Microsoft’s Puneet Chandok calls learning AI a ‘full contact body sport; Shaping the new tech order
In an exclusive interaction with YourStory, Microsoft India & South Asia President Puneet Chandok outlines a practical blueprint for how knowledge workers and enterprises can navigate rapid AI adoption.
Happy Teachers’ Day!
Google is helping teachers streamline their work using AI. The company says its new tool, the Google AI Educator, offers free, bite-sized training to help teachers master practical AI tools.
While AI has become a central part of education, teachers remain vital in shaping students’ lives. We’ve all had that one teacher who saw the potential in us long before we knew it ourselves. Who was your favourite teacher growing up and what lesson did they teach you?
In the world of technology, Adobe has appointed Indian-origin executive Anil Chakravarthy as its next President and Chief Executive Officer, effective December 1, 2026. Shantanu Narayen, who has steered the software giant since 2007, will transition to the role of Executive Chair.
Chakravarthy, an IIT Varanasi alumnus who previously served as CEO of Informatica before joining Adobe in 2020, currently oversees the company's Digital Experience business. The leadership change comes as Adobe expands its generative AI engine Firefly and deploys autonomous AI agents across flagship suites like Photoshop and Premiere. In Q2 FY26, Adobe reported a record revenue of $6.62 billion, driven by surging enterprise demand for its AI tools.
Lastly, India officially has a new “eye in the sky” after ISRO successfully launched EOS-05 on Friday, placing the country's first-ever geostationary imaging satellite into orbit aboard a GSLV rocket.
Just 18 minutes after liftoff, the satellite hit its intended sub-geosynchronous transfer orbit. EOS-05 is set to transform how India monitors the planet, delivering real-time imagery to revolutionise agriculture, sharpen disaster response, and keep a continuous watch from above.
In today’s newsletter, we will talk about
- Microsoft’s Puneet Chandok on navigating the modern tech race
- Priyank Kharge, Krishna Byre Gowda to anchor TechSparks 2026 lineup
- Ultrahuman secures $70M to build the future of body computing
Here’s your trivia for today: What cloud storage provider was created by Drew Houston after he constantly forgot his USB flash drive while studying at MIT?
Interview
Microsoft’s Puneet Chandok calls learning AI a ‘full contact body sport’
In an exclusive interaction with YourStory, Microsoft India & South Asia President Puneet Chandok outlines a practical blueprint for how knowledge workers and enterprises can navigate rapid AI adoption. He views learning AI as a "one-on-one full contact body sport" where senior leaders and middle managers must directly interact with tools daily rather than learning through theoretical videos.
Key takeaways:
- AI handles reasoning and execution, making human traits like taste, judgment, curiosity, and empathy the ultimate differentiators.
- Companies must completely redesign legacy workflows around 24/7 token execution rather than pasting AI models on top of broken operational systems.
- Enterprise AI startups cannot rely solely on renting frontier models; they must deliver contextualised intelligence alongside strict data security guardrails.
<Top Deals of the Week>
Startup: Ultrahuman
Amount: $70M
Round: Undisclosed
Startup: Yuma Energy
Amount: $35M
Round: Series A
Startup: Business Nextgen Finance
Amount: Rs 215 Cr
Round: Undisclosed
TechSparks
Shaping the new tech order
It’s time for TechSparks 2026! YourStory’s flagship startup and technology summit is taking place from October 13–15, 2026, in Bengaluru. Centre-staged around the theme "The New Tech Order," the event will bring together policymakers, entrepreneurs, venture capitalists, and deeptech innovators to address how AI, digital public infrastructure, and emerging tech are reshaping access, speed, and scale in India’s innovation ecosystem.
Masterclass:
- Karnataka state ministers Priyank Kharge (IT, BT & E-Governance) and Krishna Byre Gowda (Greater Bengaluru Development) will lead discussions on government policies and urban infrastructure.
- Tech leaders like Pramod Varma (Networks for Humanity / Digital Public Infrastructure architect) and Sameer Nigam (Founder & CEO, PhonePe) will share insights on building scalable consumer products.
- Key investors and enterprise executives including Anjali Bansal (Avaana Capital) and Ravi Garg (Meta APAC) will highlight shifting venture capital toward climate tech, sustainability, and enterprise adoption of AI and business messaging.
Funding
Ultrahuman secures $70M for its body computing bet
Bengaluru-based health intelligence startup Ultrahuman raised $70 million in a funding round backed by investors including Qualcomm Ventures, Alpha Wave, Labcorp, Blume Ventures, Nexus Venture Partners, and Alteria.
The capital injection marks Ultrahuman's pivot from a wearable tech maker into a full-fledged human-computer interface company focused on the body.
News & updates
- Top investor: Driven by an aggressive push to fortify the AI ecosystem, chipmaker NVIDIA’s equity portfolio surged over 10X to $99 billion in a single year, establishing it as one of the world's most powerful corporate tech investors.
- Buying spree: Shein is preparing to shift into an acquisition-driven expansion phase. Armed with a massive financial war chest, comprising $15 billion in cash reserves alongside $1.74 billion raised in its initial public offering, the company aims to diversify its business model and convince the market it is built for sustainable, long-term scale.
What cloud storage provider was created by Drew Houston after he constantly forgot his USB flash drive while studying at MIT?
Answer: Dropbox
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