Latest news with #India-first
Time of India
4 days ago
- Business
- Time of India
Google sees pockets growing at a fast clip: Country head Preeti Lobana
Macroeconomic uncertainties and a consumption slowdown may have had some impact on business, but Google continues to be "very bullish" on India and there are pockets which are growing at a fast clip, Google India country manager Preeti Lobana said Tuesday. Sectors that are growing exponentially include gaming, edtech, ecommerce and quick commerce , Lobana said in her first media interview after taking over as the tech giant's top India executive. She took over the role in January from Sanjay Gupta, who was promoted to Google's president for the Asia-Pacific region. "We have a bird's eye view on where the tension in the macroeconomic trends is leading to, so the consumption slowdown, you'll see that a little bit. But you equally see some of the other verticals that are not linked to consumption doing really well and growing users, getting the spend," she said. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like The Top 25 Most Beautiful Women In The World Articles Vally Undo Lobana, who joined Google more than seven years ago after having previously worked at the NatWest Group, American Express, Standard Chartered Bank and ANZ Grindlays Bank, said she is "very bullish" on India, though "some of the challenges like supply chain and manufacturing that people are seeing may offer bumps". On the macro data factors that influence GDP, she said India may have faced challenges, but compared with some other countries, "we have done well". Live Events Google is betting big on the "One Google" strategy and artificial intelligence to grow its India business. These include a full stack of solutions, from ads to cloud to payments, for engagements with large and small customers alike, Lobana said. The company continues to invest heavily in India, including in products that are India-first, Lobana said. AI and cloud can help drive intelligence and efficiency for businesses here, she said. Discover the stories of your interest Blockchain 5 Stories Cyber-safety 7 Stories Fintech 9 Stories E-comm 9 Stories ML 8 Stories Edtech 6 Stories "The cutting-edge technology that we have, if Indian companies embrace and integrate that now, they have a two- three-year window for that productivity leap," Lobana said. "If we can do that, it'll be significant progress for India and for many of our big industry players because that's how they transform their supply chains, that's how they transform and get more efficiencies and effectiveness out of their customer service." On the run-ins with regulators over Android and Google Play's billing system, Lobana, without commenting on the specifics of the case, said the company is working with the government and regulators and is committed to growing the ecosystem. "(With) Play Store , the kind of opportunity it's given to developers in finding the right we keep that ecosystem safe and secure in this era of cyber fraud and all of that, that means that we have to have a business model," she said, adding that the model is evolving and Google is mindful of the country's context. Indian developers on the Play Store are raking in Rs 4,000 crore annually, with 84% of this revenue coming from outside the country, she said. The executive dismissed the threat from AI chatbots to Google's proprietary product, Search, saying it is not a "zero-sum game" - every time there has been a tech shift such as mobile (which threatened its ad business) or Tiktok, Instagram (which threatened YouTube), Google has adapted and come out stronger. The company is evolving its products to align with changing consumer preferences towards longer queries in the AI era - for instance, enabling more conversational and intuitive queries in Search, Lobana said. The AI mode is launching soon in India, she added. Google is also looking at how to partner with the government's IndiaAI Mission and is exploring how to bring its expertise to contribute to empowering the ecosystem and working with startups here, she said. The global leadership is betting on the Indian talent as well, said Lobana, adding that the India team has doubled since pre-Covid times, with leadership roles also growing.
Economic Times
4 days ago
- Business
- Economic Times
Google sees pockets growing at a fast clip: Country head Preeti Lobana
Macroeconomic uncertainties and a consumption slowdown may have had some impact on business, but Google continues to be "very bullish" on India and there are pockets which are growing at a fast clip, Google India country manager Preeti Lobana said Tuesday. Sectors that are growing exponentially include gaming, edtech, ecommerce and quick commerce, Lobana said in her first media interview after taking over as the tech giant's top India executive. She took over the role in January from Sanjay Gupta, who was promoted to Google's president for the Asia-Pacific region. "We have a bird's eye view on where the tension in the macroeconomic trends is leading to, so the consumption slowdown, you'll see that a little bit. But you equally see some of the other verticals that are not linked to consumption doing really well and growing users, getting the spend," she who joined Google more than seven years ago after having previously worked at the NatWest Group, American Express, Standard Chartered Bank and ANZ Grindlays Bank, said she is "very bullish" on India, though "some of the challenges like supply chain and manufacturing that people are seeing may offer bumps".On the macro data factors that influence GDP, she said India may have faced challenges, but compared with some other countries, "we have done well". Google is betting big on the "One Google" strategy and artificial intelligence to grow its India business. These include a full stack of solutions, from ads to cloud to payments, for engagements with large and small customers alike, Lobana said. The company continues to invest heavily in India, including in products that are India-first, Lobana said. AI and cloud can help drive intelligence and efficiency for businesses here, she said. "The cutting-edge technology that we have, if Indian companies embrace and integrate that now, they have a two- three-year window for that productivity leap," Lobana said. "If we can do that, it'll be significant progress for India and for many of our big industry players because that's how they transform their supply chains, that's how they transform and get more efficiencies and effectiveness out of their customer service."On the run-ins with regulators over Android and Google Play's billing system, Lobana, without commenting on the specifics of the case, said the company is working with the government and regulators and is committed to growing the ecosystem. "(With) Play Store, the kind of opportunity it's given to developers in finding the right we keep that ecosystem safe and secure in this era of cyber fraud and all of that, that means that we have to have a business model," she said, adding that the model is evolving and Google is mindful of the country's context. Indian developers on the Play Store are raking in Rs 4,000 crore annually, with 84% of this revenue coming from outside the country, she said. The executive dismissed the threat from AI chatbots to Google's proprietary product, Search, saying it is not a "zero-sum game" - every time there has been a tech shift such as mobile (which threatened its ad business) or Tiktok, Instagram (which threatened YouTube), Google has adapted and come out company is evolving its products to align with changing consumer preferences towards longer queries in the AI era - for instance, enabling more conversational and intuitive queries in Search, Lobana said. The AI mode is launching soon in India, she is also looking at how to partner with the government's IndiaAI Mission and is exploring how to bring its expertise to contribute to empowering the ecosystem and working with startups here, she global leadership is betting on the Indian talent as well, said Lobana, adding that the India team has doubled since pre-Covid times, with leadership roles also growing.
