC Industrial do not enjoy such protections.
States nationwide have adopted the Uniform Commercial Code (UCC), which holds that a payment order received by the [bank] is “effective as the order of the customer. Whether or not authorized. If the security procedure is a commercially reasonable method of providing security against unauthorized payment orders and the bank proves that it accepted the payment order in good faith and compliance with the security procedure and any written agreement or instruction of the customer restricting acceptance of payment orders issued in the name of the client.”
Regardless of the legal viability, TEC Industrial has sued TriSummit in state court, alleging negligence, breach of contract, gross negligence and fraudulent concealment.
It’s cases like these that illustrate exactly why it’s so important to understand that hackers can and will attack businesses both large and small, often in ways that will shift blame to larger entities or their banks. In the end, someone’s going to pay, and it’s rarely going to be the hacker.
Will it be you?
Don’t put up with the same risks that TEC Industrial and TriSummit did. Get in touch with Brainlink at (347) 460-2238 or email@example.com right away for expert security consultation services.


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ISRO’s heaviest rocket, LVM3 is all set for the commercial launch on October 23. The ISRO (Indian Space Research Organisation) is all set to use its heaviest rocket system the LVM3 (Launch Vehicle Mark 3) for commercial use. It will be used to launch 36 broadband satellites for the British startup OneWeb next Sunday.
ISRO’s Heaviest Rocket, LVM3
It is mentioned that the launch will be carried out from the spaceport in Sriharikota located in Andhra Pradesh. This is the first time ISRO will put their heaviest launching engine, the LVM 3 to use.
ISRO has launched innumerable satellites for a wide range of clients. Various generations of their Geosynchronous Satelite Launch Vehicles or GSLVs have been used for launching different satellites.
“It is the first LVM3-dedicated commercial launch on demand through NSIL. This contract with M/s OneWeb is a historic milestone for NSIL and ISRO, as LVM3, is making its entry into the global commercial launch service market,” ISRO announced in this regard.


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Samsung Galaxy Tab 4 and Galaxy Tab S5e are getting new update this week. The company is offering the latest Android 10-based One UI 2.1 to these devices. This is the same version which was earlier rolled out to Galaxy Tab S6. As noted by the company, you get new features from Google based on user feedback. But you have apps like Calculator, Samsung Internet, and Samsung Notes that need to be updated individually after you update your OS. Also Read - Samsung Galaxy Watch 3 real images leaked with a physical rotating bezel
The update is rolling out to LTE version of the tablet in France, with other countries likely to get it soon. The new firmware build T835XXU4CTF5 also offers June security patch to the device. With Android 10 board, the software now supports dark mode, offers cleaner icons, adds full-screen gestures and much more. Also Read - Samsung Galaxy M21 Review: Great battery in an average package
In addition to the Galaxy Tab S4, people with Tab S5e in the UK are also getting the update. Their firmware version T725XXU1BTF7 also comes with June security patch. Samsung was expected to offer these updates in July but the company has made an earlier than expected roll out. With this, all three Galaxy Tab S devices now running on the latest Android-based One UI version. Also Read - Motorola Moto G7 Play starts receiving Android 10 stable update
Earlier this year, Samsung rolled out update for its Galaxy Tab S4 devices with March 2020 security patch in addition to a few fixes and stability improvements.
Samsung Galaxy Tab S4 specifications
The Samsung Galaxy Tab S4 made its debut in August 2018. The device features a 10.5-inch Super AMOLED screen with WXGA (1600 x 2560 pixels) resolution and a 16:10 aspect ratio. It also comes with a Qualcomm Snapdragon 835 SoC, paired with 4GB of RAM and 64GB internal storage.
Samsung has also added an 8-megapixel front snapper for selfies and a 13-megapixel rear camera sensor at the back. Connectivity options for the tablet include LTE, GPS, dual-band Wi-Fi, Bluetooth 5.0, USB Type-C port, and a 3.5mm headphone jack.


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A wildly futuristic restaurant called Sushi Singularity will open in Tokyo in 2020, serving 3D-printed, nutrient-rich sushi cubes. Not only this, but the food will be highly personalised, designed to meet the unique biometric requirements of individual diners. Jenny Southan reports
How will Sushi Singularity know what vitamins and minerals customers most need? It will test their saliva, urine and, yes, faeces in advance before robots behind a bar will construct their order.
It’s the madcap idea of Japanese company Open Meals, which is truly innovating by blending 3D printing with biodata, to get a picture of people’s genetic make up and nutritional status.
It’s sounds bizarre but Globetrender predicts that this is a sign of things to come. Open Meals showcased the concept at SXSW festival last year, and is set on opening its Sushi Singularity restaurant in time for the start of the new decade.
What will the customer experience be like at Sushi Singularity?
Rather than having to make an awkward visit to the bathroom when they get there, potential diners will be sent a test kit in advance of their reservation, where they will submit samples for laboratory assessment. Judging by the promotional video, they will also send a photo of themselves. This is so that facial recognition cameras can spot them when they arrive at the restaurant.
Once seated at the sushi counter, their biometric data will be fed into a computer, which will then inform the 3D printer of how to formulate the food.
Instead of a chef slicing and dicing pieces of fresh fish, a small army of robotic arms will set to work squirting vitamin-rich edible gels in layers, to create perfect post-modern sushi cubes, often with elaborate micro architectures that can only be achieved by machine.When the company debuted 3D printed sushi at SXSW festival in Austin in 2018, it used a process they dubbed “Sushi Teleportation”. They sent people’s order to a 3D printer, which would miraculously extrude food in pixel form as if from the world of Minecraft.
Now they have taken the idea further, with the promise of Sushi Singularity, which will also draw on customer’s biometric data.
Described as the “iTunes of printed food”, Open House has built a prototype “Food Base”, a platform that stores food data from all over the world, logging the exact measurements relating to flavour, shape, colour, fragrance, nutrients and texture.
The idea is that data food chefs can upload their own recipes from anywhere in the world. In turn, a “social food network service” will be created, meaning that one day, when people have 3D food printers in their homes, they too will be able to print the meals they like the sound of.“This is a futuristic restaurant in which sushi is digitised and connected to the internet,” says Open House.
What will be on the menu?
Forget California rolls and salmon nigiri, at Sushi Singularity you will eat micro pillar saltwater eel, oze tick kappa roll, powdered sintered uni, negative stiffness honeycomb octopus, cell cultured tuna and dashi soup universe.
Whilst seated at the counter being fed “data food” by a human chef, which acts as a go-between between customer and robot, diners will have a full view of the workings of the machine.
They will be able to spot the food cartridges containing ingredients such as seaweed and crickets that are mixed with water, enzymes and and fibre.
There will be nutrient cylinders containing 14 different vitamins and minerals that will be injected into the mix depending on your needs.
And an “alginate fermenter” that will be able to produce food in sphere shapes thanks to a chemical reaction between sodium alginate and liquid calcium. An artificial light farm will cultivate vegetables in enclosed spaces.
Powder-based raw materials will be baked into specific shapes using laser, while “light scattering analysis” ensure every piece of sushi produced is to the correct forms and dimensions.
Globetrender will be the first to make a reservation when Sushi Singularity opens.
By the way, what does “singularity” mean? It’s the hypothesis that “the invention of artificial superintelligence will abruptly trigger runaway technological growth, resulting in unfathomable changes to human civilisation”. Scary and exciting, we are sure you’ll agree.


