https://thoughtfulindia.com/category/business/ Companies, trade, the Indian economy and household finances, with a focus on what business news means for Indian and Indian American families. en Copyright Thoughtful India Sat, 31 Oct 2026 05:00:00 GMT https://thoughtfulindia.com/brand/ti-logo-512.png https://thoughtfulindia.com/category/business/ https://thoughtfulindia.com/2026/10/blackstone-bengaluru-global-capability-centre-first-outside-us/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=feed https://thoughtfulindia.com/2026/10/blackstone-bengaluru-global-capability-centre-first-outside-us/ The New York investment firm's second Indian office will handle finance, technology, legal and compliance work for its global business. It joins 2,117 such centres already operating in India. Sat, 31 Oct 2026 05:00:00 GMT Thoughtful India Staff Business https://thoughtfulindia.com/2026/10/dhs-h1b-extension-deference-proposal-comments-november-13/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=feed https://thoughtfulindia.com/2026/10/dhs-h1b-extension-deference-proposal-comments-november-13/ A proposed rule would remove the instruction that immigration officers defer to a worker's last approval when reviewing an H-1B extension. Indian-born workers held 72 percent of approved H-1B petitions in fiscal 2023. Mon, 19 Oct 2026 05:00:00 GMT Thoughtful India Staff Business https://thoughtfulindia.com/2026/03/tier-2-cities-india-growth-engines/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=feed https://thoughtfulindia.com/2026/03/tier-2-cities-india-growth-engines/ Pune, Surat, Lucknow, Indore were supposed to relieve the metros. Why Tier-2 cities grew but never became economic engines — agglomeration beats cheaper land. Mon, 09 Mar 2026 05:00:00 GMT Thoughtful India Staff Business India Politics https://thoughtfulindia.com/2026/03/the-startup-winter-which-startups-survived-the-downturn/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=feed https://thoughtfulindia.com/2026/03/the-startup-winter-which-startups-survived-the-downturn/ 2021's record funding flood turned into 2023-2025's reckoning: capital dried up and unit economics became the test. What separated survivors from failures. Mon, 09 Mar 2026 05:00:00 GMT Thoughtful India Staff Tech Business https://thoughtfulindia.com/2026/03/the-new-indian-middle-class-aspirations,-anxieties,-consumption/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=feed https://thoughtfulindia.com/2026/03/the-new-indian-middle-class-aspirations,-anxieties,-consumption/ India's new middle class buys premium phones while hunting discount deals — aspiration mediated by anxiety in an economy that offers no guarantees. Mon, 09 Mar 2026 05:00:00 GMT Thoughtful India Staff Business Lifestyle https://thoughtfulindia.com/2026/03/the-indian-rupee-slow-internationalisation-and-capital-controls/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=feed https://thoughtfulindia.com/2026/03/the-indian-rupee-slow-internationalisation-and-capital-controls/ The rupee stays stubbornly domestic: the RBI's rupee-settlement push with partners is real but incremental, and its share of global payments remains below 2%. Mon, 09 Mar 2026 05:00:00 GMT Thoughtful India Staff Business World https://thoughtfulindia.com/2026/03/the-indian-ocean-strategic-importance-in-new-great-power-competition/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=feed https://thoughtfulindia.com/2026/03/the-indian-ocean-strategic-importance-in-new-great-power-competition/ 40% of global maritime commerce and 35% of seaborne oil transit the Indian Ocean. How China, the US, and India are contesting its future. Mon, 09 Mar 2026 05:00:00 GMT Thoughtful India Staff World Politics Business https://thoughtfulindia.com/2026/03/the-brain-drain-reversal-why-top-talent-returns-to-india/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=feed https://thoughtfulindia.com/2026/03/the-brain-drain-reversal-why-top-talent-returns-to-india/ India's brain drain is shifting: since 2015, IIT graduates choose Indian startups over US firms and founders return to build. The reversal isn't complete. Mon, 09 Mar 2026 05:00:00 GMT Thoughtful India Staff Business Tech https://thoughtfulindia.com/2026/03/the-adani-effect-corporate-governance-lessons-for-india/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=feed https://thoughtfulindia.com/2026/03/the-adani-effect-corporate-governance-lessons-for-india/ The 2023 Hindenburg report halved Adani's market cap in weeks. It exposed how family-controlled