Umesh Tiwari

Startups often showcase innovation and success, but the reality can be harsh. Take Saarthi.ai, a deeptech startup that slashed its workforce by over 70% and has left many employees without pay for over a year. While the company faces financial strain, the human cost is severe—dedicated employees are left in limbo, their efforts unrecognized and their pay withheld. This situation highlights a dark side of the startup world that’s rarely discussed. Amid the glamour of fundraising and growth, the sacrifices and struggles of the people who build these companies are often overlooked.

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Hahaha... What a clickbait article! In my opinion, the H-1B love affair with Indian IT and IT professionals will never be over. The love affair with the US will continue no matter what, even if it becomes an extramarital affair! 😐 Yes, there has been a decline in H1-B approvals, but the number of applications has only increased over the years. Here are the numbers from USCIS: ►2021 Total Registrations: 274,237 Selected Registrations: 124,415 ►2022 Total Registrations: 308,613 Selected Registrations: 131,924 ►2023 Total Registrations: 483,927 Selected Registrations: 127,600 ►2024 Total Registrations: 780,884 Selected Registrations: 188,400** This article discusses the significant dip in approvals for IT majors reasoning why : ►Tata Consultancy Services – decline of 75% ►Infosys – decreased by 21% ►Wipro – a drop of 69% ►HCL America – came down by 46% ►LTIMindtree – slid by 32% ►Tech Mahindra – slowed by 62% ►Hexaware Technologies – reduced by 56% Going to the US is not just seen as a financial gain due to the dollar rate but also from an affectionate perspective. We all know how the US affection towards India and Indians will always be there, as seen in the recent video of the US ambassador going gaga over chole bhature. Honestly, I have friends and relatives across the world, but there's undoubtedly some unspoken, unexpressed loyalty towards the US from us. I wonder why? 🤔 #H1B #ITprofessionals #USCIS #Immigration #IndianIT #TechIndustry #USIndiaRelations

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Nikesh Arora has secured the number two spot on The Wall Street Journal's 2023 list of highest-paid CEOs in the US! • 🏆 Top Earner: Tesla's Elon Musk leads with $1.4 billion in 2023. • 💼 Runner-Up: Alexander Karp of Palantir Technologies at $1.1 billion. • 🌐 Tech Dominance: Hock Tan of Broadcom with $76.7 million. • 💸 Crypto Leader: Brian Armstrong of Coinbase Global at $60.3 million. • 🌿 Life Sciences: Safra Catz from Oracle at $53.3 million. • 🚛 Logistics King: Brian Chesky of Airbnb with $47.5 million. • 📈 Finance Leader: Jen Winkelried from Trade Desk at $32.2 million. • 🛠️ Industrial Impact: Jeff Green of United Rentals with $29.1 million. • 🧑‍💻 Cybersecurity Expert: Adam Foroughi from AppLovin at $27.3 million. • 🔐 Cybersecurity Leader: Nikesh Arora from Palo Alto Networks with $26.4 million. #Leadership #TechGiants #ExecutiveCompensation • 🌍 Nikesh Arora's Journey: From Google's chief business officer to leading Palo Alto Networks. • 📈 Stock Options: Primary driver of high compensations. • 🇮🇳 Diversity in Leadership: Strong representation of Indian-descent executives in top earners. • 📉 Broad Compensation Range: Highlighting differences in sectors and roles. • 💼 Career Progression: Insights on career trajectories of top executives. Stay tuned for more insights on leadership and executive trends! https://lnkd.in/gFzW3-mG

