🪅 Heap Heap Hurray Ed. #345

Welcome to Monday - let's tackle those goals!

#Zomato - A Zomato Key Account Manager, Shashank Shukla, alleged on LinkedIn that the company is engaging in "unethical removals," sacking employees without due process or regard for personal circumstances. He claimed to have escalated concerns to CEO Deepinder Goyal without response. Zomato has not commented, and the claims remain unverified.

#TikTok - Over the weekend, few users in India claimed that they were able to access TikTok’s website and some even went so far as to claim that they were able to use the app too. The gossip was that with India and China’s relationship thawing, TikTok was making a comeback. Both TikTok and the Government clarified later that TikTok remains banned in India.

#AI-Slop - Get ready for (more) AI generated images in your feeds now. Meta is partnering with Midjourney to license its ‘aesthetic technology’ for models and products.

#TechSaboteur - A developer was convicted in USA for developing a “kill switch” in his company’s systems that automatically triggered when they were asked to leave the company. They used Microsoft’s Active Directory to lock out all employees. How they did it? This one’s worth a read - will not reveal much here.

India Bans Real-money Gaming
One of the largest tech industries in India, valued at $23 billion, is on the verge of being shut down by the Indian government after a new bill effectively bans real-money gaming. Major startups like Dream Sports and Mobile Premier League have already begun shutting down their real-money operations.

Dream11 Parent Enters Wealth Tech, Launches Dream Money For Gold And Investments
Dream11 is a popular fantasy sports platform in India, founded in 2008 by Bhavit Sheth and Harsh Jain. However, their popular offering - Dream11 Fantasy Sports app was banned by the Government Of India last week. Ceasing all operations in this domain (they are still offering a free to play service), they have now announced an investment app named Dream Money.

OpenAI Enters Indian Market With Plans To Open Local Office
OpenAI has announced plans to open its first office in India, just days after launching a ChatGPT plan. The company said it would set up a local team in India and open a corporate office in the capital, New Delhi, in the coming months. The move builds on OpenAI’s recent hiring efforts in the region.

Wipro Acquires Digital Transformation Solutions From Harman
Wipro Limited has entered into an agreement to acquire the Digital Transformation Solutions (DTS) business unit of HARMAN, a Samsung company. The acquisition is subject to regulatory approvals and is expected to close by December 31, 2025.

Kissht Files Draft Papers To Raise Rs 1,000 Crore Through Fresh Share Issue
India’s renowned digital lending platform Kissht has filed draft papers with SEBI to raise Rs 1,000 crore through a fresh issue of shares. Kissht provides business loans up to Rs 5 lakhs within 5 minutes, aiming to empower individuals and businesses.

YouTube Music Turns 10 Years Old
Additionally, YouTube Music is launching shared playlists that evolve based on the listening habits of the people who join them. The platform announced the new “taste match” playlists as part of its 10th anniversary last week.

Google - Edit videos directly in Google Drive via Google Vids with features like trimming, text and music addition, and more.

Spotify - Adds audio previews and real-time listening notes to Instagram sharing, enabling users to share and discover music more seamlessly.

Android - Google launches dedicated password manager app for Android - the Google Password Manager.

Sakura | 🇮🇳 🇮🇳 From an Indian developer - A high-performance minimal terminal-based multimedia library that renders images, GIFs, and videos with SIXEL graphics and enhanced ASCII rendering modes. Features real-time audio playback synchronization and advanced rendering options. Simply put, display videos right inside the terminal!!

Eloqkv | Redis/Valkey Compatible Distributed Transactional Key-Value Store

Bytebot | Bytebot is a self-hosted AI desktop agent that automates computer tasks through natural language commands, operating within a containerized Linux desktop environment.

Mastering SVG's Path Element: A Beginner's Guide
This article provides a comprehensive introduction to the SVG <path> element, covering its syntax, basic commands, and nuances. You'll learn about the "M" and "L" commands, how to draw straight lines and curves, and how to use relative commands. The article also discusses the importance of including whitespace and commas in SVG code for better readability.

Stop Changing Your Manager
In managing up, it's essential to understand the power dynamic between you and your manager. Recognizing that you can't change your manager is a crucial step in effective communication and leadership. By acknowledging this reality, you can focus on adapting to your manager's style and preferences, ultimately leading to a more productive and successful working relationship.

We believe in sharing great resources, and these newsletters are some good ones. They offer sharp, focused insights - especially around tech topics we might only touch on briefly.

If you're into cryptocurrency and blockchain, we recommend Cryptogram - it dives deep into the space, which we don’t often cover in detail.

For startup enthusiasts, Rustic Flute is a must-read, especially since we’ve noticed many of you love staying on top of the latest in the startup world.