The Morning Brief

The Economic Times

To make sense of the week’s hottest stories in business, economy, politics and markets, journalists from the Economic Times chat with reporters and industry leaders in this thrice-weekly (Tuesday, Thursday, Friday) podcast.

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20 episodes
Updated Friday

Episodes20

Newest first

Friday · 23 min
No Place to Hide: Inside Maharashtra’s Food & Drug Crackdown (Part 1)
Since late May 2026, Maharashtra has been in the middle of one of its most aggressive food and drug enforcement drives in years — adulterated prasad seized near Shirdi, synthetic milk units shut down, the license of Mumbai’s Parsi Dairy Farm suspended, hospitals pulled up for forcing patients to buy from in-house pharmacies, and over 1,100 raids conducted statewide in just two months. The trigger: a widening gap between food safety standards on paper and enforcement on the ground, rising antimicrobial resistance from unchecked antibiotic sales, and a regulator willing to finally use the full force of the law. This is the first of a two-part series on that crackdown. In this episode, ET’s pharma editor Vikas Dandekar speaks to the man driving it: Tukaram Mundhe, Commissioner of Maharashtra FDA. A 2005-batch IAS officer transferred 25 times in 21 years, Mundhe is known for his uncompromising style. They discuss what’s fueling the crackdown, whether it can survive political pressure, and if this enforcement is sustainable. Listen in See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Thursday · 18 min
Google Cloud CEO On $15B India Bet, Sovereign AI Push & More
In this conversation with ET's editor technology Surabhi Agarwal, Google Cloud CEO Thomas Kurian discusses the company's expanding footprint in India, including bringing Gemini Flash 3.5 and Gemini Enterprise to sovereign infrastructure, and scaling local engineering talent through forward-deployed teams and partnerships like Mission Karmayogi. Kurian addresses the $15 billion investment with Adani and Airtel, India's growing role as an AI export hub, and ambitions around server manufacturing. He also weighs in on sovereign AI becoming a global norm, Google Cloud's $460 billion order backlog, competition with AI-native challengers, and how the company plans to strengthen its position against larger rivals like Microsoft and Amazon. Listen in See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Tuesday · 31 min
Cockroaches, Courts & Committees: What Did India’s GenZ Really Win?
We look back at the Jantar Mantar protests through the lens of media, technology and youth agency. What began as a Chief Justice’s jibe calling unemployed young Indians “cockroaches” turned into a movement that forced a Union minister’s resignation — powered by satire, memes and a 26-day hunger strike, and a social media following that outgrew the ruling party’s own. As the government rolls out fast-track courts, a tougher anti-cheating law and a Nilekani-led task force, the question is whether this marks a genuine break from the past or a repeat of 2024 — when a similar paper leak led to the Radhakrishnan committee's 101 recommendations, many of which remain only partially implemented two years on. Anirban Chowdhury speaks to Dr Anindya Kundu, sociologist, best-selling writer, Assistant Professor at Florida International University, Dr Usha Raman, former professor, Dept of Communication, University of Hyderabad and ET’s Anubhuti Vishnoi on virality, power, protest and reforms. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
July 26 · 15 min
The East’s Own Overdose
For decades, Northeast India was seen mainly as a corridor for drugs flowing out of Myanmar’s Golden Triangle. That has changed. The transit route is becoming a destination. In this episode of ET Deep Dive, we travel to the Assam–Arunachal Pradesh border, speaking to recovering heroin users, anti-drug volunteers and communities confronting a crisis that is quietly tearing families apart. From schoolchildren drawn into addiction to tribal justice systems stepping in where institutions struggle, this is a story of shifting narcotics networks, broken lives, and remarkable resilience. The battle against drugs is no longer only at the border— it is inside homes. Shantanu Nandan Sharma reports, Anirban Chowdhury narrates for audio. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
July 24 · 31 min
Glenmark Chief on Cracking the Multi-Specific Code
