💣 Meta On Trial: Zuck Takes The Stand

🌞 Good morning, chai champs!
It’s Tuesday and we’re trading Tuesday blues for masala news. As Wall Street rides tech highs and tariff tremors, Desi investors are doubling down, and even shrimp exports are back in business.

From Mark Zuckerberg’s courtroom showdown to Jasprit Bumrah’s D2C luggage bet, today's edition has enough masala to make your chai overflow.

So settle in, sip up, and let’s dive into your daily brew. ☕

☕ Chai Shots

• 🚗 BluSmart hits the brakes on ride-hailing: Electric cab startup BluSmart is stepping off the gas — it’s winding down its own platform and shifting gears to become a fleet partner for Uber. With cash burn over ₹20 Cr a month, failed fundraising, delayed salaries, and top execs quitting, the EV pioneer is now listing 700–800 cars on Uber to start. A full transition (and maybe a $15–20M Uber deal) could follow.

• 🏨 OYO’s legal tandoori heats up: A Jaipur resort has filed an FIR against OYO and its founder Ritesh Agarwal, accusing them of inflating booking figures and causing a ₹2.66 crore GST shock. The resort claims OYO showed ₹22+ crore worth of bookings, while actual business was just ₹10.95 lakh.

• 📉 Zuck on trial: Mark Zuckerberg is now literally on the stand, defending Meta in an antitrust face-off. The FTC wants to break up the empire over WhatsApp and Instagram acquisitions. Zuck says Meta isn’t a monopoly — it’s just got a lot of followers. More in the Big Brew! 👀

• 🍤 Shrimp relief: Indian seafood exporters are rejoicing after the US paused its tariff hike. With the 26% import duty on hold for 90 days, nearly 2,000 containers of shrimp are now ready to sail to America.

• 🏦 SBI cuts loan rates after RBI move: After the RBI lowered its key interest rate to 6.25%, SBI followed by reducing its lending rates by 0.25%. Starting today, your home loan EMIs from SBI might shrink just a little — more chai, less stress!

📈 Market Masala

• 📅 Markets reopen after Ambedkar Jayanti break: Indian markets were closed on Monday, April 14, for Ambedkar Jayanti, but Tuesday kicks off with bullish energy. After Friday’s solid rally (Sensex +1.8%, Nifty +1.9%), traders are eyeing the 22,900–23,000 zone as Nifty's next hurdle. Surpass that, and it may finally close the April 7 gap. On the flip side, keep an eye on 22,700 and 22,550 for support.

• 🛍️ Lodha brothers end their trademark tiff: Abhishek and Abhinandan Lodha have resolved their dispute over the “Lodha” brand. One gets “Lodha Group,” the other “House of Abhinandan Lodha.” It’s a clean brand breakup, no drama left on the property floor.

• 💊 Pharma may feel the heat from US-China tensions: With the US slapping steep tariffs on Chinese goods, India’s pharma sector could take a hit. Since over 70% of our bulk drug ingredients come from China, rising prices could lead to costlier medicines. The next 90 days are key.

• 🏗️ India to refinance infra loans domestically: To avoid rising interest on dollar-denominated loans, India plans to swap foreign debt with local borrowings. First up: railway and metro projects in states like Odisha and Bihar.

• 🧾 GST on apartment maintenance clarified by officials: Confused about the 18% GST on your society’s monthly charges? Tax officials say this rule has been around since 2019 — it kicks in if the fee crosses ₹7,500 and your RWA’s annual turnover is above ₹20 lakh. A 2021 court ruling says only the excess amount should be taxed, but not all states may follow that. So yes, your society group chat drama might just be tax-compliance catching up.

🌍 Global Masala

• 📉 US stock futures dip after rally: Despite Monday’s tech-led surge, futures edged lower as investors eye Q1 earnings and remain jittery about Trump’s tariff U-turns.

• 🚗 Auto stocks zoom on Trump tease: US auto giants popped after Trump hinted at potential relief for carmakers grappling with his own tariffs. No policy yet, but hope is driving the market.

