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 Yesterday

Episodes20

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Yesterday · 22 min
IT Secy on ISM 2.0, Social Media Regulation & India's AI Race
In this candid interview, ET's tech editor Surabhi Agarwal and Subhayan Chakraborty sit down with India's IT Secretary to discuss ISM 2.0, the government's $13 billion second phase of the India Semiconductor Mission. He breaks down lessons from ISM 1.0's 12 approved projects, the new market-linked funding model for chip design startups, and why silicon fabs now get differentiated incentives over other packaging units. The conversation also covers the government's approach to regulating social media platforms under the IT Act, recent friction with Meta and X over content takedowns, and where India stands in the intensifying global AI race between the US and China. Listen in You can follow Surabhi Agarwal on her Linkedin, X profiles and read her Newspaper Articles. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Thursday · 18 min
How Prashant Kishor Shocked the BJP
Prashant Kishor has spent years shaping election victories for others. Now, he has delivered one of his own. In this episode of The Morning Brief, Nidhi Sharma speaks with Economic Times’ Kumar Anshuman to unpack Jan Suraaj Party’s stunning victory in Bankipur, a BJP bastion for more than three decades. How did Kishor engineer a massive electoral swing just months after his party failed to win a single Assembly seat? What does this upset reveal about the BJP’s vulnerabilities, the RJD’s shrinking space, and the changing political mood in Bihar? And should this bypoll be seen as an anomaly—or an early warning? See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Tuesday · 21 min
No Place To Hide (Part 2): Why India’s Food Industry Is Cleaning Up Its Act
In the second part of the series, Ratna Bhushan, ET's FMCG Editor, brings in two industry voices to dissect the impact of FSSAI and Maharashtra FDA's crackdowns. Anjan Chatterjee, founder of Speciality Restaurants, argues surprise audits are overdue but says license suspension should be a last resort, not a first response. Ashwin Bhadri, founder of Equinox Labs, backs the enforcement push while calling for improvement notices before suspensions, faster novel-ingredient approvals, and mandatory food-safety education in schools. With the Cricket Club of India already in Bombay High Court challenging its suspension, and more legal disputes brewing, this episode asks: can India's food and drink industry clean up fast enough, without the crackdown becoming counterproductive? Listen in: You can follow Ratna Bhushan on her social media: Twitter and Linkedin. Link to Part 1 https://m.economictimes.com/news/morning-brief-podcast/morning-brief-podcast-no-place-to-hide-inside-maharashtras-food-drug-crackdown-part-1/podcast/132753100.cms Catch the latest episode of ‘The Morning Brief’ on ET Play, The Economic Times Online, Spotify, Apple Podcasts, JioSaavn, Amazon Music and Youtube. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Monday · 25 min
Cognizant’s Surya Gummadi on How AI Can Deliver Returns
AI adoption is soaring, but where are the financial returns? Surya Gummadi, President, Americas at Cognizant, argues that enterprises are consuming tokens without always choosing the right use cases. He joins Anirban Chowdhury to explain why companies remain trapped in pilot mode and what it takes to scale AI successfully. Gummadi discusses the coming transformation of coding, testing, talent models and IT contracts; Cognizant’s approach to acquisitions; the evolution of GCCs; and AI’s potential in healthcare. He also reveals how Cognizant used context agents to identify $200 million in new opportunities within three to four months. Listen in: 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.
Sunday · 12 min
The New Kids' Table: Private Equity Goes to School
Private equity is expanding into India’s K-12 school sector, following the same playbook it used to reshape private hospitals. Since Indian schools must legally operate as not-for-profit trusts, PE firms like KKR, Blackstone, and Kedaara invest indirectly through separate for-profit “OpCo” service companies that charge trusts for management, infrastructure, and operations—mirroring hospital structures. The appeal: predictable, long-term cash flow from families who rarely withdraw children mid-cycle, rising fees, and unmet demand for quality private education. Regulatory hurdles, fee caps, and mandated free seats for low-income students complicate profitability. Unlike hospitals, no major PE-backed education platform has yet achieved a successful exit, leaving the model’s long-term viability untested. Alenjith K Johny and Mohit Bhalla report; Anirban Chowdhury narrates for audio. 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 31 · 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.
July 30 · 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.
July 28 · 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.