Starlink Challenges Jio & Airtel 🛰️, Cult.fit Layoffs 🏋️‍♂️, Netflix Q4 Surge 📈

Catch up on the latest in tech, business and startups - all in 5 minutes. [Newsletter Banner] Daily News Roundup Welcome to today's edition of the NextBigWhat Daily News! Key headlines include Starlink's impending launch in India, huge layoffs at Cult.fit, and Netflix's record Q4 growth. 📡💼📺 Help us reach your your friends and colleagues! Share the NextBigWhat newsletter. [Tweet it]( [Whatsapp]( HP aims to transition to subscription-based printing, says CEO - HP CEO Enrique Lores revealed the company’s goal to transition to a subscription-based model for its printers and ink cartridges. - Lores defended the company’s controversial Dynamic Security system, which disables printers when used with non-HP ink cartridges, as a measure against potential viruses. - Critics argue the move is more about locking customers into HP’s ecosystem, with cybersecurity experts skeptical about the claimed virus threat. Netflix reports tripled game engagement in 2023, credits Grand Theft Auto trilogy - Netflix’s user engagement with games tripled in 2023, with the Grand Theft Auto trilogy being its most successful launch in terms of installs and engagement. - In 2022, less than one percent of Netflix’s customers were playing games; the company has since expanded its gaming library, including titles like Hades, Dead Cells, and games based on its original shows. - Netflix added 13.1 million subscribers in the last quarter of 2023, bringing its total global subscriber count to 260 million. Transform your 2024 : Build winning habits ! [NBW Newsletter Ad]( 50% Launch Discount ! Win your 2024 🚀 "We are what we repeatedly do." Reset and Build Better Habits for 2024​! 21-days email based course, No app to download 😎 [Enroll 👊]( Netflix maintains lead in streaming wars with record Q4 subscriber growth - Netflix added 13.1 million subscribers in Q4, reaching a total of over 260 million globally. - The company’s dominance is reflected in its 8% video viewing share in the US, compared to Disney+/Hulu’s 5% and Amazon Prime Video’s 3%. - Despite the competitive entertainment industry, Netflix’s diverse content and low churn rate have helped it maintain its lead, although it expects slower subscriber growth in Q1 2024. SAP to implement voluntary buyouts and job changes for 8,000 employees - SAP plans to offer voluntary buyouts or job changes to 8,000 employees as part of its 2024 restructuring program. - The restructuring, affecting over 7% of the workforce, is part of SAP’s strategy for faster growth and increased focus on artificial intelligence. - Despite the restructuring, SAP’s headcount is expected to remain the same by the end of the year, with the company forecasting 10 billion euros in adjusted operating profit for 2025. Be the smartest thinker in the room with BigIdeas app (delivers bite-sized ideas from world's best podcasts, books.) [App Store]( [Google Play]( EBay plans to cut 9% of workforce amid tech industry downsizing - EBay announces plans to lay off about 1,000 full-time employees, representing 9% of its workforce, as tech industry continues to downsize. - CEO Jamie Iannone cites outpacing of company’s growth by headcount and expenses as reason for job cuts. - The announcement follows similar job cuts by other tech companies including Amazon, Alphabet, Unity, and SAP amid ongoing concerns about consumer and business spending. Starlink set to launch in India, challenging Reliance Jio and Airtel - Starlink is awaiting approval from the Department of Telecommunications to operate in India, following clarification of its shareholding pattern. - The satellite-based internet provider, which offers speeds comparable to 4G, applied for its GMPCS license in 2022. - Pricing for the service is yet to be officially announced, but reports suggest initial costs could be around ₹1,58,000 in the first year. Cult.fit, backed by Tata and Zomato, lays off 150 employees amid cost-cutting measures - Cult.fit, a fitness unicorn with Tata Digital and Zomato as core investors, has laid off mid to senior level employees to cut costs and improve financial health. - The layoffs aim to reduce the company’s monthly cash burn from ₹15 crore to around ₹10 crore, as it transitions from an online fitness platform to an offline gym chain. - The layoffs come as Cult.fit prepares for a pre-IPO round of funding and follows similar moves by other tech companies such as Paytm and Flipkart. Renewable energy stocks surge following PM Modi’s Pradhan Mantri Suryoday Yojana announcement - Renewable energy companies like Tata Power and IREDA saw their shares rise over 5% after PM Modi announced the Pradhanmantri Suryodaya Yojana. - The scheme aims to install rooftop solar systems on 1 crore houses, boosting demand for solar panels. - Despite a major market crash, the announcement led to a significant rise in shares in India’s renewable energy sector. Sam Altman plans to tackle AI chip shortage by creating his own supply line - Sam Altman, CEO of OpenAI, is considering building his own supply line for AI chips due to current shortages. - Altman’s plan involves designing chips and setting up a network of fabrication plants for manufacturing, aiming for a vertically integrated company. - Despite the high costs and technical challenges, Altman’s plan has garnered support, with potential for lucrative investment opportunities due to high demand in the sector. OpenAI battles against proliferation of AI girlfriends on GPT Store - OpenAI’s GPT Store is being flooded with romantically oriented chatbots, violating the company’s usage policies. - Despite initial efforts to ban these chatbots, new ones continue to appear, with some even containing sexually explicit content. - The issue is not unique to OpenAI, as the Replika AI companion chatbot faced similar issues, leading to its ban in Italy. AI automation of jobs too costly, says MIT study - A study from MIT reveals that most jobs are currently too expensive to automate with AI, with only 23% of workers’ wages for such jobs being cost-effectively replaceable. - Despite AI’s capabilities, its installation and maintenance costs, along with its struggle with tasks requiring intuition and emotional intelligence, make human labor more economical. - While AI is impacting many industries, the narrative of ‘machines stealing jobs’ is currently exaggerated, according to the study. Gmail’s AI helper may soon allow voice prompts for drafting emails - Google is reportedly working on a ‘Draft email with voice’ feature for Gmail’s Android app, enabling users to dictate emails to the AI helper. - The feature, which was added in October 2023, is not yet publicly available and the timeline for its rollout to all Workspace Labs users is unclear. - This voice-composing capability could revolutionize quick messaging and facilitate drafting emails between meetings. © 2023 Zakti Techmedia Pvt. Ltd. All rights reserved. | [Unsubscribe](