Daybreak
Business news is complex and overwhelming. It doesn’t have to be. Every day of the week, from Monday to Friday, Daybreak tells one business story that’s significant, simple and powerful. Hosted from The Ken’s newsroom by Snigdha Sharma and Rachel Varghese, Daybreak relies on years of original reporting and analysis by some of India’s most experienced and talented business journalists.
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Hosur powered India’s EV boom. So why are companies heading to Sambhajinagar?
<p>Hosur built India's EV industry. Now it's running out of room — and a city many haven't heard of (mainly because it used to be Aurangabad) is quietly filling the gap.</p><p>Sambhajinagar doesn't have Silicon Valley-style VC money or flashy government announcements. But what it does have is something harder to manufacture: a generational automotive ecosystem of factory owners, built over decades, now scaling up for an electric future.</p><p>Toyota noticed. And Ather. And JSW. This is the story of how a small city in Maharashtra became the surprising centre of India's next industrial bet.</p><p>...
Friday Roundup: India bets big on AI, and America puts big tech on trial
<p>India hosted the world's biggest AI summit this week — 100+ nations, $200 billion in commitments, and enough billionaire handshakes to fill a highlight reel. <br>But beneath the spectacle lies a sharper question: when will it be India’s turn to build AI, instead of just buying into it? Snigdha breaks down the gap between infrastructure ambition and intelligence sovereignty. </p><p>In other news, Mark Zuckerberg walked into a US courtroom as Meta, YouTube, TikTok and Snapchat face a landmark trial. <br>The allegation? That teen addiction wasn't an unfortunate byproduct of the way social media works — it was built into t...
Does big tech want you to 'put your brain in a jar'?
<p>Big Tech is preparing to spend $650 billion on AI infrastructure this year, a figure that rivals national economies. The focus is agentic AI, systems designed not just to generate answers but to execute tasks independently.</p><p>The vision is software that can read your messages, access your calendar, contact your friends, move money and complete transactions without step by step supervision. In effect, technology that can act in the world on your behalf.</p><p>To function, these systems require sweeping access to personal and corporate data. Critics warn this amounts to asking users to “put your brain in...
The big AI players want India's data. But data sovereignty is a no go
<p>Anthropic just set up in Bangalore, announcing partnerships across health, education, and government. The "ethical AI" company is positioning itself as the responsible alternative to OpenAI.</p><p>But the Wall Street Journal revealed the US military used Claude to help capture Venezuela's former president—violating Anthropic's own guidelines prohibiting violence and surveillance.</p><p>Now the US government wants Anthropic to drop those restrictions entirely. The company is caught between its founding principles and its home government's demands, which brings up questions about data sovereignty into focus. Host Rachel Varghese digs in. </p><p>*The host mistakenly says NC...
Nothing's changed in your Blinkit order. Everything's changing behind it
<p>Over the past six months, Blinkit has been making a structural shift that most customers would never notice. For years, its fresh fruits and vegetables were sourced by Hyperpure, its own parent company Eternal’s business-to-business arm that also supplies restaurants. As Blinkit grew into Eternal’s primary revenue driver, Hyperpure grew with it. In FY25, more than 60% of Hyperpure’s revenue came from Blinkit.</p><p>Then Blinkit decided to source its own inventory.</p><p>Hyperpure’s revenue more than halved in two quarters. It is now separating its books and rebuilding around restaurants.</p><p><br>What doe...
Are SIPs always right? Nah, says a new study
<p>A mutual fund executive told our colleague something shocking: "SIPs are a problem." </p><p>Part of the shock came from the fact that it was coming from someone in an industry that was basically built on "SIP sahi hai."</p><p>Now a new research paper backs up that controversial take—and the findings contradict what millions of Indian investors have been told about systematic investment plans.</p><p>Turns out the marketing narrative around SIPs has some serious gaps. The math tells a different story. And with small-cap SIP assets exploding 6.5x since 2019, the stakes have never been...
Friday Roundup: Adani goes nuclear and AI's talent exit
<p>On February 12, 2026, Adani Power formed Adani Atomic Energy Ltd, a new unit to generate, transmit, and distribute nuclear power. This follows the SHANTI Bill opening India's nuclear sector to private firms. Both Adani Power and Tata Power, coal giants with long-life thermal plants, now lead the shift.</p><p>Coal powers 74% of India's grid today. These firms profit big from it. So what happens when they control nuclear's pace too? Snigdha explores the conflict.</p><p>In other news, top AI researchers have been quitting the big AI labs. Anthropic's Mrinank Sharma left over value clashes (X letter) and...
If news doesn't pay enough, why do billionaires keep buying?
<p>On February 10, 2026, reports said nearly 100 NDTV employees were put on performance improvement plans, often seen as a prelude to layoffs. This comes after the Adani Group acquired NDTV in December 2022 for about ₹600 crore, followed by several high profile exits. A similar moment unfolded at Jeff Bezos-owned The Washington Post last week where hundreds were laid off and multiple sections and bureaus shut. </p><p>Both Adani and Bezos run highly profitable core businesses. News is not one of them. </p><p>So why invest heavily in an industry known for low margins? Host Snigdha Sharma explores.</p><p>If yo...
Did Claude Cowork trigger a real “SaaSpocalypse” or is it overkill?
<p>In early February, Indian IT stocks crashed 6% in a single day—the worst selloff in six years. ₹2 lakh crore vanished. Wall Street lost $300 billion.</p><p>The trigger? Anthropic launched Claude Cowork, an AI agent that can organize files, parse spreadsheets, and write reports autonomously. For the first time, AI doesn't just assist—it executes entire workflows with minimal supervision. </p><p>Investors panicked, and experts coined the term "SaaSpocalypse." But is this really the end of software companies, or are we watching an overreaction? </p><p>Today, host Rachel Varghese unpacks both sides.</p><p>Tune in.</p><p>List...
Will Paytm still decide PhonePe’s IPO price?
<p>PhonePe is heading to the public markets as India’s largest UPI player. On 21 January, the company made its IPO papers public, setting up one of the most closely watched fintech listings in years. PhonePe dominates transaction volumes, but it is listing after Paytm, whose 2021 IPO reshaped how investors value payments companies. Since then, Paytm’s stock has fallen sharply from its debut even as its business has evolved. </p><p>PhonePe is seeking a valuation premium while still reporting losses and facing pressure on some revenue streams. As investors weigh scale against profitability, one question looms. </p><p>Will...