Glenmark Chairman and Managing Director Glen Saldanha joins Vikas Dandekar and Rica Bhattacharyya to discuss the company’s 25-year innovation bet, and why it’s finally paying off. At the center is ISB2001, a tri-specific antibody partnered with AbbVie, born out of Glenmark’s IGI platform after fifteen years of R&D. Saldanha talks through the platform’s pipeline, why Glenmark stays out of ADCs and CAR-T, how it’s building “Glenmark 3.0” across oncology, dermatology and respiratory, and why he still rates the US well ahead of China on innovation. The conversation also covers India’s licensing deals with Chinese biotechs, AI in drug discovery, and the GLP-1 market. Listen in You can follow Vikas Dandekar on his social media: X or Linkedin and Rica Bhattacharyya on her X and Linkedin Check out other interesting episodes like:ET Deep Dive: Swipe Left on Reality,India wants manufacturing at 25% of GDP — will AI in factories help?, Tanay Kothari Wants To Kill The Keyboard, From Doer to Director: The LinkedIn Playbook for the AI Agea, Semaglutide Goes Generic: Big Pharma’s Moat Breaks and much more. Catch the latest episode of ‘The Morning Brief’ on The Economic Times Online, Spotify, Apple Podcasts, JioSaavn, Amazon Music and Youtube. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
July 23 · 21 min
ISRO's Exodus: Space Crisis, Staff Crisis
ISRO is losing people faster than it can hire them. Around 100 scientists and engineers have resigned or taken voluntary retirement recently, with the bulk of the exits from URSC, ISRO's satellite hub, and VSSC, its rocket-making centre. More worryingly, the agency's on-roll strength is now lower than it was in 2001-02, even as its workload has multiplied with Gaganyaan, Chandrayaan-4 and-5, and Venus and Mars missions on the table. TOI's Chethan Kumar, who broke both stories, joins Anirban Chowdhury to unpack what's really driving the attrition, why the private space boom is only part of the story, and what it means for India's space ambitions. You can follow Anirban Chowdhury on his social media: X and Linkedin Check out other interesting episodes like:ET Deep Dive: Swipe Left on Reality,India wants manufacturing at 25% of GDP — will AI in factories help?, Tanay Kothari Wants To Kill The Keyboard, From Doer to Director: The LinkedIn Playbook for the AI Agea, Semaglutide Goes Generic: Big Pharma’s Moat Breaks and much more. Catch the latest episode of ‘The Morning Brief’ on The Economic Times Online, Spotify, Apple Podcasts, JioSaavn, Amazon Music and Youtube. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
July 21 · 17 min
Of Movements And Math
On the first day of Parliament’s Monsoon Session, two very different upheavals converged in Delhi. Outside Parliament, young protesters demanding accountability over examination failures faced barricades, detentions and police force. Inside the political establishment, the BJP was pursuing a quieter but equally consequential project: building the numbers needed to reshape India’s constitutional and electoral future. One conflict is being fought through slogans, crowds and public anger. The other through alliances, arithmetic and long-term strategy. Anirban Chowdhury speaks to Jatin Takkar and Pratishtha Bagai to examine the pressures confronting the government and ask whether India’s future will be shaped by the unrest on its streets or the numbers inside Parliament. You can follow Anirban Chowdhury on his social media: X and Linkedin Catch the latest episode of ‘The Morning Brief’ on The Economic Times Online, Spotify, Apple Podcasts, JioSaavn, Amazon Music and Youtube. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
July 20 · 41 min
The Future of Insurance in India | Sarbvir Singh of PB Fintech
India’s insurance industry is changing faster than ever. New regulations, 100% FDI, AI-powered underwriting, rising medical inflation and Policybazaar’s expansion into healthcare through PB Health are reshaping how Indians will buy—and use—insurance. In this episode of The Morning Brief, ET’s Anirban Chowdhury speaks with Sarbvir Singh, Joint Group CEO of PB Fintech, on why India remains underinsured, how health insurance is evolving, whether claims can become less painful, the future of retirement planning, and the biggest reforms set to transform the sector over the next five years See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
July 19 · 14 min
ET Deep Dive: The Pyramid Problem: Why AI Is Breaking Indian IT’s Winning Formula
Indian IT built its empire on one formula: throw armies of low-cost engineers at repeatable work, and scale relentlessly. That formula survived Y2K, the dot-com crash, and cloud computing. But AI attacks the model’s foundation itself — the cheap, standardized labor that made the industry’s pyramid structure work. In this episode, we trace how Indian IT industrialized itself, why its biggest strength is now becoming a liability, and what happens when top AI talent refuses to work inside rigid, hierarchical systems. We hear from industry analysts and former CEOs on whether IT giants can rebuild their culture fast enough — or whether this disruption is one wave they can’t ride out. Jochelle Mendonca reports, Anirban Chowdhury narrates for audio. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
