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Reliance Jio was in hushed conversations, thought of as just another hobby/side-project, of one of the biggest conglomerate in the country, amongst other things.The alleged startup however has pulled off one of the biggest partnering and investment run in the history of companies, partnerships and investments in India, probably clocked in record time.
While the rest of us sat on the sidelines and watched the pandemic disrupt and distort every version of reality known to us, there’s a boat enjoying the very waters that are scaring the hell out of others, if not drowning them.
Now, for sure, there’s a bloke or two who reckon that this is the larger than life grandeur of politics, capitalism, corporate colonialism and the nexus somewhere in-between.But what do they know about running big companies and climbing up the slippery ladder that hosts the world’s richest folks on every rung. Sixth position, right ?
Which is probably why the data, insights and interpretations of the Reliance AGM have been kicked about like an empty tin can all across the media – social or not.
Me, I’m just gobsmacked by what’s going on.
From selling stake in an oil company to buying a grocery retail company, and getting an infusion of about USD $20 Bn, it’s all happening here, as the famous cricket commentator Bill Laurie would say.
Why ? All the pundits and gurus of VC and Tech world respectively are twirling in bewilderment as are we lesser mortals. VC twitter, tech twitter, any twitter – all just chirping like noisy birds in the morning, questioning daylight shining only on that one tree !
Of course the pundits and gurus are not knobheads like me, and they understand all the motivations and mechanics behind this and the atmanirbhar movement – which somehow still does not sound as exciting and passionate as the Swaraj movement nearly a century and half ago.
Some purists are giving commentary about the blatant replication and not plagiarisation of interface designs and all, as if someone gives two birds about it.This country loves dark patterns and allows for it’s demographic dividend to be sucked dry via apps like Tik-Tok, and marvel at it’s DAU, MAU, downloads and what not as if it was a multi-dextrous demi-God.
So what if Tik-Tok is banned, there’s a world of hard-core Indians compelling every other Indian out there to drain the dividend onto apps that are of 100% pure Indian DNA (remember, merely Chinese investments do not dilute the blood flowing in a company’s veins).
But I digress. Jio has proven to all lesser mortals out there(me included) that fundamentally, this country still functions the way it did in the 60s, 70s, 80s, and all. Technology may have advanced from sending Telegrams to writing text on Whatsapp or Tweeting or video calling.What matters is knowing what to write and who to send to.
But you know what, the question really is that despite Big tech companies being what they are, why are they wanting to stick a sliver of them into this adolescent soul called Jio ?
Also, is this the beginning of a new kind of Internet in the country ?A super app - the gateway to information highway?
Facebook Basics which was attempted a few years back, fell flat on the ground owing to strong reservations about net neutrality and the argument was premised on subsidised access( FB was going to offer it free).
The middle class and uppper middle class of India have been chained to the ways of the internet and beyond, so everyone has been wondering about the next set of humans to milk via the internet and all compasses point to the common man who lives in Bharat. Ticket size, growth rate, consistent revenues etc are numbers that have been changing for FMCG companies with strong distribution inroads into Bharat.
It’s time the digital economy did the same, right ?
Also, what’s happening to the free speech nonsense ? Are we all believing and exercising it more than we ought to ?
Now then, before you get ahead of me getting ahead of myself, I’m not even remotely referring to the Great Fire Wall or the Great Cannon. Don’t be so cynical and pessimistic.
All I am saying is that interesting times lie ahead of us. But promise me, like a true Indian, you would not give a damn!