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Behind the Headlines
Mifare hacking will not halt contactess ticketing for transportation systems.
Oct 06, 2008—In March 2008, the Digital Security research group of Radboud University Nijmegen in the Netherlands announced that it had cloned and manipulated the contents of a contactless card using NXP’s Mifare Classic chip. In June, the same group claimed it had cloned a London Transport Oyster card, which employs the same technology, and used it to make trips on the system without paying. More than 16 million Oyster cards have been issued in the United Kingdom since the system was launched in 2003, with millions of people dependent on the contactless tickets to get them around the capital.
Transportation ticketing systems do not involve high-value sums when it comes to single trips—even in London! So Mifare— the lowest security level that NXP offers in its contactless portfolio and, accordingly, the lowest-priced IC it sells—makes sense. Ticketing systems employ more than just the entry/exit gates to ensure customers pay their fares. There are back-office checks that operate in real time, and Transport for London (TfL), the government body responsible for the citywide transportation system, maintains it can catch any cloned card at one of its gates within a few attempts.
TfL adopted contactless ticketing to help reduce fare evasion, but the automated system also gets people through the ticket barriers much faster than older magneticstripe tickets, and the reusable tickets reduce the cost and waste of issuing paper tickets for each trip. All told, that puts the benefits of Mifare ticketing systems ahead of any threat from cloning. In addition, Mifare Plus, with a new strengthened security encryption, is due by year’s end.
While the cracking of Mifare is unlikely to push any transportation operator to stop using or considering contactless ticketing, it may prompt a discussion about the future of contactless systems. Transportation companies are not particularly interested in printing and managing contactless tickets. If they could increase ticket security and offload ticket management to others, all the better.
The “others” are the banks and credit card companies that are promoting contactless credit and debit cards, such as MasterCard’s PayPass or Visa’s payWave. Transportation operators have the option to move from a closed payment system based on Mifare to one that accepts payments from those cards directly. Such a step could mean real benefits for commuters—but, so far, it’s the Mifare breach that makes the best headlines.
Jonathan Collins, former RFID Journal European editor, is now a principal analyst with ABI Research. Based in London, his focus is on RFID and contactless commerce.
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While it took a good 10-12 years for OTT to go mainstream in the US, I believe it is a five to six years journey in India.
Vuclip’s Arun Prakash speaks to Anirban Roy Choudhury about the OTT scenario in India, the company’s strategy for its video on demand platform Viu, and plans ahead. Edited excerpts:
How is the Indian OTT market different from the US?
Consumers expect accessibility, availability and affordability from a media enterprise. What consumers in India or the US or any other market want can be categorised in these three buckets.
If I look at the US versus India, the two are very different. In terms of access, almost every citizen can access great content through smart TVs, handsets and tablets in the US without breaking their bank account, which is not the case in India. Availability of on demand content, especially for the youth, is limited in India as most of the content created by broadcasters for TV audience is skewed towards the female audience. If we talk about affordability, pay TV cost in the US is high so a $10 per month subscription fee for an OTT service makes sense; in India, it is out of reach for many.
While many are saying TV is dead and OTT is everything now, the reality is that the consumer is just getting started in India. The chest thumping, the digital hype in India is just a flying bubble, exactly like the dotcom hype in the US. The industry is trailing the hype; the market is unsustainable with the number of companies that have entered the space. OTT is far from being mainstream
but the decibel levels are already too high. Consolidation is a given, simply because I don’t see 35-odd players sustaining in the market.
When will OTT become mainstream in India?
If we see the trend when it comes to adapting and accepting technology, India and other emerging markets have acted faster than most developed countries. If internet took 10 years to become mainstream in the US, it only took four to five years in India. So while it took a good 10-12 years for OTT to go mainstream in the US, I believe it is a five to six years journey in India for it to become mainstream.
How is Viu’s strategy different for India compared to other emerging markets?
Viu’s strategy in India is very different from other markets like Southeast Asia, Middle East, etc. We don’t see India as one market because when it comes to entertainment, native languages, differences in preference and culture bring out a lot of diversity. Content needs to be created keeping the context in mind. We look at India as a micro-segment market; which is different from how we look at Malaysia or Singapore. In Malaysia, there are three ethnicities — Malay-Malay, Tamil-Malay and Indian-Malay but in India, it is not that easy.
Is catering to a multilingual audience more challenging?
For a provider like us, yes, it is extremely challenging. It is easier for me to create English content and cater to the entire US, which I cannot do in India. But the diversity opens up the door for us to create more content and experiment with different cultures. So for a creator, it is an opportunity; for platforms, it is a big challenge.
From a monetisation point of view, is it easier to play the SVoD game compared to an eyeball or an engagement chasing AVoD model?
India is an AVoD market at large today and it is going to stay like that for a while till people start shifting to SVoD which will only happen if the platform offers enough value for consumers to make a decision and pay. There are certain aspects about the subscription business which are very lucrative. The recurring revenue stream allows for a fantastic opportunity to grow the platform as it assures certain stickiness. While AVoD is all about reach and engagement, the advantage is that there is no friction; it is not that one only gets to see the content one pays for. Again for a content creator, AVoD is a blessing as it opens up the content for all; but from a business point of view, SVoD is way more advantageous. A freemium business model is the best one at this stage.
When will Viu turn profitable?
It is a game which needs one to spend a lot of money for an extended period of time in a market like India. It will take time to turn profitable; I do not see it happening in the next three to five years.
Our strategy for India is well defined; we are into youthful content targeted towards the audience not watching soap operas in their living rooms. We might be a global company but we have a very hyperlocal strategy in each and every market, and the same is the case in India.


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Zara brand owner adopts 2040 net zero emissions target
Zara store; By Gpccurro (Own work), via Wikimedia Commons
July 13 (Renewables Now) - Spanish clothing company Inditex SA (BME:ITX) has scrapped the 2050 net zero emissions goal in favour of 2040, and will aim to rely solely on renewables for its direct operations in 2022.
The new climate goals are part of a larger set of stronger sustainability targets announced by the group at the shareholders’ meeting on Tuesday.
Inditex, best known for its fashion brand Zara, aspired to an 80% renewable energy share in its direct operations in 2025, but said this target had already been achieved in 2020.
In Spain, 100% of the company’s energy consumption is already being met with renewables, Inditex says.
The fast fashion company also committed to using only sustainable cotton by 2023, shortening the period by two years, and added cutting water use in the supply chain by 25% by 2025 to the list of objectives.
This spring, Inditex registered a renewables subsidiary in Spain to market the energy produced by its own wind turbines. A wind turbine array would be erected at the outer harbour of the Port of La Coruna, northwest Spain, but would power the company’s nearby headquarters and deliver the surplus to the Port.
When presenting the quarterly results on Friday, Inditex confirmed that the wind project was still in the plans.
Sladjana has significant experience as a Spain-focused business news reporter and is now diving deeper into the global renewable energy industry. She is the person to seek if you need information about Latin American renewables and the Spanish market.


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Suffrage 125 – Standing on the Shoulders…
Ngā Taonga Sound & Vision launches new audiovisual exhibition for Suffrage 125 – Standing on the Shoulders…
The women of Aotearoa New Zealand won the right to vote 125 years ago, after a hard-fought campaign and several massive, nationwide petitions. To honour the Suffragists on this anniversary, Ngā Taonga Sound & Vision has created an online exhibition celebrating 125 of our most illustrious, revolutionary, courageous, inspirational, empowering, luminous, innovative and influential women.
From Te Puea Hērangi to Lorde,
from weavers to war heroes, the exhibition Standing on
the Shoulders… celebrates a diverse range of women as
well as showcasing the breadth of material in Ngā Taonga
Sound & Vision’s collections of archived radio, television
and film recordings.
Standing on the Shoulders… will be launched at Parliament and online on September 19 (the day the suffrage legislation finally became law) with profiles of more than 60 outstanding women. More new profiles will go online on November 28 (the anniversary of the first general election in which women could vote) and on International Women’s Day, on March 8, 2019. Ngā Taonga is welcoming suggestions for women who could be included in these additional uploads – the only criteria is that they appear somewhere in the Archive’s online collections, which can be searched at www.ngataonga.org.nz.
The exhibition will form a permanent online memorial, honouring those on whose shoulders the women of Aotearoa now stand.