July 17 · 41 min
Smart Glasses, Blind Spots: How Meta's Wearables Are Watching You
Virat Kohli's slick Oakley Meta ad made smart glasses look effortless. But behind the "Hey Meta" voice commands lies a growing privacy crisis. From Nairobi outsourcing workers reviewing graphic footage to women being filmed without consent on beaches and in stairwells, the harms are real and disproportionately gendered. Host Dia Rekhi talks to Dr Milica Stilinovic, Postdoctoral Research Associate at the University of Sydney, and ET's tech expert Suraksha P, who break down how these devices erode democratic privacy norms, Meta's controversial pilot with the Gujarat government to aid visually impaired citizens, and why experts call it closer to coerced consent than genuine choice. You can follow Dia Rekhi on social media: Linkedin & X Check out other interesting episodes like: Why Every Influencer Has a Lawyer on Speed Dial, ET Deep Dive: The Water in the Vial, Corn Man: The Man Who Quietly Cornered Half of India's Popcorn Market, ET Deep Dive:The DNA Fix and much more. Catch the latest episode of ‘The Morning Brief’ on The Economic Times Online, Spotify, Apple Podcasts, JioSaavn, Amazon Music and Youtube. Credits: Oakley | Meta, Meta Glasses, CBS19, FRANCE 24 English See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
July 16 · 42 min
Who Pays For Ethanol?
India rolled out E20 ethanol petrol five years ahead of schedule, and consumer complaints followed just as fast: mileage drops, rusted tanks, replaced parts. But how much of that is the fuel, and how much is old fuel systems never built for it? Government and industry voices point to savings, farmer income, and lower emissions; consumers point to unchanged prices and vague warranty coverage. Neither side fully answers the other. What's missing is clarity: who tested what, who pays when parts fail, and whether the timeline moved faster than the safeguards meant to accompany it. In this episode of The Morning Brief, ET's energy and auto experts Kalpana Pathak and Shally Seth Mohile speak to Randheer Singh, former Director at NITI Aayog and CEO of ForeSee Advisors and Bharati Balaji, Deputy Director General of the All India Distillers Association about the concerns, economics, trade-offs and future of India's ethanol programme. | You can follow Kalpana Pathak on her social media: Linkedin and X You can follow Shally Seth Mohile on her social media Linkedin and X Check out other interesting episodes like:ET Deep Dive: Swipe Left on Reality,India wants manufacturing at 25% of GDP — will AI in factories help?, Tanay Kothari Wants To Kill The Keyboard, From Doer to Director: The LinkedIn Playbook for the AI Agea, Semaglutide Goes Generic: Big Pharma’s Moat Breaks and much more. Credits @The24hrsPolitics @carki.kaksha MO @supppulkit @motoroctane @shubhamgaur09 @ackodrive @TheHinduOfficial CNN-News18 CNN-News18 @abpmajhatv CNBC-TV18 Bks.ofc. @aryakintelligence @BusinessToday @moneycontrol @cnnnews18 Catch the latest episode of ‘The Morning Brief’ on The Economic Times Online, Spotify, Apple Podcasts, JioSaavn, Amazon Music and Youtube. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
July 14 · 23 min
When Algorithms Push Harm, Who's Liable?
When a recommendation system pushes child sexual abuse material to a user, who answers for it: the algorithm or the company behind it? Host Anirban Chowdhury speaks with Supreme Court of India lawyer Sajan Poovayya, who breaks down India's evolving liability framework for platforms, from the strict liability standard around CSAM ( Child Sexual Abuse Material) to the tricky question of proving corporate intent through POCSO, the IT Act and the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita. He unpacks the Supreme Court's take on constructive possession, why safe harbor may not apply when engagement-driven design pushes harmful content, and how India's dark pattern penalties could offer a blueprint for regulating platform accountability. You can follow Anirban Chowdhury on his social media: X and Linkedin Check out other interesting episodes like: Mythos Blocked: When AI Becomes a Weapon of State, India wants manufacturing at 25% of GDP — will AI in factories help?, The Gold That Wasn't There: Inside SEBI's Case Against Rajesh Exports, Hills of Brew, Semaglutide Goes Generic: Big Pharma’s Moat Breaks and much more. Catch the latest episode of ‘The Morning Brief’ on The Economic Times Online, Spotify, Apple Podcasts, JioSaavn, Amazon Music and Youtube. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
July 12 · 13 min
ET Deep Dive: Melting The Vault