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🇺🇸 Memorial Day Musings 🇺🇸 As we honor the brave souls who’ve stood tall for our nation, let’s also take a moment to appreciate life’s quirks. Because, honestly, what’s freedom without a dash of humor? 🌟 Trending Thought: “Freedom is the oxygen of the soul.” – Moshe Dayan (Also, probably the best excuse for eating that extra slice of cake. ) 🎉 Popular Activity: Gather your loved ones and fire up the grill. Because nothing says “freedom” like perfectly grilled veggie skewers! (And hey, if they’re a little charred, just call it “artisanal.” ) 🎶 Soundtrack: “Born in the USA” by Bruce Springsteen (because patriotism and rock ‘n’ roll go together like PB&J). 📱 App Recommendation: Track your food intake with the HealthyBites app. Because even superheroes need to count their calories! (And yes, that midnight snack counts too. ) 🤝 Networking Tip: When connecting with fellow professionals, remember that a smile is the universal language. (Also, don’t be afraid to throw in a dad joke. It’s like a secret handshake.)

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Ever wondered how the technology behind some of India's most watched streaming events like the IPL works? Rohit Ramanand, New Relic GVP of Engineering for India, breaks it down in this article for TechGig 📺 🏏

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I just spoke to Narayan Murthy🤯😝 **Narayan Murthy**: Hi, AP. I wanted to discuss the new 70-hour work week policy with you. **AP**: Sure, Mr. Murthy. I’ve been meaning to ask you about it. Does this mean I should bring a sleeping bag to work? **Narayan Murthy**: (laughs) Not quite, AP. The idea is to boost productivity and innovation. **AP**: Innovation? I’m pretty sure my biggest innovation will be figuring out how to stay awake. **Narayan Murthy**: I understand it sounds daunting, but think of all the extra projects you can complete. **AP**: Projects, right. Like developing an app that lets us work from our dreams? **Narayan Murthy**: (chuckles) Now, that's the spirit! But seriously, it’s about maximizing our potential. **AP**: Maximizing potential, got it. I guess I’ll maximize my coffee intake too. **Narayan Murthy**: We’ll ensure there’s plenty of coffee. We’re also working on wellness programs to help manage the workload. **AP**: Wellness programs? Does that include nap pods and weekend vouchers? **Narayan Murthy**: We’re considering various options to make this transition easier for everyone. **AP**: Well, Mr. Murthy, if you see me talking to my computer, just know it’s probably because I’ve forgotten what human interaction feels like. **Narayan Murthy**: (laughs) Point taken, AP. We’ll keep working to find the right balance. **AP**: Thanks, Mr. Murthy. I’ll do my best. Now, if you’ll excuse me, I have 69 more hours to go this week. #ITemployee #70hrsAweek #narayanmurthy #ITjokes

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EPFO is a rickety crumbling system that thousands of employees can’t deal with. Established in 1952, it wasn't designed for today's economy or technology. Read about the issues and solutions in EPFO transfer: https://lnkd.in/d2m5A3t5

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Green Shoots for Indian IT: US Tech Jobs on the Rise I just read an enlightening article in the Times of India that discusses the revival of tech hiring in the US and what it means for Indian IT companies. According to a recent analysis of US government data by the Computing Technology Industry Association, tech companies in America added an estimated 6,000 workers last month. This growth in tech services and job openings in major US cities indicates a positive trend for the sector’s recovery and workforce expansion. Indian IT companies have a significant presence in the US. For instance, TCS employs 50,000 people, Infosys 35,000, HCL Tech 24,000, Wipro 20,000, and LTI Mindtree 6,500. Together, these companies account for about 2% of the US tech industry workforce. The article also highlights that job growth was driven by hiring in technology services, software development, and cloud infrastructure. US employers posted 191,000 new job openings for tech positions in March, an increase of 8,000 from the previous month and the highest volume since August 2023. Check out the full article here: https://lnkd.in/gKdapmX2 If you’re working in the tech industry, how are you experiencing these changes? If you’re a leader in an IT company, how are you preparing for this growth? #USTechJobs #IndianIT #JobGrowth #TechIndustry

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If the manager indeed spoke in this much detail with this new joinee and threatened about extended hours on Day 1 itself, it is indeed a concerning event - something that needed to be called out. However, I wouldn’t make sweeping assumptions on this being the industry trend - there are companies where people work really hard for the mission they are on, people do that voluntarily and not because they are scared of their management. Things like the Falcon, Starship, Google, OpenAI, Tesla wouldn’t happen if everyone just worked 9-5. There is a fine line between encouraging your workforce to work hard at the organizational goals and creating a negative culture where everyone feels overloaded and is in constant stress and it is important that organizations toe that fine line - realize if this is happening as they grow and take remedial measures before it’s too late.