conglomerates clash with investor demands for transparency. Mon, 09 Mar 2026 05:00:00 GMT Thoughtful India Staff Business Politics https://thoughtfulindia.com/2026/03/nri-remittances-the-125-billion-lifeline/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=feed https://thoughtfulindia.com/2026/03/nri-remittances-the-125-billion-lifeline/ $125 billion a year — more than FDI, from the Gulf to New Jersey. India's remittances flow invisibly through acts of obligation, love, and calculation. Mon, 09 Mar 2026 05:00:00 GMT Thoughtful India Staff Business Nri https://thoughtfulindia.com/2026/03/modi-second-term-100-days-economic-transformation/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=feed https://thoughtfulindia.com/2026/03/modi-second-term-100-days-economic-transformation/ Modi's third term opened with consolidation, not revolution: 7% growth, PLI expansion, strong FDI — and the same unresolved jobs crisis. Mon, 09 Mar 2026 05:00:00 GMT Thoughtful India Staff India Politics Business https://thoughtfulindia.com/2026/03/make-in-india-semiconductors,-batteries,-electronics-push/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=feed https://thoughtfulindia.com/2026/03/make-in-india-semiconductors,-batteries,-electronics-push/ $10 billion for chip fabs, PLI for batteries: the hardware push is real — but fabs need decades, batteries need scale, assembly is only the first step. Mon, 09 Mar 2026 05:00:00 GMT Thoughtful India Staff Business Tech https://thoughtfulindia.com/2026/03/indias-green-energy-target-500gw-renewable-by-2030/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=feed https://thoughtfulindia.com/2026/03/indias-green-energy-target-500gw-renewable-by-2030/ 500 GW of renewables by 2030: the math says ~50 GW a year — double the current pace. Grid integration, Chinese supply chains, and battery storage are the Mon, 09 Mar 2026 05:00:00 GMT Thoughtful India Staff Business World https://thoughtfulindia.com/2026/03/indias-electric-vehicle-revolution-two-wheelers-leading-charge/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=feed https://thoughtfulindia.com/2026/03/indias-electric-vehicle-revolution-two-wheelers-leading-charge/ India skipped the Tesla script: it's electrifying from the bottom up — two-wheelers and auto-rickshaws first. The economics explain everything. Mon, 09 Mar 2026 05:00:00 GMT Thoughtful India Staff Tech Business https://thoughtfulindia.com/2026/03/indias-digital-public-infrastructure-upi-model-for-the-world/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=feed https://thoughtfulindia.com/2026/03/indias-digital-public-infrastructure-upi-model-for-the-world/ UPI processes more transactions than any payment system on Earth — a public utility, not a private platform. Why the world is studying it. Mon, 09 Mar 2026 05:00:00 GMT Thoughtful India Staff Tech Business https://thoughtfulindia.com/2026/03/indias-defence-exports-quiet-revolution-in-global-arms-market/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=feed https://thoughtfulindia.com/2026/03/indias-defence-exports-quiet-revolution-in-global-arms-market/ India went from the world's biggest arms importer to exporting over $2.5 billion a year. The rise of its defence industry — and how internal demand built it. Mon, 09 Mar 2026 05:00:00 GMT Thoughtful India Staff Business World Politics https://thoughtfulindia.com/2026/03/indian-startups-going-global-international-expansion-strategies/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=feed https://thoughtfulindia.com/2026/03/indian-startups-going-global-international-expansion-strategies/ Indian startups are expanding into Southeast Asia — Razorpay in Malaysia, Ola in the UK and Australia, Freshworks on Nasdaq. Where the advantage is real. Mon, 09 Mar 2026 05:00:00 GMT Thoughtful India Staff Tech Business https://thoughtfulindia.com/2026/03/indian-luxury-market-from-fabindia-to-dior/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=feed https://thoughtfulindia.com/2026/03/indian-luxury-market-from-fabindia-to-dior/ From Fabindia's heritage craft to Dior's global status symbols: how India's wealthy stopped buying rootedness and started buying the same luxury vocabulary Mon, 09 Mar 2026 05:00:00 GMT Thoughtful India Staff Lifestyle Business https://thoughtfulindia.com/2026/03/indian-farmer-crisis-contradiction/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=feed https://thoughtfulindia.com/2026/03/indian-farmer-crisis-contradiction/ India produces record harvests and exports while millions of farmers stay in debt