x

75% of people globally want unbiased news (Pew Research) but are concerned they're not getting that.

Get balanced coverage with Symby. See how stories are covered across diverse outlets and spot when one side covers a story the other skips.

PODCAST

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 Rahel Philipose, Daybreak relies on years of original reporting and analysis by some of India’s most experienced and talented business journalists.

news business news

All Episodes

14:00

UPI can be forever or free—not both

Daybreak ·

2025/08/14

On 19 March, the Indian government slashed incentives for UPI transactions by more than half to Rs 1,500 crore for FY25.After it launched in 2016, UPI very quickly became the backbone of India’s digital economy–thanks to demonetisation, and well, the pandemic. Most importantly, it was the radical decision to keep it free that fuelled its growth. No merchant fees. No transaction costs. But the zero-MDR policy came at a price because payment processors lost more than 2500 crore last year

en

8:54

What happens when a failed founder goes job hunting?

Daybreak ·

2025/08/14

On average, over 35 startups shut down every day in India. Employees move on to their next stint, but most founders find themselves unemployed, thanks to their high pay and a leadership attitude. Why? Think of it this way. What makes a good founder? Leadership, independence and a penchant for the unconventional. But what happens when these very strengths are seen as weaknesses when they're on the other side of the hiring table?Tune in. One channel. Every show. No more switching

en

11:56

Inside Samir Kumar’s plan to bring order to Amazon...

Daybreak ·

2025/08/13

It's been a tough couple years for E-commerce in India. And no one has quite borne the brunt of it like Amazon. Between tough competition from the likes of Meesho and Flipkart, not to mention the legion of quick commerce platforms that have completely changed the way we shop, and profitability pressures – Amazon is stuck between a rock and a hard place. But now it is trying to turn back the clock. Leading that endeavour is Samir Kumar, who took over and the new country manager in October

en

9:35

A quick guide to the new Income Tax Bill

Daybreak ·

2025/08/12

The new Income Tax Bill 2025 was passed by the Lok Sabha without debate yesterday. It is a huge step towards simplifying and modernising India's tax system after six decades. But what does this major reform mean for you, the average taxpayer? Tune in to find out.Daybreak is produced from the newsroom of The Ken, India’s first subscriber-only business news platform. Subscribe for more exclusive, deeply-reported, and analytical business stories.One channel. Every show. No more switching

en

11:19

When dark patterns become default

Daybreak ·

2025/08/11

The Indian government is losing patience with consumer-tech platforms using dark patterns or manipulative design tricks.In late May 2024, Consumer Affairs Minister, Pralhad Joshi, gathered the country’s biggest internet companies, Amazon, Google, Zomato, Ola Electric, etc to give them an ultimatum: clean up your user interfaces by September 5 or face the consequences.From hidden fees on Amazon to guilt-inducing pop-ups on Indigo, these tactics push users into spending more money, sharing

en

11:09

Biden said 'please' till 2024. Trump's saying...

Daybreak ·

2025/08/07

Just a year ago, U.S. officials publicly encouraged India to buy discounted Russian oil to help stabilise global markets during the Ukraine war. But fast forward to 2025, and the U.S, under President Trump, has slapped India with the highest tariffs in the world: 50% on its exports. Trump has accused India of funding Putin’s war machine.So what changed?In this episode, we break down how India went from energy partner to trade target for doing exactly what the U.S. once asked. We also look

en

10:59

Why some of AI's brightest minds are rejecting...

Daybreak ·

2025/08/06

Earlier this week, Andrew Tulloch, co-founder of Thinking Machines and one of the key engineers behind OpenAI's GPT-4, reportedly said no to a jaw-dropping $1 billion offer from Zuckerberg's Meta. Why would anyone say no to that kind of money? The answer lies in a high-stakes conflict for the soul of AI. From Microsoft crippling Inflection AI and Meta’s $200M poaching spree to a growing rebellion led by top AI minds like Mira Murati, Andrew Tulloch, and Dario Amodei, we look at big tech’s

en

12:44

Why EY India's old guard is walking away

Daybreak ·

2025/08/05

In just over a year, EY India has seen at least 10 partners from its tech consulting division quit. Many of them were pioneers of significant practices like data analytics, cybersecurity and SAP. What’s interesting is how they left. There were no public announcements, or farewell parties. It was almost like these senior partners vanished from some of the consulting giant's most prized divisions. And with them, they’ve taken full teams, clients and decades of institutional memory. Now, its

en

11:37

Bansal chased vision. Nagori chased output. Public...

Daybreak ·

2025/08/04

Ankit Nagori and Mukesh Bansal may have started the fitness unicorn Cult.Fit together, but their journeys since then are a study in contrasts.On one hand is Cult.Fit. It's been a little over a year since Mukesh Bansal stepped down as Cult’s CEO. When The Ken reached out to him asking why, he clarified that he still remains involved. But involvement, of course, is a spectrum – sometimes it means steering the company to an IPO. The catch is that while Cult.fit wants to go public next year,

en

8:53

Can Zepto’s 10-minute coffee dodge the fate of...

Daybreak ·

2025/08/03

India’s coffee scene looks like it is booming with new cafes, trendy menus, and big international names. But the truth behind is that almost no one is making money.And then came along Zepto Cafe, the 10-minute coffee delivery, that wanted to change everything. In early 2025, it was clocking 100,000 daily orders and a $100 million run rate. But just months later dozens of its locations shut down.Why did Zepto, with its speed, scale, and infrastructure, end up like every other coffee brand in

en

10:24

US consumers may not notice the ‘Made in India’ tag,...

