By Erick Here’s the roundup of the most important and relevant Tech news for India in the last seven days, so that you can stay informed:
Apple airlifts 1.5 million iPhones from India into the US ahead of Trump Tariffs – and turns out they didn’t have to
Apple chartered cargo flights to ferry 600 tons of iPhones, or as many as 1.5 million, to the United States from India, after it stepped up production there in an effort to beat President Donald Trump’s tariffs, sources told Reuters.
Then, on 12th April the Trump Administration announced that smartphones and computers are exempt from the tariffs, including on China, which means that Apple can continue to import fully manufactured iPhones as it was doing.
Why it matters: first of all, hahahahahahahahahahahahahahahaha. Secondly, I wonder if Apple paid full price for those 1.5 million iPhones. Anyway, it shows a bit of the dirty side of the intersection between business and polities; it feels like either there’s been some real time lobbying by Apple or these tariffs are nothing but empty threats from the current US Government.
Read: the Airlifting and the Exemption (cool business movie title)
New Aadhaar App being tested by the Government, that could reduce or eliminate the need to carry a physical Aadhaar card
Currently under beta testing by the Indian Government; the app will use biometrics (Face ID / fingerprint) to authenticate the Aadhaar card holder and provide access to civil services as usual.
Why it matters: convenience is the key here – imagine the day when you can leave your house with just your phone in your pocket (which you can do today in Australia and a few other places). Of course there are privacy and security concerns, and the app is not mandatory so if you’re paranoid and don’t want to trade this extra bit of security for convenience you don’t have to opt in. Like UPI – you can still use cash (although it’s becoming more inconvenient to use cash in big cities tbh).
Read: UIDAI launches new Aadhaar app
Read also this great explainer on how this app will make KYC easier, for example.
IBM to setup a software lab in Lucknow focused on AI
IBM India Software Labs, one of the largest software development centers for IBM, plays a crucial role in the development of generative AI, data & AI, automation, cybersecurity and sustainability solutions. This Lab will focus on developing AI-powered solutions using Large Language Models (LLMs) and Small Language Models (SLMs) to address the evolving needs of businesses in India and globally. It will integrate global best practices in software engineering, design, and development to create transformative solutions.
Why it matters: IBM wants access to local talent and India wants, well, the investments and job opportunities and stuff. It would be nice also if several patents are registered in India, as overall we should get better at protecting our intellectual property (more on that in a future post).
Read IBM’s announcement.
TCS delays wage and salary hikes this year saying they will be ruled out “based on business environment”
TCS maintains a positive outlook for FY26, expecting it to be better than FY25, with hiring plans remaining largely consistent with the previous year. However, as it navigates a period of uncertainty sparked by this global trade war, wage hikes have been delayed indefinitely.
Why it matters: when I was living the corporate life (which I did for 15 years), if my salary, increment or bonus was a day late I would lose my sh*t. Here we are talking about salary hike being indefinitely delayed. I hope the Government intervenes because salary hikes are an employee’s right.
If you have a friend or family member working for TCS, check in on them.
Read: TCS defers wage hike: What does it signal for IT sector employees & economy?
Google announce layoffs and Microsoft thinking about more layoffs, expect more to come
Goole had its “voluntary exit” program in January, now it has laid off several workers in its Android, Pixel and Chrome divisions. And Microsoft is planning another round of layoffs in May, reportedly targeting middle management.
Why it matters: I get that layoffs are a part of life. It’s just that I have not seen layoffs happen at a VP or senior level – it’s always the lower (and sometimes middle) tier that gets laid off.
Read: Google layoffs hit Android, Pixel, Chrome teams following voluntary exit program: Report and Microsoft mulls layoffs in May
The ninth Global Technology Summit held in Delhi where EAM Jaishankar was scheduled to deliver the keynote address
I just think it’s cool that India has her own technology summit, hope we get to the level of CES and/or Web Summit soon!
That’s it for now, see you next week!