Globally, this week’s biggest tech news is that Google I/O happened on the 19th and 20th of May. This is Google’s version of WWDC and is one of the most important annual conferences of the industry. And if I have to recap this year’s I/O, it’s this – Google wants AI to be in your face. Even Google Search – which is the most successful product (both commercially and culturally) of the internet by far is being loaded with AI. This is the announcement from I/O that bothers me – because changes to Google Search will basically change how we use the internet, and it may not be for the better.

Anyway, for India, the local news that will leave an impact for tech and industry alike is a cute little Delhi based startup called CarryMen. What do they offer? Yes they offer men – to carry bags, wait in queues, and navigate crowded markets. This is live, it’s a real startup that’s operating in Lajpat Nagar now.

I thought this was a cute startup. Great idea, solving a first world problem but a problem nonetheless. Great addition to our gig economy, which has a lot of existing problems (I mean, just last week there was a strike) but this new startup won’t add to the problems and may solve some of them…. is what I thought until I saw their pricing on their website.

I’m not going to comment and say that ₹399 for 4 hours is too low a fee (it is) – it might be more than what delivery partners of Zomato and Swiggy are making. And this paints a more grim picture of the gig economy in India as a whole. Where today – in cities like Delhi where prices of basic goods are through the roof, a payment of ₹100 – 150 per hour is meant to be commendable. And this is payment to the platform, who knows how much the platform keeps and hands over to the gig worker.

We need better laws and governance over the gig economy. It may be slightly better than what it was – there were some draft rules and guidance published earlier this year about things like mandatory insurance and benefits, but very little. By and large, gig workers continue to be exploited by platforms. It’s not fair to single out a single platform – whether new or old. This is a systemic problem in India.

Gig work is a great economy for people to generate income, but is ripe for continued exploitation unless we have better governance. Otherwise the gig economy just widens further the income divide, pushes the average hourly wages further down and leaves contract based workers (largely unorganised) without any real job protection and any kind of stability. What you can do? To start with, leave a complaint on your platform’s local customer service platform about how sorry you feel for the gig worker who literally dodged death in traffic to deliver your food on time. This is crazy enough to work because there’s nothing that platforms fear more than negative feedback that has the potential to become public.

As for CarryMen, I bet you somewhere in Delhi there’s a feminist programmer working on an app called CarryWomen. Because why should men have all the fun? Eh? Okay let’s go through other things that happened this week in Tech India.

Maharashtra Government tells Apple and Google to pull Ola, Uber and Rapido

Speaking of the gig economy (LOL) Maharashtra’s Cyber department has sent notices to Apple and Google, asking them to remove Uber, Ola, and Rapido from their app stores over alleged illegal bike taxi operations in the state, intensifying Maharashtra’s crackdown on aggregator-run two-wheeler taxi services. The Maharashtra Government did tell Uber, Rapido et al to pull down the bike taxi service from their app, looks like they didn’t, and now the Maharashtra Government wants the apps to be removed from the app store.

As far as I know, the app store is country specific. So not sure if these apps can be removed from Maharashtra alone and allowed in the rest of India. Someone based in Maharashtra please check if you can access the app on the app store and let me know. Please?

Vinfast to Launch Cheap Cab Service in India

Also speaking of the gig economy (still LOL) Vietnamese electric mobility company Green SM, which is backed by VinFast, is preparing to launch its ride-hailing service in India in early June. Green SM is popular in Vietnam (known as Xanh SM where Xanh is the Vietnamese word for Green – trust me, my wife is Vietnamese) and is basically Uber but only with Vinfast EVs. Green SM said that it will first launch in Delhi, which actually ties in nicely with the Delhi Government’s EV push.

One good thing – if true – is that Green SM said that, unlike gig-based ride-hailing platforms, it plans to give drivers a guaranteed monthly income of about ₹35,000 in the early stage, with total earnings rising to as much as ₹50,000 based on the number of trips completed and revenue earned. The company will share more details on pay structure, including fixed salary and incentives, closer to launch.

Tata Electronics and ASML sign MoU for Advance Chip Making

ASML is a dutch semiconductor giant and this week – while PM Modi was in the Netherlands – Tata Electronics and ASML signed an MoU where ASML will support the setting up and scaling of Tata Electronics’ upcoming semiconductor facility in Dholera, Gujarat. The completion of the Dholera facility – now an SEZ – is still targeted for December 2026.