Daybreak ·

2025/07/31

A 25% tariff on Indian textiles maybe a blow to India’s exports but that’s only half the story.The latest trade move by Donald Trump could hit closer to home for American consumers. India is the third-largest supplier of apparel and home textiles to the U.S. after China and Vietnam. Both countries already face heavy tariffs from the US. Together, China, Vietnam, and India account for nearly 60% of American clothing imports.So what happens when all three get taxed?In this episode, we examine

en

10:31

Clinics have made IVF the new C-section. VCs can't...

Daybreak ·

2025/07/30

IVF chains in India aren’t deterred by paltry things like probabilities. They’ve made IVF the new C-section—essentially, a revenue-generating procedure pushed before natural alternatives are even considered. All at 4X the cost of a C-section, or around Rs 2 lakh for a single cycle.The result is a $1.4 billion IVF market in India—10 times the market for cataract surgery, the most common procedure worldwide.Unsurprisingly, venture-capital and private-equity firms have swooped in for the

en

12:58

Lenskart's all set for its IPO but the franchisees...

Daybreak ·

2025/07/29

Lenskart has grown into one of Asia’s biggest eyewear companies and is now gearing up for a massive IPO. It is aiming to raise ₹2,150 crore through a fresh issue as part of an ₹8,000 crore public offering. But as the company prepares to go public, a storm is brewing behind the scenes.A group of former franchise store owners is accusing Lenskart of unfair practices and even fraud. They're alleging they were kept in the dark about store finances and undercut by company-owned outlets opening

en

8:21

At India’s airports, Adani wants the runway, the...

Daybreak ·

2025/07/28

When Dreamfolks Services launched in India, it built the system that made airport lounge access work. It connected banks, card networks, and travellers to lounges across the country. For years, it stayed behind the scenes, powering the perks many took for granted.Now, it’s being pushed out.In this episode, we look at how Adani, India’s largest airport operator, is moving quickly to take control. Not just of the runways, but everything inside the terminals. Lounges, food courts, duty-free

en

13:01

Who’s using the e-rupee?

Daybreak ·

2025/07/28

Globally, virtual currencies are back in the limelight. In India, UPI transactions hit record highs almost every month. Yet, the value of cash in circulation has gone up by Rs 2 lakh crore. Sure, the transaction value of the e-rupee, or the digital form of the fiat currency, has increased, but it’s driven more by banks doling out allowances to employees than any real market demand.But the reality is that the landscape of money’s partial substitutes in India, a digital-payments pioneer,

en

39:27

On Substack, online knowledge olympics, and the...

Daybreak ·

2025/07/24

In this episode, hosts Snigdha Sharma and Rahel Philipose are joined by interdisciplinary artist and internet truth-teller Anurag Minus Verma to talk about what’s really happening to Substack and why it matters. The online publishing platform began as a utopian space for writers and artists that promised no algorithms, no ads and no hustle for likes. It allowed for writers and readers to forge direct connections for a simple 10% cut. But with a fresh $100 million in VC funding and a growing

en

11:42

How Chanda Kochhar was found guilty

Daybreak ·

2025/07/23

On July 22, 2025, a court found former ICICI Bank CEO Chanda Kochhar guilty of accepting a ₹64 crore bribe from Videocon Group promoter Venugopal Dhoot. The bribe was allegedly routed through her husband’s company, NuPower Renewables, just a day after ICICI sanctioned a ₹300 crore loan to Videocon in 2009.In today's episode, we trace the complete timeline, from the first whistleblower alert in 2016 to the 11,000-page CBI chargesheet and the 2022 arrests of the Kochhars. We also look at how

en

10:55

Why should your degree get you a job anymore?

Daybreak ·

2025/07/22

India’s job market is broken.We’ve known that for a while. But the reason why is worth paying attention to. It’s not a lack of talent.Every year, India adds millions of graduates to its talent pool. Thousands enter the workforce—freshly certified and ready to be hired.The real problem is the growing disconnect between qualification and competence.Tune in. 🎓 Are you an Indian student in the US or recently graduated? Tell us what your journey’s been like: Take the survey

en

12:32

FMCG giants are caught in a spice war

Daybreak ·

2025/07/22

India’s packaged-food bigwigs ignored spices for a long time. Not anymore.Since 2020, everyone from ITC to Tata Consumer Products, from Dabur to Wipro, has been scrambling to cement their place in this essential corner of the Indian kitchen. They’ve pounced on spice brands, sometimes paying top dollar for them, all while their investors cheered them on. In fact, the stocks of Tata Consumer and ITC have both outperformed the S&P BSE FMCG index over the last five years.Turns out, this was

en

13:28

What happened to Kashmir's saffron?

Daybreak ·

2025/07/20

It takes 150 crocus flowers to make just one gram of saffron. For comparison, a spice like cumin, gets you hundreds of kilos per acre whereas saffron yields barely two.Despite getting a prestigious GI tag from the Indian government and even a National Mission dedicated to its revival, Kashmir’s saffron production has plummeted:from 8 tonnes in 2011 to just 2.7 tonnes in 2024. So what’s going wrong? And can India learn something from Iran, which currently dominates 90% of the global saffron

en

591 results

Similar Podcasts

DW Noticias

DW

JIJI English News-時事通信英語ニュース-

時事通信社

Legal AF by MeidasTouch

MeidasTouch Network

Mark Levin Podcast

Cumulus Podcast Network

朝日新聞AJW 英語ニュース（The Asahi Shimbun Asia & Japan Watch）

朝日新聞ポッドキャスト