Gold has always been India’s emotional anchor — heirlooms passed down for weddings, festivals, and hard times. But soaring prices are rewriting that relationship. This episode looks at why Gen Z and millennials are increasingly selling or exchanging inherited jewellery: a Mumbai couple who funded their first home, a Bengaluru banker who redirected proceeds into equities, a family that turned gold into a son’s US master’s degree and his father’s new business. We unpack the data behind the shift — jewellery demand falling as investment demand in bars and coins rises — and ask who really benefits when old gold gets recycled: the customer, or the jeweller. Lijee Philip and Shantanu Nandan Sharma report, Anirban Chowdhury narrates. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
July 10 · 14 min
Why Every Influencer Has a Lawyer on Speed Dial
Influencer marketing has exploded into a serious revenue stream, but legal awareness hasn't kept pace. Hosts Anirban Chowdhury and Rajesh N Naidu speak to Ishan Johri, Partner, Khaitan & Co, who breaks down who actually bears responsibility when a promotional post goes wrong: the brand, the influencer, or the agency in between. He explains why disclosing a free product matters just as much as disclosing a cash payment, why beauty and health content attracts the most legal complaints, and how SEBI is cracking down on unqualified finfluencers. From copyright grey zones to what a legal notice actually looks like, this is a masterclass in the risks creators overlook. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
July 7 · 10 min
Why Foreign Money Loves Indian Debt, Not Stocks
Foreign capital is back in India — but not the way it used to be. In June, overseas funds poured a record Rs 41,773 crore into Indian government debt, even as they pulled nearly Rs 49,340 crore out of equities. What's driving this split? A stabilising rupee, tax breaks on bond returns, and hopes that India will finally enter Bloomberg's global bond index. But risks remain — a hawkish Fed, a deferred index decision, or weak Q1 earnings could change everything fast. ET's Rozebud Gonsalves breaks down what this debt-versus-equity divide really means for India's markets and the rupee. You can follow Anirban Chowdhury on his social media: X and Linkedin Check out other interesting episodes like:ET Deep Dive: Swipe Left on Reality,India wants manufacturing at 25% of GDP — will AI in factories help?, Tanay Kothari Wants To Kill The Keyboard, From Doer to Director: The LinkedIn Playbook for the AI Agea, Semaglutide Goes Generic: Big Pharma’s Moat Breaks and much more. Catch the latest episode of ‘The Morning Brief’ on The Economic Times Online, Spotify, Apple Podcasts, JioSaavn, Amazon Music and Youtube. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
July 5 · 19 min
ET Deep Dive: The Water in the Vial
Five young mothers in Kota died within twelve days after a routine oxytocin shot. The vials meant to stop bleeding after childbirth had no drug in them at all, just water. What followed was an investigation that tore open a Punjab manufacturer's records: fabricated test data, tampered machines, missing safety checks, and a company that had been ordered to stop production three years ago and simply ignored it. Reported by Teena Thacker narrated by Anirban Chowdhury this epiosde traces the deaths, the daily-wage families left behind, and how a tiny, poorly regulated oxytocin market let a repeat offender keep supplying hospitals until it turned fatal. Listen in. You can follow Anirban Chowdhury on his social media: X and Linkedin and follow Teena Thacker on X and Linkedin Check out other interesting episodes like:ET Deep Dive: Swipe Left on Reality,India wants manufacturing at 25% of GDP — will AI in factories help?, Tanay Kothari Wants To Kill The Keyboard, From Doer to Director: The LinkedIn Playbook for the AI Agea, Semaglutide Goes Generic: Big Pharma’s Moat Breaks and much more. Catch the latest episode of ‘The Morning Brief’ on The Economic Times Online, Spotify, Apple Podcasts, JioSaavn, Amazon Music and Youtube. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
July 3 · 17 min
WhatsApp Users’ New Identity Crisis
The Indian government has issued a notice to Meta over WhatsApp’s planned username feature, warning that it could fuel impersonation and online fraud. Meta maintains usernames are a privacy feature designed to let users connect without sharing phone numbers. But the dispute runs much deeper. In this episode, host Anirban Chowdhury talks to Apar Gupta, co-founder, Internet Freedom Foundation about the government’s concerns, Meta’s response, the first-originator rule, end-to-end encryption, the limits of India’s IT Rules and DPDP Act, and why the bigger question is whether governments will ever lead—rather than merely react to—the future of digital identity. You can follow Anirban Chowdhury on his social media: X and Linkedin Check out other interesting episodes like:ET Deep Dive: Swipe Left on Reality,India wants manufacturing at 25% of GDP — will AI in factories help?, Tanay Kothari Wants To Kill The Keyboard, From Doer to Director: The LinkedIn Playbook for the AI Agea, Semaglutide Goes Generic: Big Pharma’s Moat Breaks and much more. Catch the latest episode of ‘The Morning Brief’ on The Economic Times Online, Spotify, Apple Podcasts, JioSaavn, Amazon Music and Youtube. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
