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On this week's Tech Today, we get you a tech check of the newly launched Tesla Model Y in India. What does it offer in terms of the tech and how can you buy the car in India. Also, how big tech companies are poaching AI talent for big bucks to accelerate their AI aspirations. This and more on this week's Tech Today show.
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00:00Big tech companies are playing a new kind of IPL game where they are buying AI coders
00:18and engineers instead of players and the most expensive acquisition till now is reported
00:24to be somewhere around 17,000 crores. Who is this person and where has all this money gone?
00:31We'll talk more about that on the show today. Plus, Tesla is finally here in India and many
00:37people are excited about it. A look at the tech of the car and more on the show. You are watching
00:43Tech Today with Cyrus and let's kick things off with the top tech headlines of the week.
00:48Google sets date for Pixel 10 launch. Google has officially announced its Made by Google
00:59event for August 20 in New York City where you can expect the full Pixel 10 lineup, including
01:06the base model, Pro, Pro XL. It is also expected that the foldable Pro Fold alongside new Pixel
01:13Watch and Pixel Buds will also be launched. Pre-orders begin the same day with shipping
01:18estimated around August 28. It's shaping up to be a big moment for Google's hardware ambitions.
01:29Intel confirms 5,000 job cuts this week. Intel has stepped up its layoff plan, cutting 5,000 jobs
01:36across the US this week. More than 4,000 previously reported. Most affected are back-office teams in
01:43California, Oregon, Texas and Arizona. The move follows a $1.6 billion quarterly loss and is a part of cost
01:52cutting under new leadership. Despite ongoing chip demand, Intel is streamlining operations to stay
01:59competitive in tough markets. Elon Musk's AI chatbot, Grok, has added new animated AI companions,
02:12including a gothic-style anime girl named Annie, available to SuperGrok subscribers for $30 per month.
02:20She's styled with corsets and fishnets, sparking buzz and memes online. Another quirky companion is a
02:27foul-mouthed cartoon fox named Badroody. Musk describes it as a soft launch of companions,
02:33which users will be able to customise in the future.
02:41Google is giving Indian students aged 18 plus a free one-year subscription to its Gemini AI Pro plan,
02:48which is normally worth Rs 19,500. The offer includes access to Gemini 2.5 Pro,
02:55Deep Research, Notebook LM Enhancements and 2TB Cloud Storage. It's designed to support homework,
03:03research and creative projects. Students need to register by September 15, 2025 via ShureID to claim
03:10this powerful AI toolkit.
03:17Meta AI's fun new feature, Imagine Me, is now available in India via Instagram, Messenger and WhatsApp.
03:24With this feature, you need to send a selfie and text prompt like Imagine Me as a Superhero and get
03:29personalized AI-generated images in different styles and scenes. It's rolling out this week,
03:35giving users a creative way to see themselves in cool new worlds without leaving chat.
03:40Now, this one is big indeed. After countless rounds of yes and no's, it's finally happened. Tesla
03:57is here in India and not with just a showroom or some future roadmap, but with an actual car that you can
04:04buy and drive on the roads. Now, the Tesla Model Y, this is the big one. It has officially launched
04:11in India and the company has opened its very first showroom in Mumbai with another opening in Delhi very
04:17soon. You can even experience the car right there in the showroom, but on the show today, we want to
04:22focus on the tech that the car brings and how it just takes your driving experience up a notch. So,
04:29let's dive deeper and know what really the Model Y offers and what Indian consumers can expect from
04:36this new electric car.
04:46The Model Y comes in two variants, the rear wheel drive priced at 59.89 lakh rupees
04:53and a long-range RWD version at 67.89 lakh.
05:03These are ex-showroom prices and yes, that's before you add in optional extras like paint jobs or
05:09software upgrades. The standard RWD Model Y gives you about 500 kilometers on a full charge.
05:16With the long-range model, you're looking at a claimed 622 kilometers and even though this isn't
05:27the performance trim, you still get 0 to 100 in under six seconds. That's as fast as a sports car.
05:37Now, here's the interesting bit. Both versions are available in six color options,
05:42but here's the catch. Only the stealth gray variant comes at no extra cost. If you want any of the other
05:48shades, be ready to shell out a premium anywhere between 95,000 rupees to 1.85 lakh. Now, this red
05:55beauty comes with an additional cost of 1.85 lakhs and of all the cars that I've seen, I think this one looks best.