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Dell Taiwan accidentally priced one 19-inch monitor, normally costing around $150, at only $15, and received a whopping 140,000 orders within the 8 hours it was live. Now, the Taiwanese government is forcing them to honor the sales.
This kind of thing isn't too uncommon, and normally a company like Dell would either honor the price (if relatively few orders were placed) or offer some kind of discount, so as not to, you know, go out of business. But the Taiwanese government is now saying Dell must honor all 140,000 orders or face prosecution for violation of fair trade laws (and no, we have no idea what fair trade has to do with this situation).
Dell has apologized and says it will compensate buyers for the mistake, but they probably mean some sort of discount instead of a loss of millions of dollars. [Channel Register via The Raw Feed]


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By Susan Olsen, Lead Specialist, Opportunities for the Majority, IDB
Difficulty accessing financing, poor infrastructure and incapacity to scale are cited as reasons why businesses that target the (BOP) fail. Yet, an unwillingness to overcome base of the pyramid stereotypes could easily be the most important explanation as to why some BoP-focused companies aren’t successful. Shattering stereotypes before starting an inclusive business model was the basis for a provocative panel that took place during the Inter-American Development Bank’s BASE III Forum in Mexico City.
“Poor people cannot pay. Let’s sell them something cheap,” is a perception held by companies when they develop BOP-targeted strategies. Panelists who participated in the session moderated by Oliver Kayser, Managing Director and Founder of Hystra, agreed. The panel of four marketing experts from Brazil, Peru and Mexico discussed how getting to know the desires, needs and tastes of a company’s customer base determines the success of a business.
Aline Ross, founder and partner at LEXIA laments that the pobrecito (“poor you”) attitude is a barrier to a sustainable business. The mindset blocks the ability of companies to develop good products and services that BOP populations can buy with their disposable income. Aline reinforced the message with an example of Diconsa, the Mexican state-owned store: “In rural areas, a family will pay three or four more Pesos to get the cooking oil they want and know is good quality, passing over the cheapest Diconsa brand. People simply don’t often want what is cheapest and don’t value what they get for free.”
Fellow panelist Luciana Aguiar, from Plano CDE, stressed that “the lowest cost may mean a high price” for low-income consumers if they spend their hard earned money on a product that is of poor quality. Studies have shown that for BOP consumers, the economic return must be tangible. This applies not only to traditional consumer goods, but also to services and more upscale products in financial services, such as savings or insurance instruments, which support BOP wealth accumulation.
Rolando Arellano, from Arellano Marketing, took a more dramatic stance on why companies should leave behind their BOP stereotypes. He calls for an “exorcism” of company views that marketing to the BOP must be socially focused. “There’s a lot of room in the middle (of the market),” according to Arellano, who urged companies to see the BOP as another business decision, using market intelligence and proper targeting to reach this large base of consumers more effectively.
Saide Chávez, the manager of Cemex’ well-known Patrimonio Hoy (PH) deepened the discussion, sharing benefits of lessons learned from the last 17 years of running PH. Companies succeed when they provide BOP consumers with what they “like” and what they “want”, more than what they “need”. This goes in line with research on market creation and strategy that states that because the BOP has needs, doesn’t mean there is an actual market of ready customers. “It’s not just a segment,” Saide insisted. “It’s a vast market made up of many individual preferences and purchasing goals. So even talking about the BOP as if it were a single market is a misnomer.”
Leaving stereotypes aside and actually getting to know the clients’ desires is key, and it must be complemented with a good quality product. It can even be the best marketing strategy: If you build trust among your BOP market clients, the “boca a boca” and friend-to-friend referrals that are used extensively in the highly dynamic social networks of the BOP can do the rest of the sales marketing for you.
Selling to the BOP doesn’t mean selling cheap products in response to what we think are basic needs that need to be met. The BOP seeks a tangible attractive return on investment to their purchases and to be understood like any other market.


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Seth Johnson, CEO of NEX Markets spoke about the challenges faced in the cryptocurrency space in comparison to that of the traditional markets, during the Institutional Crypto Conference, held earlier this week. He also spoke about the structural changes required for the adoption of institutional investors in a scalable manner.
The CEO started off by stating that there is a “huge appetite” in the institutional space for trading cryptocurrency assets. He further added that the institutional investors are waiting for a more structured and organized marketplace where they can operate and specifically, the “cash space”.
Johnson further stated:
“… the amount of noise does seem to be directly correlated to Bitcoin [BTC]s price and other crypto assets and it is a little bit quiet now than it was this time last year. But nevertheless, there is clearly an appetite to look for ways to deploy capital when it comes to […] hedge funds. But obviously, it is not without its challenges.”
He went on to speak about the challenges faced by in the cryptocurrency market for the institutional investors and stated that Fidelity’s announcement earlier this week was the first step towards solving the problems. The problems, according to him, are related to custody. Johnson elucidated that the institutional investors were not a big fan of buying and selling assets which can “disappear” and later on impossible to recover. The most important aspects they are looking for in a market is the existence of custodial services which are credible, well-insured and secure.
“So I think, what’s being announced today is hugely important in a way that the market based at the moment, the platforms get to the retail clients. There is very little […] segregation between custody, excecution, participants on the platform and I think all of these distinctions need to be much clearer if institution fiduciaries are going to start participating in that space.”
Johnson further stated that the existing market’s ownership structure is a little bit “opaque” and the dealing rules are not “very clear”. He added that the cryptocurrency service providers are usually start-ups built by software engineers who do not have “much experience” in terms of running platforms or custody services. He continued to say:
“…it is a little bit like the wild west.”
The CEO also spoke about the key product required to drive in more institutional investors into the cryptocurrency markets in a scalable manner. He believes that custody is the absolute key to the adoption of institutional investors. He stated that without a credible large-scale custodian, it would be difficult for the market to “become anything other than a retail speculative marketplace”.
Johnson further added that the creation of a credit market was very important for the market even though it was going to take some time. He stated that there are only small-scale leverages which are available only to retail investors and it would become more expensive and risky if one tries to avail leverage services from multiple platforms. This was mainly because the current platforms, according to him, have unknown ownership structures operating in all jurisdictions.
He continued to say:
“It’s very challenging for an institution to have a access to goods that are out there and therefore feel comfortable. They can either exit or enter this marketplace without having huge fictional cost and take on a huge execution risk. So I think, having that centralized service is important. So credit can be developed from there. Once we have few institutions with significant amounts of inventory in custody and those are credible institutions, that’s when a borrowed markets start to develop. “
The post NEX Markets CEO speaks about the challenges faced by institutional investors in the cryptocurrency space appeared first on AMBCrypto.