July 2 · 26 min
The Heat Dome Files: What Europe Can Learn From India
Europe's latest heatwave is expected to leave behind a staggering human toll. But beyond the immediate crisis, it is raising a broader question: are countries prepared for a world where extreme heat becomes routine? While much of the conversation around climate change focuses on emissions, a parallel challenge is emerging around adaptation. From city design and public health systems to early warning mechanisms and heat action plans, governments are being forced to rethink how they prepare for rising temperatures. In this episode of The Morning Brief, Anirban Chowdhury sits down with Karsten Haustein, a Research Scientist at Leipzig University, and Vishwas Chitale, Chairman of the GHHIN South Asia Heat Health Hub. Together, they discuss the science behind Europe's heatwave, why humidity and warm nights are making heat more dangerous, and what lessons other countries can learn from India's growing experience in managing extreme heat." You can follow Anirban Chowdhury on his social media: X and Linkedin Check out other interesting episodes like:ET Deep Dive: Swipe Left on Reality,India wants manufacturing at 25% of GDP — will AI in factories help?, Tanay Kothari Wants To Kill The Keyboard, From Doer to Director: The LinkedIn Playbook for the AI Agea, Semaglutide Goes Generic: Big Pharma’s Moat Breaks and much more. Catch the latest episode of ‘The Morning Brief’ on The Economic Times Online, Spotify, Apple Podcasts, JioSaavn, Amazon Music and Youtube. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
June 30 · 14 min
Tracxn Co-Founder on India’s Startup Paradox: More Money, Fewer Bets
India’s startup ecosystem is sending mixed signals. Funding deals are at a decade low, yet tech IPOs are breaking records. Investors are writing bigger cheques but backing fewer companies, while deep tech, AI and space tech are quietly reshaping the next phase of innovation. Host Anirban Chowdhury talks to Tracxn co-founder Neha Singh about what the data really reveals: why average deal sizes have doubled, whether the era of growth-at-all-costs is over, why India’s AI funding still lags global peers despite its talent pool, and what founders, investors and policymakers should watch as the country’s startup ecosystem enters a more disciplined phase. Listen in: See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
June 29 · 38 min
Corn Man: The Man Who Quietly Cornered Half of India's Popcorn Market
One in two popcorn kernels eaten in India comes from one man's farms. He built the crop from nothing, the processing plant that rivals anything in North America, and a farmer network no competitor can crack. When COVID killed every client overnight, most founders would have cut and run. He doubled his acreage. He has 50Xed his revenue in 5 years, build a moat few can crack and plans to now indigenise other crops and commodities like oats and palm oil with host Anirban Chowdhury. You can follow Anirban Chowdhury on his social media: X and Linkedin Check out other interesting episodes like:ET Deep Dive: Swipe Left on Reality,India wants manufacturing at 25% of GDP — will AI in factories help?, Tanay Kothari Wants To Kill The Keyboard, From Doer to Director: The LinkedIn Playbook for the AI Agea, Semaglutide Goes Generic: Big Pharma’s Moat Breaks and much more. Catch the latest episode of ‘The Morning Brief’ on The Economic Times Online, Spotify, Apple Podcasts, JioSaavn, Amazon Music and Youtube. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The Morning Brief

No Place to Hide: Inside Maharashtra’s Food & Drug Crackdown (Part 1)

Google Cloud CEO On $15B India Bet, Sovereign AI Push & More

Cockroaches, Courts & Committees: What Did India’s GenZ Really Win?

The East’s Own Overdose

Glenmark Chief on Cracking the Multi-Specific Code

ISRO's Exodus: Space Crisis, Staff Crisis

Of Movements And Math

The Future of Insurance in India | Sarbvir Singh of PB Fintech

ET Deep Dive: The Pyramid Problem: Why AI Is Breaking Indian IT’s Winning Formula

Smart Glasses, Blind Spots: How Meta's Wearables Are Watching You

Who Pays For Ethanol?

When Algorithms Push Harm, Who's Liable?

ET Deep Dive: Melting The Vault

Why Every Influencer Has a Lawyer on Speed Dial

Why Foreign Money Loves Indian Debt, Not Stocks

ET Deep Dive: The Water in the Vial

WhatsApp Users’ New Identity Crisis

The Heat Dome Files: What Europe Can Learn From India

Tracxn Co-Founder on India’s Startup Paradox: More Money, Fewer Bets

Corn Man: The Man Who Quietly Cornered Half of India's Popcorn Market