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Business Standard
4 days ago
- Business
- Business Standard
Google unveils Safety Charter to boost user security and prevent fraud
Google India on Tuesday announced the launch of a Safety Charter, a broad framework aimed at improving user safety online by blending artificial intelligence into cybersecurity. The Safety Charter, the company said, would focus on three aspects — protecting users from online fraud, strengthening enterprise and government cybersecurity, and embedding responsible AI into platform design and deployment. 'Building AI responsibly, an AI that works safely and ethically, is the goal,' said Heather Adkins, Vice President of Security Engineering and the Cybersecurity Resilience Officer at Google. 'Cybersecurity is not just about the elimination of malpractices and other scams, but also about enabling trust within users, to try and use cyberspace with safety in mind,' said Preeti Lobana, Vice President and Country Manager at Google India. This new Charter builds on DigiKavach, an India-first initiative launched in October 2023. Focused on real-time fraud detection, DigiKavach partnered with agencies like the Indian Cyber Crime Coordination Sector (I4C) and civil society groups including CyberPeace Foundation and FACT to protect users from digital financial scams. In just one year, DigiKavach and Google's AI-led systems blocked over ₹13,000 crore in fraud attempts, flagged 20 times more scam domains and prevented 60 million high-risk app installs across 13 million devices, the company said in a presentation during the launch of the Safety Charter. Google Messages intercepted over 500 million scam texts monthly. The programme reached 177 million people through scam alerts and safety content in multiple languages, Google said.
Time of India
30-05-2025
- Business
- Time of India
Sunil Mittal exhorts industry to prioritise 'India-first' approach, focus on talent dividend, R&D
New Delhi: Bharti Group Chairman Sunil Mittal on Thursday exhorted the industry to prioritise an 'India-first' approach, rising above individual or sectoral interests to contribute to nation-building as the telecom sector doyen advocated prioritising of talent dividend, stepping up R&D, trade reset and a collaborative framework between industry and government. Speaking at the CII Annual Business Summit 2025, Mittal also advised companies to emulate the 'Tata' mould of trust as he highlighted the respect commanded by the 'house of Tatas'. Citing the progress made towards trade pacts between India and key nations, Mittal exuded confidence that the government will safeguard industry's interests in trade agreements, but asserted at the same time, that it is important that the "industry and chambers don't ask for things which will make FTAs difficult". Stating that lakhs of crores are stuck in litigation around direct taxes, indirect taxes, and other regulatory matters, the industry stalwart said initiatives like 'Vivad se Vishwas' can help release large sums stuck in cases. Doing so, it would also free up the industry from past litigations and problems, and allow a reset and planning for the future. Mittal noted that India is on the cusp of becoming the third-largest economy in the world and that industry plays a vital role in moving the economic agenda forward. "Let me talk about the role of our industry, the role in creating that necessary trust for all our stakeholders and ensuring that we keep in all our decisions with 'India-first' at the very industry has a very important role to I don't think we have earned the complete trust of all stakeholders. Many-a-times it is seen that we approach issues from our individual or, at times, sectoral interests," he said. Mittal outlined four key areas requiring immediate focus, including the need to capitalise on talent dividends and R&D investment. India spends less than one per cent of GDP on R&D, Mittal said describing it as "woefully inadequate for a country of our size". "We have the advantage that we have a large domestic market, but should we not spend more on R&D, innovation, and not just frugal innovation but going into really meaningful, deeply scientific, technological advances that India needs to make. Indian industry needs to step up its spending on R&D," Mittal said, asking the industry to rise above the approach of tax breaks for R&D spending. Mittal also advocated for a fundamental shift or reset in India's approach to trade and exports. "The industry must actively work with the government to identify policy gaps and suggest frameworks that create real velocity in building India. Let us hear the government's views, understand their expectations, and contribute meaningfully," he said. He cited the example of 'House of Tata' as one that evokes trust and respect. While the walls on immigration are rising every day, Mittal said, India's youth armed with the right training and skills can overcome such challenges thanks to the digital nature of the work. He said it is no surprise that India is seeing a dramatic growth of Global Capability Centres. "Even now, we hear some voices coming from some parts of the political spectrum about some form of reservation in the private sector and we all know that debate can continue. But how we can completely avoid that debate is by creating a workforce, creating a talent dividend," he said. Mittal nudged the industry to diversify its export basket. "...this is where I think CII, we as industry players need to work with the government and create policy frameworks to ensure that we are diversifying our export basket. No raw materials should really leave our shores without being processed and value-added. The more we can do locally here by adding value, the better off we will be" he said. At the same time, the telecom veteran said that while THE industry will do its bit, it needs enabling policies, especially in the area of ease of doing business. "And I know for this government, ease of doing business is important. They continuously track areas where there are this is again where CII should put out a position paper in giving every year few low-hanging fruits where the government can move quickly to allow the industry to have much easier runway to take off," he said. In this context, he highlighted areas like corporate affairs, listing of companies, and floating bonds in the international market. "Tax policies, which continuously are getting better, need to be further demystified and simplified. The movement towards a 25 per cent corporate tax, to my mind, was a fine example...I'm surprised the entire industry has still not moved to that. Let's also get rid of the old fascination with those exemptions and move on to a simplified, flat 25 per cent tax rate," he said.