and distress. The contradiction at the heart of Indian agriculture. Mon, 09 Mar 2026 05:00:00 GMT Thoughtful India Staff Politics Business https://thoughtfulindia.com/2026/03/india-us-trump-2-tariffs-tech-strategic/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=feed https://thoughtfulindia.com/2026/03/india-us-trump-2-tariffs-tech-strategic/ Trump 2.0 means tariffs, visa risk, and transactional diplomacy for India. The opportunity: China+1 supply chains. The risk: IT services and H-1B access Mon, 09 Mar 2026 05:00:00 GMT Thoughtful India Staff World Politics Business https://thoughtfulindia.com/2026/03/india-semiconductor-dream-making-chips/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=feed https://thoughtfulindia.com/2026/03/india-semiconductor-dream-making-chips/ India is spending $10 billion to build chip fabs and break Taiwan's grip on semiconductors. The ambition is real; the power grids, supply chains, and Mon, 09 Mar 2026 05:00:00 GMT Thoughtful India Staff Business Tech https://thoughtfulindia.com/2026/03/chennai-kochi-industrial-corridor-south-indias-new-growth-story/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=feed https://thoughtfulindia.com/2026/03/chennai-kochi-industrial-corridor-south-indias-new-growth-story/ India's industrial map centered on Delhi, Mumbai, Bangalore. The Chennai-Kochi corridor is emerging as South India's counterweight — ports, labor, arithmetic. Mon, 09 Mar 2026 05:00:00 GMT Thoughtful India Staff Business https://thoughtfulindia.com/2026/03/brics-expansion-indias-multipolar-world-strategy/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=feed https://thoughtfulindia.com/2026/03/brics-expansion-indias-multipolar-world-strategy/ BRICS expanded to challenge Western financial dominance — but without shared interests it became a forum for grievances. India: architect turned balancer. Mon, 09 Mar 2026 05:00:00 GMT Thoughtful India Staff World Politics Business https://thoughtfulindia.com/2026/03/ayurveda-global-ancient-medicine-modern/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=feed https://thoughtfulindia.com/2026/03/ayurveda-global-ancient-medicine-modern/ Ayurveda is going global — ashwagandha in every supplement aisle. What's genuinely evidence-backed, what's marketing, and what respectful integration looks Mon, 09 Mar 2026 05:00:00 GMT Thoughtful India Staff Health & Spirituality Culture Business https://thoughtfulindia.com/2015/08/starbucks-your-next-bar-ista/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=feed https://thoughtfulindia.com/2015/08/starbucks-your-next-bar-ista/ Starbucks rolled out 'Starbucks Evenings' to 70 locations — wine and tapas after 4 PM. The early verdict from a New York Post tasting: not impressed. Fri, 21 Aug 2015 05:00:00 GMT Thoughtful India Staff Business https://thoughtfulindia.com/2015/06/whole-foods-overcharging-customers/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=feed https://thoughtfulindia.com/2015/06/whole-foods-overcharging-customers/ In 2015, New York City's consumer agency found Whole Foods stores routinely overstated package weights — overcharging from $0.80 for pecan panko to $14.84 Wed, 24 Jun 2015 05:00:00 GMT Thoughtful India Staff Business https://thoughtfulindia.com/2015/05/self-parking-car-ploughs-into-journalists/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=feed https://thoughtfulindia.com/2015/05/self-parking-car-ploughs-into-journalists/ A 2015 video showed a Volvo XC60 plowing into onlookers — not self-parking, just a dealer driver testing the car's braking system on real people. Wed, 27 May 2015 05:00:00 GMT Thoughtful India Staff Business https://thoughtfulindia.com/2015/05/how-did-succesful-people-spend-their-time-when-they-were-young/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=feed https://thoughtfulindia.com/2015/05/how-did-succesful-people-spend-their-time-when-they-were-young/ A popular Quora thread asked what Steve Jobs, Elon Musk, Bill Gates and others did between ages 10 and 22. The answers share a striking pattern. Wed, 13 May 2015 05:00:00 GMT Thoughtful India Staff Business Interesting Lifestyle https://thoughtfulindia.com/2015/05/holacracy/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=feed https://thoughtfulindia.com/2015/05/holacracy/ In 2015, Zappos CEO Tony Hsieh offered severance to anyone who didn't want Holacracy's boss-less system. 