Beyond Layoff

In a move that has rippled through Silicon Valley and India’s tech ecosystem, Opendoor Technologies, the San Francisco-based proptech company known for its iBuying model of instant home purchases announced the shutdown of its India operations on June 10, 2026. Less than two years after expanding with new offices in Chennai, Bengaluru, and Hyderabad, the company is closing its Indian footprint, affecting nearly 250 employees. CEO Kaz Nejatian framed the decision as part of a broader “Opendoor 2.0” transformation: reshoring operational work to the U.S. (closer to customers) and shifting toward smaller, AI-native teams capable of handling end-to-end workflows more efficiently. While Opendoor’s challenges in the volatile U.S. housing market provide important context, the announcement has ignited a larger debate: Is AI fundamentally eroding the cost-arbitrage model that propelled India to become the world’s back office? Opendoor’s Backstory and the India Expansion Opendoor launched in 2014 ...

Jensen Huang on the AI Revolution: Why Job Losses Are a “Lazy” Narrative and What the Future Holds In a wide-ranging interview with CNA’s Victoria Jen in Taipei on May 25, 2026, NVIDIA founder and CEO Jensen Huang delivered one of his most insightful discussions yet on artificial intelligence. From the five-layer architecture of the AI industry to his bold views on jobs, China, and his personal drive to “die on the job,” Huang painted an optimistic yet pragmatic vision of the AI era. The clip where  Jensen Huang calls out CEOs using AI as an excuse to fire people: The Viral Moment: “The Narrative on Job Loss Is Just Too Lazy” Jensen Huang: The narrative that connects AI to job loss for many of the CEOs that are doing it… it is just too lazy. He argued that AI will create far more jobs than it displaces, just as every major technology wave has done throughout history. Huang emphasized that new tools make professionals more capable, leading to expanded industries and entirel...

  Rancho Cucamonga, California — 14-year-old Shrey Parikh has won the 98th annual Scripps National Spelling Bee, defeating 12-year-old Ishaan Gupta in a lightning-round tiebreaker to become the 111th champion in the competition's history.  The Championship Spell-Off Parikh and Gupta were the final two spellers standing after a tense competition that culminated in a 90-second "spell-off" on Thursday night. In the tiebreaker, each speller raced to spell as many words as possible: Parikh's dominant performance turned what began as a high-quality final into a conclusive victory, earning him the title of best young speller in the English language.  Champion's Profile Runner-Up: Ishaan Gupta Prize Package Parikh's victory comes with substantial rewards: $52,500 cash prize  Reference works from Encyclopaedia Britannica and Merriam-Webster  Custom trophy and commemorative medal $1,000 in Delta Air Lines flight credits A Remarkable Spelling Journey This victory mark...

The FBI’s Boston office says it has shut down a call centre operation in India that allegedly defrauded hundreds of elderly victims in the United States and abroad out of millions of dollars through tech-support scams. The action follows a years-long investigation into a cross-border fraud network that authorities say used deceptive phone calls, fake technical warnings and telecom infrastructure to exploit vulnerable victims. According to reporting on the case, the investigation began in 2020 and eventually led to convictions of five India-based telemarketing fraudsters. Authorities also say two senior U.S. executives admitted to turning a blind eye to the scheme, after their company allegedly provided telecom services that helped route scam calls. The fraud reportedly worked by tricking victims into believing they had urgent computer or security problems, then persuading them to pay for fake support services. Many of the victims were older adults, a group that investigators say was es...

Q Manivannan, a Tamil Nadu–born non‑binary trans person who moved to Scotland on a student visa, was elected as a Member of the Scottish Parliament (MSP) for the Edinburgh & Lothians East regional list for the Scottish Greens — a result that has already sparked debate about representation, immigration rules and civic inclusion in the UK.  Background and biography Q Manivannan was born in Tamil Nadu and moved to the UK on a student visa in recent years to pursue postgraduate study, later enrolling in doctoral work and becoming politically active in Scotland. They stood for the Scottish Greens on the Edinburgh & Lothians East regional list and secured election to Holyrood; they are reported to be among the first two transgender MSPs elected to the devolved parliament.  Why the election is notable? Manivannan is an Indian national who does not hold permanent UK residency or British citizenship and was on a student visa when elected — an unusual circumstance that has promp...

As someone who's worked from home for a large multinational company over the past six years, ever since the pandemic hit, I've watched the work-from-home (WFH) debate swing like a pendulum. The latest twist came from Prime Minister Narendra Modi amid the ongoing Middle East crisis in mid-2026. His straightforward appeal to Indians included four key asks: skip gold purchases for a year, avoid non-essential overseas travel, embrace WFH with online meetings and video calls, and opt for public transport or electric vehicles (EVs). Logical moves to conserve resources in tough times. The WFH part resonates deeply with me. Social media exploded with mixed reactions, and headlines today scream that IT firms might resist full remote work. But my own story tells a different tale—one of brutal commutes traded for seamless productivity. Picture this: Before WFH, I worked at ITPL in east Bengaluru, a 22 km trek from my home in Hebbal, north Bengaluru. That distance? A gruelling 1.5 to 2 hou...