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For anyone who thinks modern / urban India isn’t the patriarchy of yesteryears, here is a simple test: Think of all the households / families you know. Who cooks or manages the kitchen or owns kitchen responsibilities? What is their gender? Now think of most of your favorite restaurants and think of the chef(s) in their kitchen. What is their gender? You have your answer. You don’t need to admit it publicly, but remember this each time you think modern India / world are gender-equal.

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So last night I attended Master Session 2 with Prerit Uppal ✅ Group Product manager , Adobe in the Mastering PM cohort run by Shravan Tickoo and Rethink Systems. it was blissful monk chats happened around product folks. "If you want to learn from Failures, you need to lower your EGO" this sounds like a movie dialogue but believe me this was not. this is just the tip of iceberg. the entire session revolved around the theme of Culture , Empathy, Failures and many more .sharing one part of the discussion so what is culture ? It's not just about something which is written on the walls of company top-down pronouncements, but is also the shared behaviours, values, and attitudes of employees. if you are truly interested in culture of company try to understand the mindset behind hiring, promotions and firing of the employees. As an intern/APM, we can not manipulate the culture of the company. instead we can focus on building relationships with relevant departments to understand and influence the culture. then the discussion went on to quitting, measuring empathy, behaviour, how to do prioritisation and many more. this was truly a session worth attending. Once again very thankful to Prerit and Shravan bhaiya for this wonderful session. #CompanyCulture #ProductManagement #WorkplaceSuccess #EmpathyAtWork

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A recent International Labor Organization report highlighted that 83% of India's unemployed are youth. Though the actual percentage may not be that high, unemployment among youth in India is significantly high. A statistic that highlights this is that almost 40% of students from India's elite Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) are struggling to find a job on campus. What is driving this, and how can Generative AI be leveraged to address this? #data #analytics #ai #ml #datascience #designedanalytics #genai #generativeai #india #gdp #reskilling

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AIITEU data indicates that approximately 20,000 workers were discretely laid off in the IT/ITeS sector in 2023. In 2024, the Nascent Information Technology Employees Senate (NITES) estimates that an additional 2,000-3,000 professionals lost their jobs at leading Indian IT services companies. Read the story now! #allthingstalent #inthenews #ITLayoffs #Layoffs #ITJobs #Naukri