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AT&T Mobility (NYSE:T) launched a new prepaid brand, Aio Wireless, promising a simplified, no-contract experience and opening up a new front in the prepaid battle with Verizon Wireless (NYSE:VZ), Sprint Nextel (NYSE:S) and T-Mobile US (NYSE:TMUS).
Aio Wireless also offers tablets, including the ZTE Velox
FierceWireless had previously reported that AT&T would launch new prepaid services under the "All In One" brand June 15, and "Aio" appears to be the fruits of that effort. The Aio plans all include unlimited voice and messaging as well as unlimited data (speeds throttled after specific thresholds) on AT&T's HSPA+ network, and range in price from $35 up to $70.
Aio said customers can expect to get downlink rates of up to 4 Mbps. Aio spokeswoman Kathy Van Buskirk said the company did not have anything to discuss regarding support for LTE. AT&T expects to cover 270 million POPs with LTE by the end of this year.
The Aio plans are initially launching in select stores in Houston, Orlando and Tampa, with additional stores in these three markets opening in the coming weeks. The company plans to expand to additional markets across the U.S. later this year but did not indicate which markets or when it would do so.
Currently, the plans vary from market to market in small ways. For example, the smallest Aio plan in Houston includes unlimited voice, texting and 100 MB of data for $35 per month. The $40 Aio basic plan is for feature phones only and includes unlimited voice, messaging and 250 MB of data before throttling; the $55 Aio Smart plan is available for smartphones and includes unlimited voice and texting and up to 2 GB of data before throttling; and $70 Aio Pro adds all of that plus up to 7 GB of data before throttling. Aio also offers tablet plans that includes 250 MB of data before throttling for $15 per month.
Customers can bring their own unlocked devices to Aio for service or choose from a range of smartphones and feature phones, including the Nokia (NYSE:NOK) Lumia 620 for $179.99, Apple (NASDAQ:AAPL) iPhone 4/4S for $349.99 for refurbished models to as high as $499.99 for new models, the Samsung Galaxy Express for $249.99, the Samsung Galaxy Amp for $99.99, the ZTE Prelude for $49.99. Aio also offers feature phones, including the Samsung Denim for $29.99 and the ZTE Altair for $49.99.
Interestingly, AT&T is keeping its own prepaid GoPhone brand in addition to running Aio. Van Buskirk said GoPhone and Aio target different customers.
"A large percentage of GoPhone customers use the service with a daily or weekly plan, and are looking for an AT&T branded service and device," she told FierceWireless. "We believe Aio provides a new opportunity to provide wireless service to value-conscious consumers with no annual contract, who are looking for unlimited talk/text/data plans, a wide array of devices and who would purchase through the Aio distribution channels. Aio's three plans are also prepaid plans, but offer unlimited monthly talk/text/data plans with no-annual contract through Aio distribution channels and are priced based on the amount of access to 4G data speeds included with the plan (as outlined above). The GoPhone plans include a by-the-minute and by-the-day plan, in addition to pay-as-you go monthly plans, and are generally priced according to the amount of talk, text and data that is included with each plan."
Other carriers aren't standing still on prepaid. Verizon recently launched a $35 prepaid plan for feature phones that includes unlimited mobile Web and texting and 500 calling minutes. And in February, Verizon effectively cut the price of its high-end prepaid smartphone plan from $80 to $70. Further, T-Mobile is working to promote its new "uncarrier" service that includes unlimited voice and texting and 2 GB of data for $60 per month. Sprint continues to support a range of prepaid plans through its Boost Mobile and Virgin Mobile brands.
- see this Aio site
- see this release
- see this PhoneScoop article
- see this Nokia post
AT&T planning June launch of 'All In One' prepaid brand
T-Mobile reiterates support for GoSmart Mobile, despite MetroPCS merger
Leap introduces new $40/month smartphone family plans to spark sales
Exclusive: Verizon to launch $35 prepaid plan with 500 minutes, unlimited mobile web and texting
T-Mobile undercuts AT&T, Verizon with new Value plans, starting at $50/month
Verizon cuts prepaid smartphone plan with 2 GB of data from $80 to $70


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From MuskokaUnlimited.com: The Ugly side of Commercial Leases
This is just one of many stories we were told where business landlord and tenant agreements have vastly negative impacts on the tenants. This one we could verify all the facts and it was the most straight forward, so we are confident in telling it.
When one of Muskoka’s most beloved businesses closed shop this summer in Bracebridge, it was not due to a lack of support from the community or customers.
Rather, it was due to commercial rental rules – or perhaps a lack of them – that gave the building owners carte blanche to create unconscionable lease conditions, demand ridiculous amounts of money, and basically force out the long-standing tenants.
Footprints on Muskoka had been renting their Manitoba Street space for several years. Though they still have their flagship store in Gravenhurst and another spot in Orillia, their Bracebridge space was a very successful and popular destination.
And it abruptly closed in the summer when the landlords gave Footprints on Muskoka owner Krista Mansour notice in June that they would not longer be tenants.
The worst part is Mansour was sent scrambling at the beginning of July (high season in Muskoka) to find a spot for all her extra inventory and having to layoff employees just as they were getting ready to bounce back to strong sales after slower years due to the pandemic.
This notice and subsequent closure was the result of months of back-and-forth that started in January when the owners of the building sent Mansour a letter stating that she owed $10,000 in additional rent and that their new monthly additional rent would be $953 on top of their regular rent going forward.
“I called them and asked, ‘what is going on? Where did this come from?’” recalls Mansour. “We were month-to-month at that point, the people had bought the building a year ago, after our lease had ended … they didn’t say anything about a new lease.”


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A court's decision not to prevent multiple Samsung handsets from being sold in the U.S. despite their being found to infringe Apple patents will go before an appeal's court in early August.
Pixar and Lucasfilm have settled a lawsuit by workers alleging an illegal cartel formed by seven technology companies including Apple, Google and Intel, lawyers have informed the court.
Apple violated antitrust laws when it colluded with publishers to set prices of e-books, a U.S. district court judge has ruled.
A secret surveillance court has exceeded its legal authority by allowing the U.S. National Security Agency to collect customer telephone records from Verizon Communications, a privacy group said in a petition to the U.S. Supreme Court.
A U.S. court has decided that the class-action designation of the copyright lawsuit brought against Google by the Authors Guild over the company's book-scanning project was "premature," and has returned the suit to a lower court for consideration of ...
The Electronic Frontier Foundation has filed a lawsuit to force the U.S. Federal Bureau of Investigation to turn over records about a facial-recognition database it is building.
"Word games," an "overreaching narrative" and a "case of inferences" were a few choice phrases used by attorney Orin Snyder Thursday in closing arguments for Apple in the U.S. Department of Justice's antitrust, e-books price fixing case against the t...
Sprint Nextel sued Clearwire and Dish Network on Monday in a bid to block Dish from taking over Clearwire, Sprint's majority-owned network partner.
Apple has posted to its Belgian website a new policy stating that its warranty period is now two years, up from the previous one year, but a local consumer group suing the company over the issue is withholding judgment for now.
SAP has received a ruling that sets a legal landmark in patent law and could also prove favorable to its defense in a long-running intellectual-property dispute with Versata.
Cisco Systems and Google will give digital-video-recorder pioneer TiVo lump-sum payments totaling US$490 million as part of a deal that will end the companies' litigation over patents for set-top technology.
A conservative activist has filed a lawsuit against U.S. President Barack Obama, the U.S. Department of Justice and the U.S. National Security Agency after news reports that the NSA has been collecting the phone records of a large number of Verizon C...
Microsoft and the U.S. Federal Bureau of Investigation have taken aim at a botnet network based on malware called Citadel that is held responsible for stealing people's online banking information and personal identities.
Nearly three dozen computer scientists have signed off on a court brief opposing Oracle's effort to copyright its Java APIs, a move they say would hold back the computer industry and deny affordable technology to end users.
Apple has agreed to pay US$53 million to settle a class-action suit in connection with warranties for its iPhone and iPod touch devices.
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GGG Evaluation Team
First impression on unpacking the Q702 test unit was the solid feel and clean, minimalist styling.
For work use, Microsoft Word and Excel programs pre-installed on the device are adequate for preparing short documents.
The Fujitsu LifeBook UH574 allowed for great mobility without being obnoxiously heavy or clunky. Its twelve hours of battery life did not disappoint.
The screen was particularly good. It is bright and visible from most angles, however heat is an issue, particularly around the Windows button on the front, and on the back where the battery housing is located.
My first impression after unboxing the Q702 is that it is a nice looking unit. Styling is somewhat minimalist but very effective. The tablet part, once detached, has a nice weight, and no buttons or switches are located in awkward or intrusive positions.