Our PM himself posted on X about it:

In case you’re wondering – yes, the Dutch Prime Minister is young – just under 40 years of age. As they would say in Dholera (and also in my Irani family), evo saras chokro kaa malse?

Apple Pay’s India Launch Delayed Again

Apple Pay’s long anticipated launch in India is now further delayed because Apple can’t nail down the commercial terms with credit providers (a.k.a. banks) in India. This one is entirely on Apple – they’re pushing for 20 basis points (bps) per transaction from local banks, who are only willing to offer 15 bps. How much is Apple getting per transaction in the US? 15 bps. Looks like they want more money to cover the eventual penalty they will pay as a result of the CCI’s antitrust case brought against Apple.

Government to Ban Polymarket and Kalshi

The Indian government is reportedly preparing to block Kalshi, a US prediction market platform, and has issued a similar directive for Polymarket. Both services remained available to users in India despite existing regulatory limits (and a full real money game ban).

These two platforms allow you to bet money on various things, such as election results and when would the US President stop attacking Iran. Coincidentally, the Trump family has made a lot of money recently from these platforms.

Tamil Nadu CM is CM-ing for Tech

My home state is Tamil Nadu. Why is that so hard for some people to believe? Because my name is Erick Irani?….. oh yeah.

Tamil Nadu’s new Chief Minister C. Joseph Vijay is of course taking measures as any new CM would. Couple of them are tech-news worthy. One is that he met with senior Japanese executives, including representatives from MinebeaMitsumi, to push forward a planned ₹1,980 crore semiconductor and precision components plant in Tiruvallur. These discussions are part of the state’s effort to try and quickly position itself as a major hub for tech manufacturing.

The other bit of news is that Vijay has setup a dedicated ministry for Artificial Intelligence in the State – that’s right, TN now has an AI Ministry. TN is the second state to have a dedicated AI Ministry – Kerala is the first. And Kerala launched its AI Ministry literally a day before TN did. Damn.

Headlines

Here are the other not-so-impactful-but-still news that you can run through, in a segment every week called, well, headlines.

• Zepto’s IPO expected by July and to float ₹11,000 crores. This is as was previously reported.
• Civil, criminal cases against Adani (brought during the Biden Administration) dropped by Trump administration after $10 bn investment pledge. Yes, you can laugh.
• OpenAI has teamed up with creators and entrepreneurs Raj Shamani and Ankur Warikoo on a new India-focused campaign designed to boost mainstream awareness and adoption of generative AI, along with practical everyday uses of ChatGPT. This news is two weeks old and the fact that I just heard about it (and I have been following Ankur Warikoo for years) means it’s not really news-ing.
• Uber and JSW Group have joined forces to develop and roll out electric vehicles for India’s ride-hailing sector. Under the partnership, the two companies will look into EV solutions tailored for Indian riders, drivers, and fleet operators.
• Swiggy Fails to Get Shareholder Approval to Become Indian Owned and Controlled Company (IOCC). It is an Indian owned company – well, it’s a public company on the Indian stock exchanges, but more than 50% of its shares are held by foreign institutional investors. Under FEMA, you qualify to become an IOCC if your ownership and control rest with Indian citizens – including through board composition. And with shareholders appointing members to the board, that’s a bit tough. Anyway, nothing changes much for the company.
• WhatsApp Plus launched in India for ₹79/- per month. So far, no one cares.

A bit of nonsense US tech news – because I can’t help myself sometimes – is that the Trump Phone, which was announced one year back and accepted pre-orders and hasn’t shipped till now (hilarious), is seemingly real, and a few tech journalists have received review units. Read this piece by Mashable if you want to know more about it. All I’ll say is the phone looks tacky AF, and is definitely not Made in America.

Five Finds of The Week

This week is about gaming keyboards. Well, a friend of mine asked me to suggest which gaming keyboard to buy for his son, and so i thought I’d share the list with all of you. These are not necessarily the latest gaming keyboards but are ones that have stood the test of reasonable time.

• Razer Blackwidow V3 – this is what I’m using.
• Steelseries Apex Pro – this is what I wish I was using.
• Corsair K70 Core – no nonsense under 10k.
• Lemokey P1 He – the best keyboard you’ve never heard of.
• Keychron K3 V2 – not exactly a gaming keyboard but a lovely no-nonsense TKL keyboard that’s reasonably priced.

Pro tip: choose a wired keyboard over a wireless. Thank me later.

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