06:04Now, let's get to the juicy bit. What kind of tech is packed inside this car that costs 60 lakh rupees?
06:15Is it really that futuristic? Or is it just all Elon Musk hype and there's not a lot beyond just a touch screen?
06:25The first thing that most customers want to check in a tech-loaded car like the Model Y is the
06:31infotainment system. Inside of the Model Y, by the way, the first thing that you will notice is that
06:37there is no instrument cluster and no buttons, just a massive 15-inch touchscreen floating in the middle
06:45of the dashboard. And this big screen, by the way, controls just about everything in the car, except that
06:52it cannot make you breakfast.
06:53You can use climate controls, maps, music, use streaming services like Netflix and YouTube,
07:03and even play high-definition games on this massive display.
07:10Even the rear passenger get their own 8-inch screen. And you can even control all of this
07:16with crocky eye. Not bad for family road trips, right?
07:23Now, this next bit and the section of this show, which is a favorite of mine and also especially
07:28for the tech nerds, is that, you know, this kind of gets us very exciting about what the Model Y offers.
07:34In the car, you get 8 cameras. 8! That's more cameras than you get on your flagship phone these days.
07:41And these cameras, by the way, help you get a full 360-degree view of the entire car.
07:46Now, it's also got a tech called Tesla Vision. And basically, it doesn't come with any radar,
07:53which means that all of the autopilot system and also the collision system is based on the camera.
07:59And it also includes a built-in dash cam that can save footage automatically if it senses a crash.
08:06So, in terms of passenger safety, this car is absolutely tech-loaded.
08:14And if you want to go all-in, Tesla is offering its full self-driving package in India
08:19as an optional upgrade. That doesn't mean the car will drive itself tomorrow
08:25because regulations in India won't allow it.
08:27However, as soon as Tesla gets a green light for self-driving tech in India, the tech's sitting there.
08:39So, with the Model Y, it's just not about the flashy screens inside of the car. The car
08:45also comes with heat pump tech, including something called an octo-volve, which ensures that the car
08:52stays energy efficient even in extreme weather conditions. And we all know that in India,
08:57the weather can get a bit extreme. So, I think this tech just helps you drive.
09:04You get ventilated front seats, heated rear seats, ambient lighting,
09:10and this giant all-glass panoramic roof that stretches from front to back.
09:16The only problem is that it doesn't have a cover, which forces me to wonder,
09:21what people will do during extremely hot summer days.
09:28And of course, it wouldn't be a Tesla without having some serious connected features, right?
09:34Now, with the Tesla app, you can lock and unlock the car remotely, pre-cool or pre-heat the cabin
09:42before you get in, track the car's real-time location, and even view live camera feeds if
09:48someone is snooping near your car. You know, it has a problem like that. Now, not only that,
09:53the app also lets you schedule charging during peak hours to check software updates, you can also do
09:59that in the app, and even it flashes lights or even honks if you are trying to spot the car maybe in the
10:05parking or a crowded area. So, all of this tech in the car just makes it fascinating.
10:10Now, what about charging? In India, the Model Y supports up to 250 kilowatt fast charging,
10:19which gives you over 250 kilometers of range in around 15 minutes.
10:26Tesla is also planning to roll out its supercharger network in India, starting with Mumbai and Delhi.
10:32If that happens at scale, we could be looking at a game changer for EV adoption here.
10:41Now, let's address the big picture over here. Is Tesla coming to India going to shake up the
10:46Indian auto market? You see, on one hand, this is indeed going to force Indian automakers to
10:52really step up their tech game. Now, Tesla, by the way, has stiff competition in India against
10:57the likes of Tata, Mahindra, Kia and Volvo, and they've all been dabbling in EVs for a while now,
11:04but none of them come close to the kind of software ecosystem that Tesla offers. And
11:11we're talking about over-the-air updates that improve your overall car's performance. So, yes,
11:17while there is competition out there, I still think that Tesla has a slight edge.
11:26But on the other hand, let's not forget the Model Y is still a luxury import with a luxury price tag.