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Factory Media announces move away from print for digital focus!
Lifestyle/sports house moves to close print operations as digital business booms…
Factory Media, Europe’s largest lifestyle sports and culture content business, intends to close its magazine operations and divert the resources into digital production. The proposal comes as a result of the acceleration in both growth and demand for the Forward Private Equity-backed company’s digital-only brands and video. Factory Media plans to invest an additional £1.1m in restructuring, talent and content to realise and enhance its digital propositions and move deeper into video and TV production. All key print editorial staff will be retained in the transition, although the company regrets that some job losses may be incurred in the shift to digital-, social- and video-content production. Factory Media has seen a surge in demand for bespoke video content that is hosted and distributed through its managed social-media platforms. This growing audience has boosted revenues from native and branded content distribution for brands including Microsoft, BMW Mini, 20th Century Fox and Jeep. Darryl Newton, CEO of Factory Media, said: “The prospect of focusing wholly on the areas of our business that are experiencing unprecedented demand is both logical and incredibly exciting. Last year saw a leap of over 200% in our branded-content production activities, with digital ad revenues up by 25%. Although moving on from our heritage as a magazine publisher is an emotional shift, it also represents a significant opportunity to create even more content for a significantly larger online audience without the barriers of accessibility and affordability.” Factory Media has already invested this year in its first mass-market fitness launch ‘unboundlife.com’, an online social hub for people wishing to be informed, challenged and regularly involved in fitness. It has also recruited a number of senior staff to launch its YouTube creator and video-content distribution business. Newton added: “Our social-media reach peaks at 340 million a month, and our owned audience exceeds 6 million online lifestyle sports fans. Brands are not only using us as a content business, but also as a marketing and distribution agency to reach our incredibly engaged online audience. We have become adept at knowing exactly what content works online, how to create it and where to place it to achieve maximum impact, which is of huge value to a multitude of clients, from retailers through advertisers to broadcasters.” All board-sports and cycling brands will remain as digital and video propositions, including Factory Media’s heritage brands Sidewalk, Onboard, Ride and Dirt in the UK, and Skiing in Germany. The company intends to exit from the motocross market, which it sees as a distraction from its core outdoor-market offer.
About Factory Media:
Factory Media, with offices in the UK and Germany, specialises in creating content in the lifestyle sports and culture genres. Founded by CEO Darryl Newton in 2006 and acquired by the Forward Internet Group in 2012, the company provides access, insight, authenticity and inspiration for brands, broadcasters and influential global audiences. Factory Media creates and distributes content across its own 27 brands, reaching a global audience of 340 million through its businesses in content creation, audience development and media sales.


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After the game having seen a successful CBT during the fall of 2022, we’re eagerly anticipating news of the upcoming Aether Gazer release date. This enthralling new mobile gacha RPG from Yostar Games gives you an insight into the new beginning of human consciousness, set in a vivid, dystopic, sci-fi landscape full of colourful characters and kickass combat. So let’s gaze into Gaea, as we go over how to sign up for Aether Gazer pre-registrations, the game’s release window, trailers, and more.
Of course, there are plenty of other gacha games coming out this year, and we do our best to keep on top of them all. So, for more gacha goodness, check out our Honkai Star Rail release date, Under Oath release date, and Zenless Zone Zero release date guides to put more titles on your radar.


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On Friday, Ad Age wrapped up deliberations for our annual Creativity Awards. Our juries included many of the advertising and marketing industry’s most respected and seasoned executives who passionately debated—and chose—the finalists and winners in four categories.
Our Production category honors the top talents and companies in advertising production; Creative Marketing celebrates the year’s most exceptional brand execs, companies and effective creative brand ideas; the People category shines a light on the year’s standout talents across creative, strategy, media, account management and more; and Work recognizes the year’s most impressive creative campaigns and ideas that are pointing the way forward for the industry.
This year, we also have the Best Use of TikTok category, created in partnership with TikTok. These winners and finalists were chosen by a judging panel of Ad Age editors and TikTok executives.
Below are this year’s finalists in all Creativity Awards categories.
The winners will be announced at the Ad Age A-List & Creativity Awards Gala in New York on April 24.


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Microsoft's Windows 10 preview for the Xbox One is set to arrive for testers next month, but the company is providing a minor update to its Xbox app today ahead of the upcoming refreshed look and feel for the console. An August Xbox app update enables Windows 10 PC owners to stream Xbox One games in 1080p at 60 fps. A secret setting enabled this feature just last week, and Microsoft is now making it official for everyone to use. However, the company warns "the new streaming capability works best for gamers who have home networks with adequate bandwidth."
In our own testing it certainly looks a lot better, but it appears to increase the chances of slight lag or buffering compared to the previous 720p streaming. Alongside the streaming improvements, Microsoft is also adding the ability to control game and party notifications for its Windows 10 app. Other improvements include the ability to now add games to your collection, and an option to compare achievements with friends. The Xbox app update for Windows 10 is rolling out now, as part of Microsoft's plans to provide regular app updates for all of its Windows 10 services.


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Apple plans to launch a Mac trade-in program at retail locations in the U.S. and Canada in June, according to a report on Tuesday.
The program will allow customers to trade in older Mac devices in return for credit toward a new purchase. While in-store trade-ins of products like iPhones and Apple Watches have been available for some time, Mac trade-ins were previously restricted to an online program.
According to Bloomberg, the program will be implemented at Apple retail locations in the U.S. on June 15 and at Canadian locations on June 18.
Customers who take advantage of the program will be able to apply the trade-in value of their computers toward a new purchase or cash it out for an Apple gift card.
The new trade-in option may be part of an effort to boost sales of Mac devices, since it does away with the previous hassle of needing to send in an older Mac via mail to receive credit toward a new device. With the program, users will be able to immediately apply that credit toward a new purchase in-store.
It will likely take some time to get off the ground, however. As of early June, many Apple Stores across the U.S. remain shuttered despite the company reopening locations internationally.