210 employees — 14% of the company — took it. Mon, 11 May 2015 05:00:00 GMT Thoughtful India Staff Business Interesting https://thoughtfulindia.com/2015/05/brave-champs/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=feed https://thoughtfulindia.com/2015/05/brave-champs/ Niketa Jhaveri, a Naperville mom and UX designer, turned her five-year-old's endless questions into Brave Champs, an educational board game. Mon, 11 May 2015 05:00:00 GMT Thoughtful India Staff Business Naperville Diary https://thoughtfulindia.com/2015/05/wotnow-a-free-app-developed-by-naperville-residents/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=feed https://thoughtfulindia.com/2015/05/wotnow-a-free-app-developed-by-naperville-residents/ WotNow — a social local calendar app built by Naperville residents Deepa Salem, Anand Sivaraman, and Vidhya Iyer — launched in 2015. Mon, 04 May 2015 05:00:00 GMT Thoughtful India Staff Business Naperville Diary https://thoughtfulindia.com/2014/11/trash-is-for-tossers/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=feed https://thoughtfulindia.com/2014/11/trash-is-for-tossers/ Lauren Singer's Trash is for Tossers: the young woman who made no trash in two years — no new clothes or packaged goods, even making her own cleaning supplies. Mon, 24 Nov 2014 06:00:00 GMT Thoughtful India Staff Business https://thoughtfulindia.com/2014/11/exact-cost-mcdonalds-food-effect-health/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=feed https://thoughtfulindia.com/2014/11/exact-cost-mcdonalds-food-effect-health/ A burger costs less than a salad — not by accident. The economics that make ultra-processed calories the cheapest calories, and what they really cost. Sun, 16 Nov 2014 06:00:00 GMT Thoughtful India Staff Business Lifestyle https://thoughtfulindia.com/2014/11/2-women-camping-front-best-buy-black-friday-deals-22-days-ahead/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=feed https://thoughtfulindia.com/2014/11/2-women-camping-front-best-buy-black-friday-deals-22-days-ahead/ Vicky Torres and Juanita Salas pitched tents outside the Beaumont, California Best Buy three weeks before Thanksgiving 2014 — all to land a Black Friday TV Wed, 12 Nov 2014 06:00:00 GMT Thoughtful India Staff Business Interesting https://thoughtfulindia.com/2014/11/mom-wants-damaging-kardashian-kids-line-gone-babies-r-us/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=feed https://thoughtfulindia.com/2014/11/mom-wants-damaging-kardashian-kids-line-gone-babies-r-us/ In 2014, Kansas mom Amie Logan petitioned Toys 'R' Us to drop the Kardashian Kids clothing line — after the retailer pulled Breaking Bad toys. Tue, 04 Nov 2014 06:00:00 GMT Thoughtful India Staff Business https://thoughtfulindia.com/2014/10/insulting-women-sell-shoes/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=feed https://thoughtfulindia.com/2014/10/insulting-women-sell-shoes/ In 2014, Suchitra Sharma called out shoe-sale ads that portrayed women as deal-obsessed dimwits. A prescient media critique, from the TI archives. Tue, 14 Oct 2014 05:00:00 GMT Thoughtful India Staff Business https://thoughtfulindia.com/2014/10/company-pays-people-post-fake-yelp-reviews/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=feed https://thoughtfulindia.com/2014/10/company-pays-people-post-fake-yelp-reviews/ In 2014, a Los Angeles Craigslist ad openly offered PayPal cash for posting fake 5-star Yelp reviews. TI's original piece, from the archives. Thu, 02 Oct 2014 05:00:00 GMT Thoughtful India Staff Business https://thoughtfulindia.com/2014/10/facebook-ceo-mark-zuckerberg-visit-india/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=feed https://thoughtfulindia.com/2014/10/facebook-ceo-mark-zuckerberg-visit-india/ In October 2014, Mark Zuckerberg visited India to address the Internet.org summit and meet PM Modi — his bid to connect the world's 5 billion offline. Wed, 01 Oct 2014 05:00:00 GMT Thoughtful India Staff Business Business News Global Economy https://thoughtfulindia.com/2014/09/11138/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=feed https://thoughtfulindia.com/2014/09/11138/ Mukesh Ambani topped Forbes' India rich list for the eighth straight year in 2014 at $23.6B — the year all 100 on the list became billionaires. Thu, 25 Sep 2014 05:00:00 GMT Thoughtful India Staff Business Business News Indian Economy Interesting https://thoughtfulindia.com/2014/09/facebook-disappearing-post-feature/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=feed https://thoughtfulindia.com/2014/09/facebook-disappearing-post-feature/ In September 2014, Facebook tested scheduled post deletion on iOS — borrowing Snapchat's core idea. TI's 2014 take on ephemeral