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Business Standard
29-05-2025
- Business
- Business Standard
Sunil Mittal urges industry to adopt 'India-first' focus on talent, R&D
Bharti Group Chairman Sunil Mittal on Thursday exhorted the industry to prioritise an 'India-first' approach, rising above individual or sectoral interests to contribute to nation-building as the telecom sector doyen advocated prioritising of talent dividend, stepping up R&D, trade reset and a collaborative framework between industry and government. Speaking at the CII Annual Business Summit 2025, Mittal also advised companies to emulate the 'Tata' mould of trust as he highlighted the respect commanded by the 'house of Tatas'. Citing the progress made towards trade pacts between India and key nations, Mittal exuded confidence that the government will safeguard industry's interests in trade agreements, but asserted at the same time, that it is important that the "industry and chambers don't ask for things which will make FTAs difficult". Stating that lakhs of crores are stuck in litigation around direct taxes, indirect taxes, and other regulatory matters, the industry stalwart said initiatives like 'Vivad se Vishwas' can help release large sums stuck in cases. Doing so, it would also free up the industry from past litigations and problems, and allow a reset and planning for the future. Mittal noted that India is on the cusp of becoming the third-largest economy in the world and that industry plays a vital role in moving the economic agenda forward. "Let me talk about the role of our industry, the role in creating that necessary trust for all our stakeholders and ensuring that we keep in all our decisions with 'India-first' at the very industry has a very important role to I don't think we have earned the complete trust of all stakeholders. Many-a-times it is seen that we approach issues from our individual or, at times, sectoral interests," he said. Mittal outlined four key areas requiring immediate focus, including the need to capitalise on talent dividends and R&D investment. India spends less than one per cent of GDP on R&D, Mittal said describing it as "woefully inadequate for a country of our size". "We have the advantage that we have a large domestic market, but should we not spend more on R&D, innovation, and not just frugal innovation but going into really meaningful, deeply scientific, technological advances that India needs to make. Indian industry needs to step up its spending on R&D," Mittal said, asking the industry to rise above the approach of tax breaks for R&D spending. Mittal also advocated for a fundamental shift or reset in India's approach to trade and exports. "The industry must actively work with the government to identify policy gaps and suggest frameworks that create real velocity in building India. Let us hear the government's views, understand their expectations, and contribute meaningfully," he said. He cited the example of 'House of Tata' as one that evokes trust and respect. While the walls on immigration are rising every day, Mittal said, India's youth armed with the right training and skills can overcome such challenges thanks to the digital nature of the work. He said it is no surprise that India is seeing a dramatic growth of Global Capability Centres. "Even now, we hear some voices coming from some parts of the political spectrum about some form of reservation in the private sector and we all know that debate can continue. But how we can completely avoid that debate is by creating a workforce, creating a talent dividend," he said. Mittal nudged the industry to diversify its export basket. "...this is where I think CII, we as industry players need to work with the government and create policy frameworks to ensure that we are diversifying our export basket. No raw materials should really leave our shores without being processed and value-added. The more we can do locally here by adding value, the better off we will be" he said. At the same time, the telecom veteran said that while THE industry will do its bit, it needs enabling policies, especially in the area of ease of doing business. "And I know for this government, ease of doing business is important. They continuously track areas where there are this is again where CII should put out a position paper in giving every year few low-hanging fruits where the government can move quickly to allow the industry to have much easier runway to take off," he said. In this context, he highlighted areas like corporate affairs, listing of companies, and floating bonds in the international market. "Tax policies, which continuously are getting better, need to be further demystified and simplified. The movement towards a 25 per cent corporate tax, to my mind, was a fine example...I'm surprised the entire industry has still not moved to that. Let's also get rid of the old fascination with those exemptions and move on to a simplified, flat 25 per cent tax rate," he said.