11:33The car attracts 70% import duties and no local manufacturing yet.
11:45So clearly, we're not exactly talking about a mass market disruptor here.
11:50And without a widespread supercharger network or FSD approval, it does not make sense to buy it right now.
11:59So, here's the thing. Tesla's India entry is not just any car launch. It's a tech statement by Elon Musk.
12:10And also, I feel it's a wake-up call for the competition in India. And if the past is anything
12:16to go by, this one company has a habit of dragging the entire industry forward like it has done globally.
12:24But don't forget that many auto brands have come to India, fought hard and perished. But with Tesla here,
12:31can we say that we have the roads and the infrastructure and also the high-end EV market?
12:36Is India really ready for that? Will the charging infrastructure get better with this car?
12:42Well, we will find out soon enough.
12:44Picture this. It's late in the night at 2am. A top AI engineer at Apple hits the submit button
12:57on their resignation. No prior intimation, no press release. They just take off. And within hours,
13:04they're on stage shaking hands with Mark Zuckerberg at a rival company. Sounds like something out of a
13:10drama series, right? But in a way, this is reality as big tech companies are now poaching talent from
13:17their rivals for big money and with the promise of AI glory. And this has kind of kicked off a full-blown
13:25AI war. The AI talent battlefield where no company is safe and the engineers aren't hired. They are stolen.
13:34You see, the talent war is no metaphor. It's a full-blown conflict.
13:54For instance,
13:55recently Meta lured Apple's head of foundation models
13:59roaming Pang with a multi-year package reportedly worth tens of millions annually.
14:05Some sources say the amount is more than $200 million. That's more than 1,700 crore in Indian rupees.
14:16And why is this man being paid so much money? You see, Pang has been instrumental in the creation of
14:24Apple intelligence. The same AI in your iPhones and Apple products.
14:34Despite losing Pang,
14:36Apple has been struggling with the release of Apple intelligence on older iPhones.
14:42Industry insiders now speculate the departure has set back model training
14:47by two to three months. But for Meta, Pang isn't just another hire.
15:02Zuckerberg has hired him to be a part of this super intelligence team to build advanced AI systems
15:09that can rival OpenAI, Google and Anthropic.
15:18Meta's AI division now has over 3,000 AI engineers, more than any other single tech company.
15:27In another instance, after Pang's move, news was flying around that OpenAI was looking to close
15:33a $3 billion deal with an AI coding startup called Windsurf. The company was looking to supercharge
15:41its coding tools, but even Sam wasn't prepared for what was about to happen next.
15:53The deal collapsed because of a tech conflict with Microsoft.
15:57You see, Windsurf has technology that was competing with Microsoft and despite OpenAI being willing to pay
16:04$3 billion, the deal collapsed due to Microsoft's refusal to carve out IP access.
16:17This was an opportunity lost for OpenAI. But to make things worse, out came Google.
16:23Flew in and swooped the Windsurf talent right from under OpenAI's nose.
16:31So Google did not buy the company. Instead, it hired the guys running the company.
16:43DeepMind hired Windsurf's CEO Varun Mohan, the co-founder Douglas Chen,
16:49and top researchers with a $2.4 billion tech and talent deal.
16:55Now, Google did not directly acquire Windsurf to circumvent any antitrust laws and regulations.
17:02Instead, bought the talent and the tech with all the IPs.
17:10Google essentially valued each elite engineer at $20 million plus,
17:15higher than some tech startups. This smart move is something the tech industry is calling reverse
17:22AccuHire, which is like a talent plus license deal and not a full acquisition.
17:28Now, remember, it is just not about the technology and the talent here. It's also about the big
17:39money that's being poured in. And I'll tell you why all of this feels kind of crazy. Apple CEO,
17:45Tim Cook, by the way, earns around $75 million per annum. And now Pang, who is, well, was his junior at
17:52Apple, is flaunting a $200 million paycheck. And this is a multi-year paycheck, by the way.
17:59And Tim would be fuming of what's going on here. And Google's approach, by the way,
18:05spend $2.4 billion now, license the Windsurf tech, grab top engineers and then leverage them to grow
18:14its AI division without attracting any kind of antitrust scrutiny. And I think this ploy is really good.
