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Daybreak

Business news is complex and overwhelming. It doesn’t have to be. Every day of the week, from Monday to Friday, Daybreak tells one business story that’s significant, simple and powerful. Hosted from The Ken’s newsroom by Snigdha Sharma and Rachel Varghese, Daybreak relies on years of original reporting and analysis by some of India’s most experienced and talented business journalists.

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All Episodes

13:25

Big AI is writing India’s startup rules faster than...

Daybreak ·

2025/11/26

There's a quiet tension underlying India’s AI boom. Startups are swiftly building bold products on foundations they don’t control. From synced ride-hailing fares to the regulator with only a single office, we look at the strange mix of innovation, vulnerability, and policy catch-up shaping the space. What happens when the platform you rely on starts competing with you?Tune in.Daybreak is produced from the newsroom of The Ken, India’s first subscriber-only business news platform. Subscribe

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12:25

The price Havells paid to become a household name

Daybreak ·

2025/11/25

Eight years ago, Havells acquired Lloyd to become a household name in consumer electronics. Today, that dream has become its biggest headache.Lloyd's revenue dropped 18% in the September quarter. Warehouses are jammed with unsold air conditioners after an unusually short summer. And, in January, new energy-efficiency rules will make clearing old stock costlier.Despite tripling revenue, Lloyd's operating margins collapsed from 17% to -7% in four years. Lloyd has consumed over 3,000 crore

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12:28

Who wants instant fashion more? You or Myntra and Ajio?

Daybreak ·

2025/11/24

Instant fashion is everywhere now. Open Myntra or Ajio and you will see the option to get clothes delivered in minutes. But who is this really for? Are shoppers truly demanding 30 minute outfits?In this episode, we dive into what is driving the push for instant fashion, how it works behind the scenes, and why it has become such a high stakes bet for India’s biggest fashion apps.Take this survey to share your best prompt. Daybreak is produced from the newsroom of The Ken, India’s first

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15:16

India's farmers got faster loans. Then the prices...

Daybreak ·

2025/11/23

Arya.ag helped India's farmers escape the grip of moneylenders. They could now store their grain in proper warehouses, get loans in seven minutes, and wait for better prices instead of selling at harvest-time lows. But there's a problem: agricultural prices have crashed to five-year lows. Wheat that sold for Rs 4,000 per quintal two years ago now fetches just Rs 2,600. For farmers like Himanshu and Neetu, the math is brutal—saving Rs 18,000 on interest means little when revenue has dropped

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12:47

The AI running India isn't Indian. Can that still...

Daybreak ·

2025/11/20

India is using more AI than ever. But most of that intelligence is not Indian. OpenAI, Google and others are expanding in India fast. They already shape how millions work, learn, and search. Meanwhile, India’s own sovereign AI model is only expected in 2026. Other countries like South Korea and China have already built and deployed theirs. What does sovereign AI actually mean, why does it matter for everyday users and why is India is still struggling to build the full stack. And most

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12:37

Why foreign stents still rule Indian hearts

Daybreak ·

2025/11/19

A cardiologist in Nagpur performs two similar angioplasties. But the stents inside his patients tell two very different stories. One gets Indian-made devices under a government scheme. The other insists on an imported brand. This contrast is now common across India. Price caps pushed foreign stent makers into a corner in 2017. But they never left. And now, they’re back with new valves, pacemakers, and high-margin cardiac devices. Domestic players, meanwhile, grew fast but still struggle

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13:33

Why PVR Inox wants to run its cinemas like hotels

Daybreak ·

2025/11/18

India’s largest cineplex chain, PVR INOX, has pulled off a major financial reversal, posting a ₹100 crore profit this quarter, a drastic recovery after bleeding nearly ₹12 crore last year. Over 40 million people showed up—but occupancy ratios are still struggling to cross 30%.To fix this, PVR INOX is expanding into new, non-metro markets like Gangtok and Raipur. But there's a major twist: the company is no longer footing the bill for expansion.Taking a page from hospitality giants like

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13:15

How Trump became Indian apparel makers’ unlikely saviour

Daybreak ·

2025/11/17

Tiruppur, Tamil Nadu, India’s knitwear capital, has long depended on massive U.S. orders that shaped its factories, products, and growth. But when the Trump administration imposed a 50% tariff on Indian garment imports, the town’s export engine received a long-pending shock. Turns out, the crisis became a turning point. Manufacturers are now scrambling for discounts, shifting production to Sri Lanka and Kenya, reorienting toward Europe, and overhauling product lines from mass-market basics

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12:33

India wants third graders to learn AI. The teachers...

Daybreak ·

2025/11/16

India's largest school board, CBSE, has announced that students as young as Class 3 will begin learning Artificial Intelligence.This isn't the first time. The board rolled out an AI elective for Class 9 in 2019, long before generative AI was a household name. Now, the goal is to make "AI thinking" as fundamental as grammar.We dive into this massive national experiment, exploring what "learning AI" means for a third grader—it’s less about building chatbots and more about "computational

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39:47

Olympic swimmer Nisha Millet on why some goals should...

