Your Uber flying cab arriving soon; Ola launches Mobility Institute

Online entertainment has exploded in India. We aren’t saying this. The numbers are. In 2017, Indians viewed over 250 million online videos, according to a FICCI-EY report. That is a massive growth of 64 percent from the year before. It doesn’t stop here. EY estimates the number to reach 500 million by 2020, making India the world’s second largest online video market after the US. At present, 77 percent of Indians with an internet connection consume entertainment on their smartphones, a trend sparked off by the dramatic fall in mobile data prices following the rollout of Reliance Jio in September 2016.

In what can be termed as a shocker, Verizon Oath, the parent company of Yahoo and AOL, is reportedly scanning emails for information so that data can be shared with subscribers. The data thus collected can be used to figure out products that can be targeted at specific users, according to a report in the Wall Street Journal. The report says that Yahoo scans close to 200 million email inboxes a month. Even AOL scans business email inboxes to serve ads.

The Delhi-NCR based hospitality aggregator startup OYO hotels on Thursday announced the launch of Palette Resorts in the upscale hotel category. After gaining a stronghold in the budget and mid-market categories, OYO is currently curating a range of resorts that will offer exclusively designed staycations for those in search of an intuitive and premium experience at competitive prices. OYO is currently partnering with select resorts that offer amenities including spacious and aesthetically designed rooms, private villas and beaches, gourmet dining, spa and other recreational provisions.

At the first Uber Elevate Asia Pacific Expo in Tokyo, Uber announced the launch of its ambitious Uber Air City to be launched in Japan, India, Australia, Brazil and France in the next five years. It also announced its plans to experiment with drone delivery for its food delivery platform Uber Eats.  At the event, it also demonstrated how potential Uber Air routes in Asia Pacific cities could benefit and complement, local transportation systems. Eric Allison, Head of Uber Aviation Programs, said at the event they are around to host the first ever Uber Elevate Asia Pacific Expo that showcases the future Uber Air. 

Ola on Thursday announced the launch of its policy research and social innovation unit, Ola Mobility Institute. The institute will help develop knowledge frameworks on mobility, and will primarily leverage the potential of mobility as a growth and innovation engine for India.  Spearheaded by Anand Shah, Senior Vice President for Strategic Initiatives at Ola, the institute comprises a team of researchers, academicians, policy specialists, and strategic thinkers. It includes people from IITs, Oxford University, King’s College- London, The California Institute of Technology, Harvard University, Indian School of Business, and The School of Planning and Architecture. 

“Are you satisfied with the way world is? If not, then work towards your idea of worldview, work towards your idea of social change through dissent, contesting voices and debate!” With these words, actress Shabana Azmi spelled her vision and drive to work towards social change - an India driven by women’s emancipation, where slum dwellers and economically weaker sections of the society have access to shelters as a fundamental right, and a country where dissent, debate, contesting ideologues and voices are welcome.

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