social media, from the archives. Sat, 13 Sep 2014 05:00:00 GMT Thoughtful India Staff Business https://thoughtfulindia.com/2014/09/somrus-indian-inspired-decadent-liqeur/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=feed https://thoughtfulindia.com/2014/09/somrus-indian-inspired-decadent-liqeur/ In 2014, Chicago's Pankaj and Swati Garg launched Somrus, an Indian cream liqueur of cardamom, saffron, and rose — and Wine Enthusiast gave it 94 points. Wed, 10 Sep 2014 05:00:00 GMT Thoughtful India Staff Business Lifestyle https://thoughtfulindia.com/2014/09/martine-rothblatt-highest-paid-female-ceo-born-male/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=feed https://thoughtfulindia.com/2014/09/martine-rothblatt-highest-paid-female-ceo-born-male/ In 2013, Martine Rothblatt earned $38.2 million — America's highest-paid female CEO. The transgender Sirius founder built biotech to save her daughter. Mon, 08 Sep 2014 05:00:00 GMT Thoughtful India Staff Business https://thoughtfulindia.com/2014/09/nigerias-richest-woman-folorunsho-alakija-says-never-went-university/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=feed https://thoughtfulindia.com/2014/09/nigerias-richest-woman-folorunsho-alakija-says-never-went-university/ Folorunsho Alakija, worth $2.6 billion in 2014, told University of Lagos students she never attended one. The fashion-to-oil story behind it. Fri, 05 Sep 2014 05:00:00 GMT Thoughtful India Staff Business Global Economy https://thoughtfulindia.com/2014/08/happened-intern-took-ceo-lunch/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=feed https://thoughtfulindia.com/2014/08/happened-intern-took-ceo-lunch/ An intern invited his CEO to lunch — and walked away with career advice worth more than the sandwich: take risks early, stay employable, and choose your Fri, 29 Aug 2014 05:00:00 GMT Thoughtful India Staff Business https://thoughtfulindia.com/2014/08/8-qualities-make-great-bosses-unforgettable/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=feed https://thoughtfulindia.com/2014/08/8-qualities-make-great-bosses-unforgettable/ Good bosses hit targets. Unforgettable ones are remembered for how they treated people — eight traits that separate the memorable from the merely competent. Fri, 29 Aug 2014 05:00:00 GMT Thoughtful India Staff Business https://thoughtfulindia.com/2014/01/fixed-app-fights-parking-tickets/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=feed https://thoughtfulindia.com/2014/01/fixed-app-fights-parking-tickets/ In 2014, the app FIXED launched in San Francisco, contesting parking tickets for users — you paid 25% of the fine only if it won. Mon, 20 Jan 2014 06:00:00 GMT Thoughtful India Staff Business https://thoughtfulindia.com/2013/09/toilet-paper-wipes-being-blamed-for-nationwide-clogged-sewers/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=feed https://thoughtfulindia.com/2013/09/toilet-paper-wipes-being-blamed-for-nationwide-clogged-sewers/ Flushable wipes don't break down and are clogging sewers across the US — costing cities millions. Keep wipes out of pipes. Mon, 23 Sep 2013 05:00:00 GMT Thoughtful India Staff Business https://thoughtfulindia.com/2013/08/loans-rejected-approved-based-facebook-friends/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=feed https://thoughtfulindia.com/2013/08/loans-rejected-approved-based-facebook-friends/ A 2013 CNNMoney report revealed startups like Lenddo and Kreditech were weighing your Facebook friends when deciding whether you get a loan. Mon, 26 Aug 2013 05:00:00 GMT Thoughtful India Staff Business Global Economy https://thoughtfulindia.com/2013/08/retailers-start-xmas-deals-4-months-before-christmas/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=feed https://thoughtfulindia.com/2013/08/retailers-start-xmas-deals-4-months-before-christmas/ In August 2013, Walmart launched its holiday layaway — free with no opening fee — four months before Christmas. The holiday creep had officially begun. Thu, 22 Aug 2013 05:00:00 GMT Thoughtful India Staff Business https://thoughtfulindia.com/2013/08/virgin-atlantics-domestic-airline-little-red-to-offer-live-comedy-and-entertainment/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=feed https://thoughtfulindia.com/2013/08/virgin-atlantics-domestic-airline-little-red-to-offer-live-comedy-and-entertainment/ In 2013, Virgin Atlantic's Little Red tried to make domestic flights fun with secret live comedy gigs and acoustic sets — before shutting down in 2015. Wed, 07 Aug 2013 05:00:00 GMT Thoughtful India Staff Business