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Context is everything.
Detailed stories on technology startups, business and economic current affairs.
Detailed stories on technology startups, business and economic current affairs.
A hefty penalty imposed by the competition watchdog and its wider implications are a cautionary tale for entrepreneurs and unicorns.
Editor's note: Last week, the Competition Commission of India concluded its three-year-long investigation into the MakeMyTrip-OYO affair. In its order, the antitrust regulator asked MakeMyTrip and OYO to cough up Rs 223 crore and Rs 169 crore in penalties respectively. It is a sizeable amount, except that most CCI penalties don’t end up getting paid. The CCI has a recovery rate of about 1%, since most of its orders are challenged by aggrieved parties in higher courts, where they languish. That said, the MakeMyTrip-OYO order is important because it goes into painstaking detail about how this combine brazenly thwarted competition. At the heart of the CCI’s investigation is an examination of MakeMyTrip’s primary defence: Is the freedom of contract—the right to choose whom you do business with—fundamental? At this point, a quick recap is in order. In April 2018, when the online travel industry was in the throes of cut-throat competition, India’s largest online travel aggregator, MakeMyTrip, decided to get into bed with OYO, the up-and-coming budget room franchise and operator. MakeMyTrip and OYO weren’t exactly friends in the early years of …
In light of the recent exits of top executives at Swiggy’s quick commerce business, we look at the reasons behind the departures and whether it’s impacting the business.
The ride-hailing company is gradually ramping up its food delivery business and at least one of the two major players has blinked in response. How credible is the threat?
The online storytelling company is betting that content will be the most sought-after commodity as scores of platforms jump on the microdrama bandwagon. But success will hinge on whether it has a good enough story to draw the audience.