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Every year, a new health fad comes out. A new technique can help you lose weight, detoxify your body, prevent disease, or improve your exercise. Many people hop on these trends before scientists have a chance to test their efficiency. This is when health trends become dangerous.
If you’ve kept up with health news in the 2010s, you’ve likely heard about fitness apps, keto, and gluten-free dieting at least once. But just because they’re popular doesn’t mean that they work. Some are pointless, others are harmful, and all are the worst health trends of the 2010s.
Calories In, Calories Out
The rule “calories in, calories out” has been around for decades. Although it’s not new, it remained popular through the 2010s. But research has proven that calories don’t determine health or even weight loss. For instance, olive oil has 119 calories per tablespoon. But a study of over 7,000 people indicated that olive oil boosts weight loss.
There are several other reasons why dieting isn’t just calories. Certain medications, such as steroids and antidepressants, may increase weight, regardless of calorie intake. Plus, some low-calorie foods, such as artificial sweeteners, still aren’t great for your health.
Instagram Food Presentation
With the rise of social media, people have started posting their food photos on the daily. It’s so common that people often joke about it. On the positive side, this fad may promote healthy eating by having these photos and recipes reach many people. But the downside is food entrepreneurs.
“Foodpreneurs,” as they’re called, use these food photographs to boost their business. These pictures increase peoples’ appetites, according to a 2012 study in Science Daily. Hence, food on social media quickly transforms from a health movement into a marketing scheme.
Low-carb diets have been popular since the ’90s, when health news began demonizing carbs. One of the more recent ones is keto, which limits carbs to between and 25 and 50 grams. But is it successful? Studies conflict.
“The keto diet is primarily used to help reduce the frequency of epileptic seizures in children,” says Registered Dietitian Kathy McManus. “While it also has been tried for weight loss, only short-term results have been studied, and the results have been mixed.” Those who go on the keto diet are at risk of being under-nourished and over-consuming fat.
The Non-GMO Project
Since the Non-GMO Project began in 2007, the movement has only grown. The Project asserts that genetically modified foods negatively affect our health, and they aim to label every GMO food clearly. However, several studies–in Agricultural Biotechnology, Genetics, and Environment International, to name a few–have found no health risks in GMO foods.
Once you realize that all modern fruits and vegetables were genetically modified, the theory loses its impact. Thousands of years ago, farmers intentionally cross-bred produce to create new ones. Oranges, bananas, carrots, strawberries, and most cruciferous vegetables would not exist today without genetic modification.
Throughout the 2010s, smartphones became more prominent than ever. With this rise came fitness apps. In theory, these apps remind users to stick to their exercise goals. But research from Endeavour Partners indicates that over half of consumers ignore the apps within six months of installing them.
There are several reasons why fitness apps may not work. One is a psychological phenomenon called reactance. In short, when we feel forced to do something, we resist it. Having an app bug us to exercise more (instead of wanting to exercise more) ends up making people quit.
Less than 1% of Americans have celiac disease, the condition that prevents people from eating dairy. Yet, many more people went gluten-free in 2010s. According to the National Purchase Diary, 65% of Americans thought that avoiding gluten was healthier in 2013. The fad became so common that research in Diabetes Spectrum analyzed its effects.
The researchers concluded that gluten-free diets pose “nutritional risks.” During the study, many participants did not receive enough carbohydrates, fiber, vitamins, or minerals in their diet. If you decide to go gluten-free, you’ll need help from a registered dietitian.
Simon Cowell, the famous TV personality and judge of American Idol, revealed his anti-aging technique in the early 2010s. He carried small gas bottles with him to inhale pure oxygen occasionally. Cowell claimed that the extra oxygen removed wrinkles and kept his skin youthful.
In reality, those brief bursts of oxygen will do little for your body; they may even cause cell damage. “This a great way to accelerate aging!” claims nutritional biochemist Shawn Talbott. He adds that any perceived benefits will only last seconds after inhaling.
If you’ve kept up with Instagram fads, you’ve likely seen the celebrities like the Kardashians working out in waist trainers. These workout corsets are designed to reshape your stomach and promote fat loss. Promoters also say that waist trainers provide back support for heavier lifting.
Gastroenterologist Gina Sam is one of the many doctors to debunk waist trainers. Instead of strengthening your muscles, waist trainers are more likely to weaken your muscles from the strain. Dr. Sam elaborates that wearing a waist trainer too tightly could result in dizziness, nausea, winding, bruising, or fainting.
The Shake Weight
Although many people think of the Shake Weight as a joke, the product received $40 million in sales during 2010. The Shake Weight is a modified dumbbell that you shake to spot train your arms in six minutes per day. It’s intended to work out specific areas of your arm for the best fat-burning technique.
Unfortunately, the Shake Weight’s main draw is also its biggest downside. Spot training is a myth. Researcher Rodrigo Ramírez-Campillo explains that fat will burn wherever the fat concentration is highest. During his study, participants repeated leg presses three times a week and lost 10% of fat–in their arms.
You may have heard about the paleo diet, in which dieters would only eat food that is available to our Paleolithic ancestors. According to its discordance hypothesis, our body’s genetics are not matched to modern, processed foods. By resorting to hunter-gatherer foods, we can theoretically lose weight and become healthier.
While the paleo diet has some benefits, its core hypothesis is simply incorrect. Genetic research has revealed that our bodies have adapted to modern diets after the Paleolithic era. Plus, the diet avoids whole grains and legumes–both of which people ate during that period.
The Feeding Tube Diet
In 2011, Dr. Oliver Di Pietro introduced a new diet: the KE Diet. Also called the feeding tube diet, the KE Diet feeds people protein powder through a feeding tube for a specific number of days. The dieter cannot eat anything else while on the feeding tube.
There are several problems with the KE Diet, besides shoving a feeding tube through your nose. Dieters can only consume 800 calories per day, which is way too low, according to Registered Dietitian Rebecca Scritchfield. The Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics also warned that KE could cause pulmonary infections and heart problems.
During the mid- to late-2010s, companies like Livestrong promoted the supposed health benefits of magnetic bracelets. According to the theory, some cells and tissues emit electromagnetic impulses that are thrown off balance during injury. Magnetic bracelets are supposed to return the balance and relieve pain, especially arthritic pain.
The American Cancer Society has confirmed that magnetic therapy can alleviate pain. However, these magnetic bracelets don’t do much. In 2009, research in PLoS One reported that arthritis patients felt no different after wearing magnetic bracelets. Efficient magnetic therapy is always done through medical supervision.
Raw milk is another example of the attitude, “untampered is better.” Raw milk has not been heated or decontaminated, a process known as pasteurizing. Proponents argue that raw milk has better flavor, nutrition, and immune benefits.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, along with many other agencies, have warned against raw milk. Unpasteurized milk may contain E. coli, Salmonella, and other deadly pathogens. Between 2007 and 2012, 81 disease outbreaks were associated with raw milk. Children, pregnant women, and the elderly and particularly susceptible to these diseases.
In 2012, Mad Men star January Jones told People about her unusual health pick-up after giving birth. She took pills made with her dehydrated placenta, the organ that supplies oxygen to a baby in utero. Although this practice is common in other cultures, the recent fad claimed that it could prevent post-partum depression.
In short, we need more research to confirm that placenta pills are safe. The FDA does not regulate them, and Certified Nutritionist Mira Calton claims that the placenta could contain toxins. Plus, there is no research supporting the cure of post-partum depression, says gynecologist Lauren Streicher.
Needing More Vitamin D
In the late 2010s, more people took vitamin D supplements than years before. These people believe that vitamin D would erase fatigue, muscle weakness, and even depression. Although vitamin D does help those areas, the trend quickly convinced people that they had a deficiency. Spoiler: they didn’t.
When people take vitamin D supplements without a deficiency, they’re at risk of overdosing. Vitamin D toxicity may cause nausea, vomiting, weakness, and kidney complications. Also, a few studies in JAMA found that vitamin D supplements did not prevent heart disease or cancer as well as sunlight vitamin D does.
Have you heard about the anti-shoe exercise trend? The idea is that by exercising barefoot or wearing shoes that mimic bare feet, your posture and shock absorption will improve. But research has indicated that this method doesn’t add much.
In 2016, researchers observed that wearing Masai Barefoot Technology actually increased the force on feet. Plus, jogging in these shoes reduced the range of motion in participants’ hips, knees, and most other joints except the foot. So if you’re looking for less shock on your foot, this trend is not the way to go.
Throughout the 2010s, juice cleanses have become increasingly popular. The diet requires people to consume only fruit and vegetable juices for a certain amount of time, usually between three to ten days. In theory, juice cleanses will detoxify the body and help people lose weight.
Juice cleanses have some good news, such as a brief water weight loss and nutrient boost. However, the low calories and protein can make your blood sugar drop. This could cause fatigue, dizziness, and headaches. Plus, the diet actually strips the body of digestive fiber, according to Registered Dietitian and Nutritionist Amy Shapiro.
By 2011, Boot Camp was already one of the top 10 fitness trends. But why would people choose to engage in military-level workouts? Well, it’s brief and advertises immediate weight loss. But these camps don’t work for everyone.
One reason why boot camps don’t work is in the description: they’re brief. If you return to your previous diet and exercise routine after boot camp, your weight won’t budge. Plus, most boot camps focus mainly on cardio. But a better workout for fat burning features weight training, according to a 2017 study by Wake Forest University.
Lemon Detox Diet
The Lemon Detox Diet is similar to juice cleansing, but it involves a lemon water mixture. The full mixture includes lemon, water, cayenne pepper, and maple syrup. The supposed body-cleansing diet originally surfaced in the 1940s and experienced a revival in 2006.
Your kidney does all the detoxification that your body needs. According to the National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health, there is no compelling scientific proof that detox cleanses remove toxins from your body. The Food and Drug Administration also warned that the Lemon Detox Diet could cause electrolyte imbalances.
Although vaping has become an aesthetic fad, it began as a way to quit dirty habits. Vapes use a concentration of nicotine that’s supposedly less harmful than cigarettes. Because they’re advertised as more healthy, vapes help people quit their habit. They have also become popular with non-smoking people.
In 2019, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention linked 47 deaths associated with vaping. According to researcher Dr. Michael Blaha, nicotine raises your blood pressure and adrenaline, which increases your likelihood of a heart attack. Vapes also harm your lungs with chemicals such as vitamin E acetate and tetrahydrocannabinol (THC).


