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Here’s a scary thought: What if AI could control your life?

While you speculate, a Vice journalist let ChatGPT create a daily schedule to be healthy and productive and the chatbot obliged. Read all about Maxwell Strachan’s self-described “multi-day descent into AI madness”.

Spoiler alert: Even AI can’t solve the modern-day work-life balance issue.

Oh, here’s some good news if you are fretting over the recent withdrawal of Rs 2,000 currency notes. The State Bank of India (SBI) has informed that an exchange of Rs 2,000 notes up to a limit of Rs 20,000 at a time will be allowed without any requisition slip. Further, no identity proof is required at the time of exchange.

And, if you are depositing such notes in your own account, RBI has not specified any limit but it will be subject to compliance with extant KYC norms and other applicable statutory requirements.

Last but not least, tune into this sonic journey, written and narrated by David Haskell, which transports one to the beginning sound and song on planet Earth.

In today’s newsletter, we will talk about 

• SaaS vs Swiggy-Zomato duopoly
• Inside SAP’s bet on India’s SMBs
• Working towards social change

Here’s your trivia for today: In which book did Sir Arthur Conan Doyle kill Sherlock Holmes?

Foodtech

SaaS vs Swiggy-Zomato duopoly

Thrive and Waayu, the two frontrunners attempting to break the Swiggy-Zomato duopoly, are providing full-stack order management systems to restaurants along with enabling food ordering. 

The recognition of Waayu and Thrive is important as restaurants are growing increasingly unhappy with Swiggy and Zomato due to rising commissions and marketing spends, reduction of delivery radius, and unavailability of delivery partners becoming top concerns.

A strategic move:

• The growing popularity of government-backed ONDC has also triggered important conversations among restaurateurs about cutting dependency on Swiggy and Zomato. 
• Thrive’s software segment has two main offerings and subscriptions range from Rs 500 to Rs 2,500 per month.
• Waayu offers two options–one with a set-up fee and a monthly subscription charge and another with a slightly higher monthly fee without a set-up charge.

MSMEs

Inside SAP’s bet on India’s SMBs

SAP recently launched a new offering with a specific focus on the mid-market segment called “GROW with SAP”. The firm maintains that it has always focused on SMEs and now believes the potential from this segment is stronger than ever before.

Subramanian Ananthapadmanabhan, SVP – Midmarket, Asia Pacific Japan, SAP, tells EnterpriseStory, “Post COVID-19, the world has seen different adoption of technology by the mid-size organisations.”

Boosting adoption:

• This focus on the SMEs has opened a new window of opportunity for SAP both in terms of market and industry segments. 
• The mid-sized businesses today want to be at the cutting edge of technology innovation. India is no different in this regard, Ananthapadmanabhan says.
• SAP has started placing its personnel in various locations and partners are also signing up to be on its platform from these regions, such as Nagpur, Kanpur, and Bhopal, among others.

Social change

Working towards social change

Growing up in Kota, Rajasthan, and being exposed to the academic rigour the city is known for, it was natural for Dr Megha Bhargava to aspire for a career in medicine. 

From 2012 onwards, Bhargava has been part of the tax administration, and also into investigation, which she believes has been one of the most challenging assignments so far. 

Driving change:

• In her current role as the Joint Commissioner, Income Tax (Intelligence & Criminal Investigation), Ministry of Finance, Bhargava is involved in implementing the government’s E-Verification Scheme launched last year.
• In 2021-22, Bhargava bagged a Cambridge Commonwealth Shared scholarship to pursue an MPhil in Public Policy at the University of Cambridge. 
• Her aim of working towards social change can also be seen in her efforts with Samarpann, an NGO started by her sister, Ruma Bhargava. 

News & updates

• Added to cart: Private equity company Blackstone has fully acquired jewellery certification firm International Gemological Institute (IGI) from China’s Fosun. Blackstone bought IGI, whose majority revenue and profits come from India, for about $530 million.
• Scaling down: Uber plans to give up about a third of the space at its San Francisco headquarters, adding to a wave of tech companies downsizing in the city. The ride-hailing firm is in the “early stages” of subleasing almost 269,000 square feet at its home in the Mission Bay neighbourhood.
• Reglobalising: World Trade Organisation Director-General Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala advocated for diversification in global supply chains, identifying an “overconcentration of manufacturing in certain sectors in certain countries.”

In which book did Sir Arthur Conan Doyle kill Sherlock Holmes?

Answer: The Final Problem (1893). However, reactions from anguished readers persuaded the author to revive Holmes in The Hound of the Baskervilles (1901-02).

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