• 🏨 Hotels downgraded: Goldman Sachs downgraded Marriott, Hilton, and Hyatt stocks, citing soft travel demand and warning signs from airlines. Turbulence ahead in hospitality.

• 🔐 Hertz admits data breach: Hertz revealed a vendor-linked cyberattack exposed customer data, including driver’s licenses and payment info. Over 3,400 Maine residents are affected, and potentially thousands more globally.

🫖 The Big Brew: Meta vs. The FTC — Can Zuck Keep the Empire?

Meta — the parent company of Facebook, Instagram, and WhatsApp — is in the courtroom fighting what could be the biggest legal showdown in tech history.

The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) — 🇺🇸 the US government agency that watches over fair competition and protects consumers — has accused Meta of becoming a social media monopoly. Their claim? Meta bought out its rivals (Instagram in 2012, WhatsApp in 2014) not to innovate, but to eliminate competition.

Now, the FTC wants to break the company up. Yup — break up as in force Meta to sell off Insta and WhatsApp.

⚖️ What’s happening in court?

• 👨‍⚖️ Zuckerberg on the stand: Meta’s CEO defended the company, saying social media has evolved way beyond chatting with friends — and that Meta competes with TikTok, YouTube, Snapchat, and more.

• 🧑‍💼 FTC’s angle: The agency argues Meta has a chokehold on what it calls “personal social networking services” — places where people connect with friends, post updates, and chat. By owning all the biggest platforms, Meta killed off competition.

• 📉 Meta claps back: “Only 20% of people use Facebook for chatting now!” Meta says people scroll for entertainment, not just to talk — and that they’ve got serious competition from every corner of the internet.

• 💣 What’s at stake: If the FTC wins, Meta might have to separate Instagram and WhatsApp — a move that could shake up how social media works for billions of users and change the future of Big Tech deals.

🔍 What does this mean?

If Meta is forced to split, it would be the first time a major US tech giant is broken up for killing competition — and regulators around the world (hello, India 🇮🇳) might feel inspired to crack down harder on Big Tech too. Meta could be the first domino in a global reset on how tech empires are built.

🚀 Startup Scoop

• 📚 Collegedunia cracks ₹200 Cr: The bootstrapped college discovery platform hit ₹200 Cr in revenue and is now targeting 3X growth + IPO in 5 years. It’s expanding into Tier 2/3 towns and global student markets too.

• 🐾 Just Dogs fetches growth but bleeds red: Revenue’s up to near Rs 100 Cr, but losses are barking loud. Costs jumped 47% in FY24 as the pet brand scaled offline and online ops.

• 💪 BeastLife gets Rinku Singh on board: Cricketer Rinku Singh just invested ₹1.9 crore in supplement brand BeastLife, which is already tracking ₹80 Cr in ARR. Clean, athlete-friendly nutrition is the pitch.

• 👩‍⚕️ Moom raises $3.5M: Women’s health startup Moom Health, focused on Asian women’s wellness, just secured $3.5M in fresh funding from Wipro Consumer Care Ventures and others. The goal? Expand, innovate, and dominate.

• 🧳 Jasprit Bumrah backs uppercase: India’s pace ace isn’t just breaking wickets — he’s now breaking into the luggage biz. Bumrah has invested in eco-friendly luggage brand uppercase as part of a bridge round. But he’s not just putting in cash — he’s co-designing a sporty backpack and gym bag set to launch in a few months.

🧠 Chai Break Trivia

What’s India’s fastest-growing investor region?
🧠 North India!
It jumped from 28.7% to 36.3% share of the national investor base in just five years. Who said only Dilliwale know how to shop? Turns out they invest smart too. 💸📈

🔮 What’s Brewing Next?

• 📦 Expect more action in electronics: Foxconn is in early talks with UP to set up a new manufacturing unit near the Yamuna Expressway.

That’s a wrap for Tuesday!
While Zuckerberg testifies and tariffs tango, you’ve got your chai in hand and the headlines decoded. Whether you’re betting on shrimp, supplements, or the Sensex, one thing’s clear — the market masala’s never mild.

We’ll see you tomorrow with more scoops and sips. Till then, stay caffeinated and curious. ☕💼📊