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CHIANGRAI TIMES – Billionaire Chaleo Yoovidhya, the co-founder of energy drink Red Bull and the second richest man in Thailand, died Saturday at the age of 89, a company spokeswoman said.
Chaleo was Thailand’s second richest man, with a fortune of $5 billion last year according to business magazine Forbes, having fallen from the top spot on its annual list which he held in 2009.
According to local reports he was born into a poor Sino-Thai family in the northern province of Phichit who made their living from duck farming and fruit trading.
Chaleo moved to Bangkok to help his brother in his drug store before becoming a salesman and later set up his own pharmaceutical factory in the old quarter of Bangkok.
His TC Pharmaceuticals produced a “tonic drink” called Krating Daeng (“Red Bull”) which was popular with factory shift workers and truck drivers and provided the inspiration for the international beverage.
In 1984 Chaleo founded Red Bull with Austrian marketing whiz Dietrich Mateschitz, who had become aware of “tonic drinks” while travelling in Asia, and they started selling the drink in Austria in 1987.
According to the company website, Mateschitz got the idea for the business while sitting at the bar in the Mandarin Hotel in Hong Kong in 1982.
The pair each owned 49 percent of the company, with Chaleo’s son Chalerm holding the remaining two percent.
The drink, which was produced in Chaleo’s factory, is now sold in more than 70 countries worldwide.
Chaleo married twice and has 11 children, five from his first wife and six from his second.
Apart from its energy drink business, Red Bull also owns two football teams, Red Bull Salzburg in Austria and the New York Red Bulls in the United States, and a Formula One stable of the same name.
Chaleo’s family were due to start week-long traditional Buddhist rites at a monastery west of Bangkok, a temple worker said.


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What to Know
- Pennsylvania Gov. Tom Wolf ordered all “non-life-sustaining” businesses to shutter their physical locations until further notice to help slow the spread of the coronavirus but established a waiver process for companies that believe they should be exempt.
- The Wolf administration announced a deadline of 5 p.m. Friday for waiver applications, prompting an outcry from small-business advocates who said the deadline was premature and would create additional hardship for struggling employers.
- The state received more than 34,000 waiver requests through Wednesday. The Department of Community and Economic Development has approved about 5,600 requests and denied over 8,600, agency spokeswoman Casey Smith said Thursday.
Pennsylvania businesses are out of time if they want an exemption from Gov. Tom Wolf’s shutdown order.
Wolf ordered all “non-life-sustaining” businesses to shutter their physical locations until further notice to help slow the spread of the coronavirus but established a waiver process for companies that believe they should be exempt.
The Wolf administration announced a deadline of 5 p.m. Friday for waiver applications, prompting an outcry from small-business advocates who said the deadline was premature and would create additional hardship for struggling employers.
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“There has been a huge waiting list for waivers, and it is important not to prohibit a necessary business from playing a role in the emergency,” said Gordon Denlinger, state director of the National Federation of Independent Business. “We are asking Gov. Wolf to reconsider the shutdown of the waiver program.”
The state received more than 34,000 waiver requests through Wednesday. The Department of Community and Economic Development has approved about 5,600 requests and denied over 8,600, agency spokeswoman Casey Smith said Thursday.
Businesses that remain open to the public include grocery stores, pharmacies, hotels and motels, beer distributors, laundromats, and gas stations. Restaurants are open only for take-out orders. The open list also includes farms, mines, food production and some manufacturing.
Full coverage of the COVID-19 outbreak and how it impacts you
Car dealers, clothing stores and other retailers, salons, and entertainment venues are among those on the shuttered list.
Through Wednesday, Pennsylvania State Police issued 136 warnings to businesses violating the shutdown order. No business has been cited.
In other coronavirus developments Thursday:
The Pennsylvania Department of Health reported over 1,200 additional people tested positive for the virus, bringing the total to over 7,000. There were 16 new deaths for a statewide toll of 90.
The virus has now reached into the most rural parts of Pennsylvania. Cameron County, the state's smallest with about 4,450 residents, reported its first death.
For most people, the virus causes mild or moderate symptoms that clear up in a couple of weeks. Older adults and people with existing health problems are at higher risk of more severe illness, including pneumonia, or death.
BOEING SUSPENDING PHILADELPHIA-AREA OPERATIONS
Boeing said Thursday that it is suspending production operations at its facilities in suburban Philadelphia for at least two weeks, a move it said is designed to ensure the safety of employees.
Work will stop at the end of Friday and resume April 20, it said.
The site includes manufacturing and production facilities for military rotorcraft, including the H-47 Chinook, V-22 Osprey and MH-139A Grey Wolf, along with defense and commercial services work and engineering design.
Employees who cannot work remotely will receive paid leave for the 10 working days, it said.
Pennsylvania has received about half the personal protective medical equipment it requested from the federal government, and state officials say more has been promised.
The U.S. House Committee on Oversight and Reform on Thursday released data on distributions from the Federal Emergency Management Agency to several states.
Pennsylvania asked for 494,000 of the all-important N95 respirator masks that are in high demand but short supply at some medical facilities treating coronavirus patients. It received 112,000, with another 121,000 promised, according to the data.
The state is also supposed to be getting more face shields and surgical masks than it asked for, but not as many pairs of gloves, the report said.
Maureen May, a nurse at Temple University Hospital, said Thursday that nurses are already having to ration personal protective equipment while treating some 30 coronavirus patients in the hospital’s intensive care unit.
“If we cannot protect ourselves, we’re spreaders, we are going to spread not only to our patients, (but) our colleagues and the community,” May told reporters on an unrelated conference call arranged by the Pennsylvania Democratic Party.
ALTERNATE CARE SITES
The head of the Pennsylvania Emergency Management Agency said he wants to have six alternate care sites up and running in short order so they can take the strain off existing hospitals during the COVID-19 peak.
PEMA Director Randy Padfield has set an April 10 deadline to have the sites operational, although he said a big challenge will be to get the required health-care manpower in place.
The sites will house comparatively less sick “subacute” patients so hospitals do not get overwhelmed, Padfield said.
PEMA officials have not disclosed the locations that are being assessed, but said they could include shuttered hospitals, warehouses and school buildings.
ONLINE LIQUOR STORE OVERWHELMED
As expected, demand far exceeded the capacity of Pennsylvania's system of state-owned liquor stores to process online orders as sales resumed Wednesday.
Brick-and-mortar liquor stores are closed because of the pandemic, but nearly 278,000 people tried to place orders on the Pennsylvania Liquor Control Board website during the first day of digital sales, according to data released Thursday. By comparison, the site attracted 32,300 users when the liquor agency recently released several sought-after but limited-availability whiskeys.
For now, the state is limiting website access to prevent the system from crashing, giving only a limited number of randomly selected consumers access to shop. All others get a screen indicating the online store is closed.
GUN PERMIT EXTENSION
Pennsylvania residents will be allowed to carry guns on expired permits.
Wolf granted an extension for holders of concealed carry permits. State police said that permits that expired March 19 or later have been extended to May 30. The extension was granted because some county courthouses are closed because of the pandemic.
WALMART WAREHOUSE CLOSED
Walmart has temporarily closed a Pennsylvania fulfillment center after workers tested positive for the virus.
The retailer said it closed the center in Bethlehem on Wednesday night so it can be cleaned and sanitized. The center, which processes online orders and employs nearly 1,800, will be closed until Monday, said Walmart spokesman Kory Lundberg.
When workers return, Walmart will provide gloves and masks and take employees’ temperatures before they begin their shifts, part of a new policy announced by the retail giant for all its stores and warehouses, according to Lundberg.
Workers have expressed grave concern about the conditions in Bethlehem, saying that they have been forced to operate in tight quarters and that the facility wasn't being cleaned properly.
Associated Press reporter Marc Levy contributed to this story.