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Layoff trends in the tech sector continued in July 2024, with the loss of over 8,000 jobs across 34 tech firms. This brings the total number of layoffs for the year to 124,517 from 384 companies around the globe. Intel Corporation to lay off 15,000 employees which amounts to over 15 per cent of its total workforce, as part of a $10 billion cost-reduction strategy aimed at 2025. Microsoft layoffs: Over 1,000 staff lose jobs in two months In June, Microsoft reduced its workforce by around 1,000 employees in the mixed reality and Azure ‘moonshots’ divisions. UKG lays off 2,200 employees UKG, a software firm headquartered in Massachusetts, has announced significant job cuts this month, reducing its workforce by 14 per cent, which equates to about 2,200 employees. Intuit Inc, a financial management software company headquartered in California, has revealed its intention to cut 1,800 positions, which constitutes roughly 10 per cent of its workforce. This layoff represents the second-largest reduction in the tech industry for July. Dyson lays off 1,000 employees in UK Dyson, the UK-based appliance maker, revealed its intention to reduce its workforce by around 1,000 positions in the UK, impacting over 25 per cent of its domestic staff. Kaspersky to lay off all employees Russian cybersecurity firm Kaspersky said it will stop its operations in the US and terminate employees in response to a US government prohibition on its software Koo shut down operations Indian microblogging platform Koo has ceased operations following the collapse of acquisition negotiations with Dailyhunt. Unacademy lays off 250 employees Indian edtech leader Unacademy has revealed a round of layoffs that will impact about 250 employees. WayCool Foods cuts 200 jobs Chennai’s agritech company WayCool has recently laid off more than 200 employees, marking its third round of layoffs in a year. POCKETFM LTD lays off 200 writers PocketFM, an audio series platform based in Bengaluru, has reportedly let go of nearly 200 writers, with the majority of the cuts impacting its team based in the US. Bungie cuts 220 jobs Bungie, the game development studio under Sony’s ownership, has announced a major reduction in its workforce, eliminating 220 positions, which amounts to 17 per cent of its staff. This decision is driven by escalating development costs and economic challenges. This follows an earlier reduction of 100 jobs in October 2023, resulting in a total workforce cut of around 40 per cent over the past year. Humble Games lays off entire staff #jobs #layoffs #techlayoffs #trend2024 #recession https://lnkd.in/gbbQdyuu

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The importance of this Election: I know this is political and lot of people suggest not to put political stuff in LinkedIn 😊😊 The reason I am writing this is because it’s about survival of me, my community, all the backward classes, poor people and more importantly democracy of India. The current regime has gone so rogue that they have no respect for Farmers, Minorities, Poor people and are even targeting all the opposition parties and have dared to even arrest two current Chief ministers. This is making the already weak opposition to surrender to the dictatorship. No Democracy can survive and thrive without a strong opposition. All the agencies CBI, ED, and ECI have become puppets in the hands of current government. And don’t forget about the Godi Media 😊 😊 which is doing all the PR work 24/7 The speeches of the honorable Prime Minister of the country are: 50% bashing of opposition parties (Mainly Congress and Rahul Gandhi), 30% badmouthing about minority community and 20% bosting about how he fulfilled all his promises of building Ram Temple, Aborting article 370, and fulfilling all the agendas of RSS. And what can you expect from other party leaders as they mainly thrive on Hatred and division. For all his followers who tell India has become a Vishvaguru and we are the fastest growing Economy in the world, With the current hatred and oppression of Minority community, Scheduled caste and Scheduled Tribes, farmers, we are going no where and we will loose everywhere. This is probably a last chance to save India and the Idea of India. We might not have a choice and we will have to choose the best among the worst. But lets make the right decision so that we can live in peace and our children can take India forward to the heights it truly deserves to Achieve. Vote Wisely. Jai Hind

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Worried that hordes of citizen developers will ravage your IT fortress? Forget it. 2-3% of your employees will adopt the role, applying his or her process knowledge and taking IT's guidance. If each of these folks builds 2-3 applications, their compounding effect on the automation strategy is a massive plus. This and other lessons about the citizen developer trend from Suresh Sambandam, CEO of Kissflow, on the latest edition of the Low Down on Low-Code podcast. Check out the discussion with myself and Ryan Duguid (who knows a thing or two about citizen developers himself). Analysis.tech

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“I created a single product (1 unit only) and sold it thousands of time.” Although this might seem absurd but this is exactly how e-products work. Especially Ebooks. In India, readers are swiftly shifting to e-books as they are more convenient to access and comparatively cheap. Making E-books and planning a structure around them to get a good audience and then sell them can be challenging but once solved, this is a highly profitable business. I am currently working on an E-book store myself as a side project and we’ll be adding some extra functionalities that are not there in other existing e-book platforms (even kindle). So with a little innovation, you can try this low investment business idea to get a good side income. #businessidea #startupidea #ebooks #digitalproducts #letsconnect

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