The Morning Brief

The Return to Analog

From twin bell alarm clocks to vinyl records, why are Millennials and Gen Z ditching screens for tactile experiences? In this episode of The Morning Brief, host Dia Rekhi speaks with David Sax, author of "The Revenge of Analog" and "The Future is Analog," about the curious resurgence of analog living in our hyper-digital age. The conversation explores whether this trend is mere Y2K nostalgia or genuine digital disillusionment, how social media paradoxically fuels analog hobbies like knitting and pottery, and why vinyl sales surged the year Spotify launched. From Google employees taking drawing courses to escape software constraints to the pandemic revealing digital life's limitations, Sax examines what defines an analog lifestyle beyond aesthetic choices. As AI matures and screen fatigue deepens, the episode questions whether our craving for physical books, face-to-face interactions, and hands-on creativity signals a fundamental reassessment of technology's promises—and whether balance, not rejection, holds the answer.You can follow Dia Rekhi on social media: Linkedin & XCheck out other interesting episodes like: How Will a Volatile ₹ Impact You in 2026?, How Quick Commerce is Triggering a Health Crisis for Gen Z, India’s Labour Law Reboot, Viral to Valuation: Building Women’s Cricket as a Brand 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@brittanyyharmon Kingavriel @MotheringHappily @Brynneanika @CelynHaf @Westendstore @skypescoop @VidhuVinodChopraFilms @slushSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Corner Office Conversation with Rajan Anandan, Managing Director, Peak XV & Surge

India's AI revolution demands strategic vision beyond enthusiasm. Host Anirban Chowdhury talks to Rajan Anand, Managing Director of Peak XV and Surge a former Microsoft India head and Google VP shaping India's venture landscape. With 120 unicorns and 300 IPOs last year, India is poised for transformation. Anand's thesis: India needs localized, hyper-affordable AI models—not trillion-parameter ones. Predicting fifty AI unicorns by 2030, he advocates computational sovereignty through infrastructure investments in firms like Sarvam. Rajan also talks about Peak XV’s path after its split with Sequoia Capital, past governance issues at its investees and guardrails to avoid them and the recent spate of senior level exits in the company. Listen in:You can follow Anirban Chowdhury on his social media: Twitter and LinkedinListen to Corner Office Conversation: Corner Office Conversation with Knight Frank’s William Beardmore-Gray and Shishir Baijal, Corner Office Conversation with Sridhar Vembu, CEO, of Zoho Corporation, Corner Office Conversation with Gunjan Soni, Country Managing Director, Youtube India, Corner Office Conversation with Elizabeth Reid, Head of Search, Google and much more. Catch the latest episode of “Corner Office Conversation” on: Spotify, Amazon Music, Apple Podcasts,and wherever you get your podcasts from.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Indo-US Trade Deal: Strategy or Surrender?

On February 2nd, Trump announced a trade deal with India via a social media post, with no signed agreement, no formal text. Trump says India has committed to stop buying Russian oil, purchase $500 billion in American goods, and grant zero-tariff access while the US merely reduces tariffs from 50% to 18%. India is quiet on specifics. Host Anirban Chowdhury examines this imbalanced framework with International Trade Policy and WTO Expert Abhijit Das and Edward Alden, senior fellow at the Council on Foreign Relations. Subsidized US agriculture threatens Indian farmers, pharmaceutical patent pressures undermine generic drug makers, and Trump's emergency powers bypass Congress entirely. Unlike India's comprehensive EU FTA, this deal has no legal enforceability and can be renegotiated through Trump's next social media post.Listen in.You can follow Anirban Chowdhury on his social media: X and Linkedin Check out other interesting episodes like: How Will a Volatile ₹ Impact You in 2026?,Capital Pains: Budget 2026's Loud Silences, India’s Labour Law Reboot, Viral to Valuation: Building Women’s Cricket as a Brand, Why are Music Labels Buying Into Film Companies? 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.

Tamil Nadu 2026: Can Stardom Trump Strategy?

Tamil Nadu's 234-seat assembly election hinges on an unprecedented question: can superstar Vijay's TVK disrupt the established DMK-AIADMK duopoly? Host Anirban Chowdhury talks to political analyst Sumanth Raman, who dissects the math Vijay polls around 15% vote share but may win zero seats, potentially acting as a spoiler splitting anti-DMK votes. The AIADMK-led NDA gains ground after securing PMK and TTV Dhinakaran's crucial Thevar community votes, while DMK battles anti-incumbency yet holds firm thanks to Stalin's personal appeal. The magic number: 40% vote share. With caste equations and celebrity politics injecting chaos, Tamil Nadu's outcome remains defiantly unpredictable.You can follow Anirban Chowdhury on his social media: X and Linkedin Check out other interesting episodes like: How Will a Volatile ₹ Impact You in 2026?,Capital Pains: Budget 2026's Loud Silences, India’s Labour Law Reboot, Viral to Valuation: Building Women’s Cricket as a Brand, Why are Music Labels Buying Into Film Companies? 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: TheHinduOfficialSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Why Are Labour Laws Denting Corporate Profits?

India's new labor codes just cost three companies in corporate India over ₹4,373 crore in a single quarter. TCS, Infosys, and HCLTech are reeling from retrospective gratuity provisions that go back decades. The government says it's modernizing—one unified wage definition, digital compliance, formalized workforce. Companies say it's a compliance nightmare with twenty-four states at different stages of implementation. In this episode, host Anirban Chowdhury asks Puneet Gupta, Partner, People Advisory Services-Tax, EY to break down why your basic salary just became 50% of your paycheck, how a twenty-year employee's gratuity calculation changed overnight, and whether this reform will create seventy-seven lakh jobs or simply tax the ones that already exist. Short-term pain or structural transformation? Listen in.You can follow Anirban Chowdhury on his social media: X and Linkedin Check out other interesting episodes like: How Will a Volatile ₹ Impact You in 2026?,Capital Pains: Budget 2026's Loud Silences, India’s Labour Law Reboot, Viral to Valuation: Building Women’s Cricket as a Brand, Why are Music Labels Buying Into Film Companies? 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.