Ajit Balakrishnan: “Statistics from the United States and from India show that nine out of 10 startups don’t make it; ie only 10 per cent survive and prosper. A further analysis shows that 20 per cent of startups fall apart after a year, another 30 per cent close down within two years, 20 per cent shut their door within five years, and the remaining 20 per cent dissolve within 10 years, meaning only one out of 10 startups ever makes it to any economic worth. Which conveys learning to deal with failure in a startup venture appears to be as important, if not more important, than learning to celebrate success.”
Partho Dasgupta: “According to a report by Dentsu India, the Indian advertising sector is projected to grow at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 9.86%, increasing from ₹93,166 crore in 2023 to ₹1,12,453 crore by 2025. As India positions itself as an emerging market ripe for investment, the lack of reliable data poses a significant risk.While data may be the backbone of effective policymaking and advertising strategies worldwide, India finds itself in an ironic twist of fate—surrounded by potential insights yet starved for actionable information. As advertisers and marketers continue to navigate this murky landscape, one can only hope they invest in better flashlights, because right now it feels like they’re trying to find their way through a blackout with nothing but a flickering candle.”
Manish Sabharwal and Ashish Dhawan: “India’s challenge of employed poverty (not unemployment) arises from our labour force stock: Only 11 per cent are in manufacturing, 14 per cent in construction, 45 per cent in agriculture, and 30 per cent in services. Tragically, most farmers dwell in the self-exploitation of (informal) self-employment. The only sustainable and scalable way to help farmers is to have fewer of them; we don’t want to live in China but greatly respect their achievement of moving millions of people off farms into factories…India missed her tryst with destiny despite building the world’s largest democracy because she didn’t create mass prosperity. But she has made a new appointment which she will keep through high-productivity firms and factories.”
FT: “US growth is a mirage for most Americans, driven by rising wealth and discretionary spending among the richest consumers, and distorted by growing profits for the biggest corporations. Times look good but this growth is lopsided, brittle and heavily dependent on spending and borrowing by the government, which is typically the lender of last resort. Although the world marvels at “unsinkable” US consumers, a growing number are priced out of homes and falling behind on credit-card debt. The bottom 40 per cent by income now account for 20 per cent of all spending while the richest 20 per cent account for 40 per cent. That is the widest gap on record and it is likely to widen further, says Oxford Economics, a consultancy. Most Americans now spend so much on essentials such as food that they have little left for extras like travel or eating out.”
WSJ: “Aerial-drone pilots are the deadliest soldiers on the modern battlefield, just as machine-gunners or snipers were in the last century. They can deliver the explosive power of a rocket-propelled grenade with the precision of a sniper, at the range of an artillery gun. In Ukraine, they’ve created a no man’s land forward of front lines that has stopped the massive Russian army from overrunning defenses this year. Russia’s much larger and better equipped forces have inched forward but haven’t achieved a breakthrough, and have incurred heavy losses, largely thanks to the drone killers. The movie image of elite soldiers as macho hulks has fueled concerns that today’s flabby and screen-addicted youths couldn’t cut it in a real fight. But piloting drones demands quick thinking, sharp eyes and nimble thumbs, the kind of prowess more readily associated with computer games than military combat.”