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Where have all the iPads gone? Apple pulls refurbs [u]
And, they’re back — a little odd. With the close of business Friday closing in, it looks like the Apple Store will pass the weekend sans any Refurbished iPads — there was pretty much a full selection just a day or so ago, including the ever popular original 16GB wifi-only iPad for $299. For the time being at least, they’re all gone.
Any notions why they disappeared (it’s Apple, so there has to be a story)?


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Prolonged zero VAT on food to save Poles over EUR 1 billion
Zero VAT on basic foodstuffs that he government has decided to maintain for the second half of this year will keep over PLN 5 billion (EUR 1.12 bln) in the pockets of Poles, the finance minister has said.
On Monday, Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki announced that the zero VAT rate on basic foods will be extended until the end of 2023.
The Ministry of Finance said in Tuesday's announcement that the reduction to 0 percent in the VAT rate on food has been in force since February 1, 2022. Previously, it was taxed at 5 percent.
"In the fight against inflation and the crisis caused by Russia, the most important thing is to protect the wallets of Poles," the ministry said.
Magdalena Rzeczkowska, quoted in the report, pointed out that thanks to the introduction of a zero VAT rate on basic foodstuffs Poles saved more than PLN 8.5 billion (EUR 1.91 bln) in 2022.
"In the first half of 2023, it is about PLN 6 billion (EUR 1.35 bln)," Rzeczkowska said. "We estimate that in the second half of 2023 it will bring further savings of over PLN 5 billion (EUR 1.12 bln)."
The zero VAT rate on food was an element of the second Anti-Inflation Shield, under which VAT rates on fuels and electricity were also reduced. Tax cuts related to energy carriers expired at the end of 2022, but the preferential tax rate on food was extended until June 2023.


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July 17, 2012
-- General Alvaro Baltodano, Presidential Delegate for Investment Promotion and Trade Facilitation of the Government of Nicaragua, recently participated in a forum organized by the Association of American Chambers of Commerce in Latin America (AACCLA) with the objective of strengthening economic and commercial ties with the United States.
During his presentation on Nicaragua’s economy and investment opportunities, Baltodano stressed that both countries “must work together to ensure that we are involved in initiatives that link our economies, which lead us on a path to prosperity. We believe that trade and investment are factors that will promote sustainable development for Nicaragua in the long term”.
Baltodano added that Nicaragua’s plans for continued economic growth and development are based on production, investment and trade. And when it comes to trade and job creation, the U.S. is still Nicaragua’s most important partner, Baltodano said. He noted that exports have grown faster than any other Central American country thanks to CAFTA.
“We grew in the middle of a crisis as a result of CAFTA and my government’s willingness to take advantage of the trade agreement,” Baltodano said. “We still have the same desire to keep growing.”
Between 2006-2011, Nicaragua’s exports have grown 121 percent, and overall, commerce has grown 67 percent under CAFTA.
In 2011, the U.S. invested US$158 million in Nicaragua, focusing primarily in the commerce and services, energy and free zones sectors.


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President Laura Chinchilla and President-elect Luis Guillermo Solís wrangled this week with the political consequences of microchip giant Intel’s exit from Costa Rica, while observers search for the next big high-tech opportunity.
NEW YORK – Coffee futures rose to a 25-month high as concerns mounted that the global market will swing to a deficit after a drought in the first quarter ravaged crops in Brazil, the world's biggest producer and exporter.
Intel Corporation on Tuesday addressed rumors circulating in recent days about the company's future in Costa Rica, saying in a press release they will close their microchip assembly and testing operations in the country over the next six months. A total of 1,500 employees will lose their jobs.
Be it soft serve, frozen custard or milk shakes, Ticos love their ice cream. Recently, three companies announced their intentions to cash in on all the dessert love by opening or expanding their businesses in the country. Those companies are Sub Zero Ice Cream & Yoghurt, Dairy Queen and POPS.
The high cost of electricity and fluctuating exchange rate ranked among the greatest concerns for Costa Rican businesses during the fourth quarter of 2013, according to the Union of Private-Sector Chambers and Associations' latest Business Pulse survey released Wednesday.
More than 230 businesses will display their latest home and construction products at a fair focusing on developing eco-friendly and energy saving homes. ExpoConstrucción y Vivenda 2014 opened Wednesday afternoon and will continue through Sunday at the Pedregal Event Center in Belén, northwest of the capital.
The Costa Rica Tourism Board along with a group of private-sector companies will promote Costa Rica as a destination for adventure travel at the Los Angeles Travel & Adventure Show 2014 and the Boston Globe Travel Show 2014.


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Since its launch earlier last year, Facebook Watch has been working to bring users of the social network more professionally produced videos. And now, you can watch clips from CBS’ different late night shows.
Facebook Watch was launched in August of last year in order to give users opportunity to discover more personalized shows on Facebook. The new video platform suggests you contents based on you and your friend community’s activities. Although the service initially launched for limited number of users from the United States, it later launched the service to US based consumers.
As for late night shows, clips from the network’s most popular shows already appear in other video streaming platform such as YouTube. As a result, it’s not surprising that the network will try to reach more audience via the latest inclusion into Facebook Watch. For now, CBS has added several short form content from The Late Show with Stephen Colbert and The Late Late Show with James Corden to Facebook Watch. If you are interested, you can watch these clips on Facebook anytime you want.
While Facebook has been working for a while to bring its own video contents, CBS isn’t producing any original material at the moment as the network is sharing its clips from other networks.


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: Miguel McKelvey
, co-founder of the New York-based office rental startup WeWork
, said entrepreneurs in India have vast similarities with those in the US and other developed economies in Asia, such as Japan and China, when it comes to aspirations and business ideas.
“My experience comes from the team members. I asked my team here if there were differences in entrepreneurs here compared to back in the US and I was told not so much. It is the same aspirations, business ideas, and eagerness to solve problems,” the 43 year-old entrepreneur said.
“We already have 2,000 amazing partners here in the Bengaluru centre and are seeing great energy and culture coming up by uniting diverse groups of people,” he said.
Partners are those who use the co-working space provider’s offices. Many of these tend to be startups themselves, because they don’t have to put up large amounts of money upfront to lease and do up the office space, or spend time on managing it.
WeWork, valued at about $20 billion and backed by Japanese internet and telecommunications giant Softbank, is planning to open co-working spaces spread across 700,000 sq feet during the first year of operations in India. Started by McKelvey and Adam Neumann in 2010, the company recently announced plans to expand in Japan and China.
McKelvey said no matter how fast the company grows, it will still lag the larger real estate market. “It is a small membership but the impact can be bigger as the market grows and changes. We do not need to grab all of it but only for those who want to be collaborative and connected.”
The Indian operations of WeWork has seen an initial investment of $25 million, according to a company executive. The company, one of the highest valued startups globally, partnered with real estate major Embassy last year. Karan Virwani, director in WeWork India, said that the company is planning to open two new centres in Bengaluru and one in Gurgaon
this year. "We have seen tremendous demand so far. At present, we have a good mix of startups and enterprises coming to work with us such as Microsoft and Zendesk,” he said.