Daybreak ·

2025/11/13

What does it take to perform at your best — not once, but over and over again? Olympian Nisha Millet has spent her life answering that question.In sport, as in business, success isn’t about one big win — it’s about showing up, even when it’s hard. From the pressures of competing at the Olympics to building a career as a coach and entrepreneur, Nisha shares what the pool taught her about focus, resilience, and managing performance under pressure.In this episode, we explore how elite athletes

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13:01

SoftBank’s Nvidia move amid the AI frenzy is bringing...

Daybreak ·

2025/11/12

SoftBank just sold about $5.8 billion worth of Nvidia shares earlier this week. The move frees up cash for new AI bets and comes as AI stocks power most of this year’s market rally. Nvidia’s rise has been spectacular but so have the warnings about overheating. Some analysts see a rotation coming: money could move from pricey tech giants to steadier markets. And that’s where India enters the picture. It’s grown slower, but on stronger fundamentals like broad demand, digital momentum, real

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13:10

Why VLCC is still opening weight-loss clinics in the...

Daybreak ·

2025/11/11

When Ozempic began changing how the world lost weight, most slimming companies panicked. But VLCC didn’t. Backed by Carlyle, it’s opening more clinics than ever before. Because to Carlyle, Ozempic isn’t a threat—it’s just another doorway into India’s beauty economy. In this episode, we look at how VLCC’s new owners are turning an existential challenge into expansion, why its products are taking a back seat to real estate, and what the future of India’s weight-loss industry looks like in the

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9:01

Who benefits from the influx of foreign universities...

Daybreak ·

2025/11/10

In 2025, the University of Southampton became the first British university to open a campus in India. It was more than a milestone. After a single policy change, foreign universities are rushing to claim their place in India’s higher-education market. States are competing to host them, and universities are chasing new revenue abroad. Everyone seems to be winning. But beneath the glossy partnerships and big promises, what does this experiment really mean for students? And what happens when a

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14:36

How AI turned banks’ risk data into advertising

Daybreak ·

2025/11/09

Across India, lenders like HDFC and Kotak are repurposing the same algorithms that once judged credit risk to run hyper-personalised marketing campaigns. These systems now predict who’s ready for a credit card, or insurance plan by studying every transaction, payment, and habit — turning customer data into personalised sales pitches.The RBI has drawn clear lines for how AI can be used in lending. But when it comes to marketing, the rules are still fuzzy. That leaves space for India’s

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10:42

After a year of contrasts, Zepto readies for the...

Daybreak ·

2025/11/06

India’s quick-commerce poster child, Zepto, is racing to the public markets after a festive season high. The company clocked 20 lakh daily orders during Diwali — coming only second to Blinkit. But behind that surge lies a far more complicated story: leadership churn, regulatory heat, and a business model that’s still chasing profitability.In this episode, we unpack Zepto’s dual reality — a startup celebrating record growth while quietly firefighting internal challenges. From FDA raids on

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14:02

How BlackBerry’s revival story is running through...

Daybreak ·

2025/11/05

Remember Blackberry? The phone that once ruled business meetings and earned the nickname “Crackberry”? It’s making a comeback—but this time, not in your pocket.In this episode, we dive into Blackberry’s surprising pivot from smartphones to car software. Its QNX system now runs the brains of over 250 million vehicles worldwide, powering everything from navigation to safety. And the nerve centre of this quiet comeback? India.With its Hyderabad hub, partnerships with Mahindra, Tata Motors, and

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10:55

What happens when hospitals and insurers stop talking

Daybreak ·

2025/11/04

When your insurance card suddenly stops working, it is not just a glitch. It is the symptom of a deeper crisis in Indian healthcare. Hospitals say insurers have failed to update reimbursement rates despite medical inflation. Insurers say hospitals are inflating bills and resisting standardization. Millions of policyholders are caught between them, forced to pay out of pocket for care they thought was covered. How did India’s healthcare system end up in this deadlock. And who really decides

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12:34

Did Groww's profits really triple before its IPO?

Daybreak ·

2025/11/04

Groww, the platform that turned stock trading into an everyday habit, is gearing up for India’s biggest-ever broking IPO. On paper, it’s flying high — profits have tripled, revenues have surged past ₹4,000 crore, and competitors like Zerodha and Angel One are feeling the lagging behind.But look closer, and the shine dulls a little. A big chunk of Groww’s recent gains comes from one-time accounting adjustments, while its active user base and broking income are already slowing. To keep the

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11:34

Lenskart gave India affordable vision. Now the fine...

Daybreak ·

2025/11/02

Lenskart changed how India buys glasses. It made eyewear affordable, stylish, and available on every street corner. But behind that success is a story of shortcuts. Cheap acetate frames, thinner coatings, and rushed prescriptions have left many customers questioning the quality they once trusted. As the company prepares to close a massive IPO, its promise of clarity is facing some uncomfortable scrutiny.In this episode we look at how Lenskart built its empire on affordability and what that

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10:26

ChatGPT is everywhere. Not everyone is impressed

Daybreak ·

2025/10/30

Last week, ChatGPT launched its own AI browser — a tool that promises to surf the web for you. It can summarise articles, add chocolates to your cart, or even tell you which email to reply to first (though… not always correctly). OpenAI’s vision is clear: make ChatGPT the centre of your digital life. But are users buying in? From buggy app integrations with Canva and Spotify to real concerns around privacy and data access, this episode explores why AI-powered tools aren’t quite the

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