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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.
At the heart of the matter lies a less-than-perfect way to calculate revenue.
Editor's note: Last week, I wrote about a loan crisis that has been brewing for a while at Byju’s, India’s largest edtech company valued north of $22 billion. I discovered several cases where parents bought Byju’s products on loan and ended up cancelling them. EMIs are being paid without the knowledge of parents who are still getting regular calls for defaulting on their loans (read “At Byju’s, a loan crisis and no sign of funding”). The news took readers and several people inside the company by surprise. But that’s how Byju’s works. Data is handled closely. The lack of transparency is telling. In fact, the company has restricted data access over the past few months after we started digging deeper into its business model and cash problems. Emails are used sparingly. Even excel spreadsheets are moved on WhatsApp. For the earlier story, I’d sent detailed questions to Byju’s on 19 March, which remain unanswered. So I sent targeted queries around the loan and EMI issue again on Wednesday evening. In its response, the company asked for a “reasonable amount of time (at …
At the heart of the matter lies a less-than-perfect way to calculate revenue.
Editor's note: Last week, I wrote about a loan crisis that has been brewing for a while at Byju’s, India’s largest edtech company valued north of $22 billion. I discovered several cases where parents bought Byju’s products on loan and ended up cancelling them. EMIs are being paid without the knowledge of parents who are still getting regular calls for defaulting on their loans (read “At Byju’s, a loan crisis and no sign of funding”). The news took readers and several people inside the company by surprise. But that’s how Byju’s works. Data is handled closely. The lack of transparency is telling. In fact, the company has restricted data access over the past few months after we started digging deeper into its business model and cash problems. Emails are used sparingly. Even excel spreadsheets are moved on WhatsApp. For the earlier story, I’d sent detailed questions to Byju’s on 19 March, which remain unanswered. So I sent targeted queries around the loan and EMI issue again on Wednesday evening. In its response, the company asked for a “reasonable amount of time (at …
The Mideast tech giant is scaling back verticals in Saudi Arabia and possibly rethinking global operations.
The regional economy is expected to take a big hit in 2026, venture capital activity is starting to show signs of strain, and Saudi Arabia’s sovereign fund has a new investment strategy.
The country’s top VC funds are flush with new fundraises. They must now find opportunities to invest, but that’s easier said than done.
The Mideast tech giant is scaling back verticals in Saudi Arabia and possibly rethinking global operations.
The regional economy is expected to take a big hit in 2026, venture capital activity is starting to show signs of strain, and Saudi Arabia’s sovereign fund has a new investment strategy.
The country’s top VC funds are flush with new fundraises. They must now find opportunities to invest, but that’s easier said than done.
