🤖 OpenAI plants its flag in Delhi

Author

Masala Chai
August 25, 2025

Good morning, chai fam! 🌞 

Cat Monday GIF

GiphyMondays are tough, but at least your news doesn’t have to be. Here’s today’s hot pour — from billion-dollar oil profits to AI battles in Delhi. Let’s sip through it.

📰 Chai Shots

  • 🎮 Rekha Jhunjhunwala Quits Nazara: Rekha Jhunjhunwala fully exited gaming giant Nazara weeks before India’s Online Gaming Act landed. Fellow investors like Madhusudan Kela and Nikhil Kamath are holding on, signaling long-term confidence.

  • 🤖 India Takes Center Stage in AI: OpenAI will open its first India office in New Delhi, right after introducing its ₹399 ChatGPT Go plan. With global giants cutting prices to compete, India is becoming the frontline of the AI race. More in the Big Brew 👇

  • 🚙 Mahindra Plans New Factory: Mahindra & Mahindra is scouting land for a greenfield plant as it gears up to push EV output to 10 lakh units by 2027, while expanding service outlets by 150–200 every year.

  • 💎 Goldiam Bets Big on Lab Diamonds: Goldiam International raised ₹202 crore, with Morgan Stanley among the backers. Its ORIGEM brand will add up to 90 stores over the next two years as lab-grown gems gain traction.

📈 Market Masala

  • 🇺🇸 US Slaps Secondary Tariffs on India but India Stands Firm: VP J.D. Vance confirmed the Trump administration is hitting India with “secondary tariffs” aimed at squeezing Russia’s oil revenues. Indian Envoy Vinay Kumar said India will keep buying oil “wherever the deal is best,” dismissing Washington’s pressure. External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar called the tariffs unfair and unjustified.

  • ☕ Coke Rethinks Costa: Coca-Cola is weighing a sale of Costa Coffee, its $5B 2018 buyout. Lazard is advising, private equity firms are circling, and indicative bids are expected this autumn.

  • 🏥 Apollo MD Offloads ₹1,489 Cr Stake: Apollo Hospitals MD Suneeta Reddy sold 1.3% via a block deal, with proceeds going toward reducing promoter group debt. The family clarified there are no further stake-sale plans.

  • 🏦 RBI Sticks to 4% Inflation Goal: RBI is likely to retain its flexible inflation targeting framework with a 4% anchor, but may refine communication around headline vs core inflation and how growth fits into its mandate.

  • 📊 Week Ahead – Market Watch: Powell’s hint of a September Fed rate cut could lift IT and metals on Dalal Street. But optimism may be capped by Trump’s supplementary tariffs deadline on Indian goods this week.

🌍 Global Masala

  • 💻 Washington Buys Into Intel: The US government purchased a 10% stake in Intel with $8.9B from CHIPS Act funds, a dramatic move to tighten state control over advanced chipmaking.

  • 🗓️ Week Ahead – Global Lens: Nobel Laureates meet in Lindau, where top economists like Joseph Stiglitz are expected to sharply critique Trump’s tariffs and isolationism.

☕ The Big Brew: India Becomes Ground Zero in the Global AI Race

India has moved from being just a large market to the frontline battleground in the AI wars. The turning point? OpenAI announcing its first office in New Delhi, paired with the rollout of ChatGPT Go at a rock-bottom ₹399/month.

Sam Altman says India’s mix of talent, tech ecosystem, and government backing gives it the makings of an AI powerhouse. ChatGPT’s Indian user base has quadrupled in a year, making India its second-largest market globally.

But the competition is fierce. Google, Perplexity, Musk’s xAI, and even Grammarly are slashing subscription costs to lure India’s billion-plus internet users. The result is an AI price war.

Key Highlights

  • 🤖 OpenAI’s local play: UPI payments, Indic language support, “Study Mode” for students, and OpenAI Academy with MeitY.

  • 📱 Pricing battle: ChatGPT Go at ₹399 vs Gemini at ₹1,950, xAI’s SuperGrok at ₹700, Perplexity Pro at ₹17,000 (free with Airtel).

  • 🌏 Geopolitical angle: India emerges as a democratic counterweight to China’s AI approach.

  • 🚀 Startup squeeze: Indian AI firms like Krutrim and Sarvam may need to collaborate or double down on niches to stay relevant.

What does this mean?

  • 💸 Cheaper AI access for students, SMEs, and startups.

  • 🧑‍💻 Global AI talent magnetism in India.

  • ⚔️ Pressure on Indian AI startups to partner instead of compete head-on.

  • 🌍 India shaping AI strategies for the Global South.

India isn’t just adopting AI — it’s becoming the laboratory where global AI dominance strategies are being tested.

🚀 Startup Scoop

🤓 Chai Break Trivia

Did you know? 🍫 The inventor of the chocolate chip cookie, Ruth Wakefield, sold her recipe to Nestlé in 1939 in exchange for a lifetime supply of chocolate. Talk about sweet equity!

🔮 What’s Brewing Next

  • 🎓 OpenAI’s first Education Summit in New Delhi kicks off this week, marking another step in India’s rise as a global AI hub.

That’s a wrap on your Monday brew ☕ — from BPCL’s monster profits to AI wars heating up in Delhi and startups scrambling under new laws. Stay caffeinated, stay sharp, and we’ll be back tomorrow with more. 🚀

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