18:21It's already been a big day. Apple CEO, Tim Cook, earns about $75 million per annum.
18:31And now Pang, who was his junior at Apple, is flaunting a $200 million paycheck for the year now.
18:39Tim would be fuming. And what's Google's approach? Spend $2.4 billion now,
18:49license the Windsurf tech, grab top engineers and then leverage them to grow its AI division
18:57without attracting any antitrust scrutiny. Mark Zuckerberg also said,
19:09Meta is investing hundreds of billions in AI and data centers to dominate the field.
19:15with Andrew Bosworth, Meta's CTO, calling this poaching simply logic and even calling this war.
19:25This is war. And in war, you don't wait. You move.
19:33This is almost like the bidding wars you see in sports like cricket, where a franchise with big purses
19:39splurges to get the top talent to play for the team. But using big money to poach talent this way, is this ethical?
19:50What have the top hats in AI said about this? And what does it mean for AI overall?
19:56What does it mean for AI role? Job listings for AI roles are up 75% year on year. And yet only 10,000
20:08people globally are considered highly skilled in building frontier AI models. Out of them, just 2,000
20:16have actually done it at scale. And this scarcity also means that Apple, Meta, Open AI and even Google
20:29can pay enough to win. The question is, is this right? When does this stop? And what about the
20:39smaller players who can't spend as much? Let's address the ethics part first.
20:48Sam Altman of OpenAI criticized Meta's poaching as distasteful, arguing real mission
20:55beats money-packed mercenaries. Mark Chen, OpenAI chief researcher, said it felt
21:03as if someone has broken into our home and stolen something. While ethics might be questioned here,
21:12it's all legal. On the flip side, there are those who say that money doesn't guarantee loyalty.
21:19The culture, values and vision matter as well.
21:23And not only that, the tech industry presents a glaring paradox with this. Now,
21:33Meta laid off around 3,600 employees in 2025. And Amazon also cut around 14,000 managerial positions
21:42by early 2025, prioritizing efficiency because of what AI is doing. Now, even Apple saw over 600 layoffs
21:49in 2024. Yet, their CEOs are thriving. In 2024, by the way, Mark Zuckerberg's compensation rose to
21:57around $27.2 million, somewhere around that. And Andy Jassis, who is the Amazon CEO, his compensation
22:04hit around $40.1 million. Now, is this the future? Is AI really replacing the majority of the workforce
22:13with only the cream, the top of the company hats, the top hats, earning big money? What about the middle
22:19and the lower level guys here? What will happen to them? So finally, who can we say is winning this
22:25AI war with all of the big money and talent? Now, here's the twist. Nobody is actually winning this,
22:31not just yet, because there is no AI blueprint for performance or safety right now. You cannot predict
22:38how AI will develop in the future. Even in the past, tech posting has happened that didn't really
22:44yield any kind of results. Uber posts Google self-driving tech, but it did not work out for
22:50them. Even OpenAI got Elia Sutskeva, who was one of the opening founders of OpenAI from Google is where
22:56he came. So, top talent really doesn't mean that you will hit instant success. So, I would just say it's
23:03too early to tell whether top talent will translate to results. Remember, what happened with DeepSeek and
23:09Moonshot AI? These Chinese startups built GPT-4 level models with much, much fewer resources and money.
23:17Right now, I see that power is consolidating in only a few boardrooms, but at what cost? One thing is clear,
23:24as long as smart people are the ultimate resource and the supply is limited, the turf war will intensify.
23:31And this war isn't about who builds the smartest AI. It's about who owns the future of intelligence itself.
23:44We're back with our AMA segment with Sana, and I think that she has a question from one of our viewers.
23:51Hey Sana, hit me.
23:52Hey Cyrus, so Rajiv wants to know whether, with more software shifting to the cloud,
23:56is it still worth building a high-end PC? That's a great question Rajiv. So, cloud PCs operate
24:02differently compared to what your regular home desktops or laptops do. So, you can customize your
24:08hardware with some top-of-the-line specifications and accessories, but there is no such utility right
24:14now with cloud PCs. For example, you can use your work desktop as a gaming station as well by upgrading the
24:21graphics and the RAM, and it serves both purposes. Not only that, for gaming you can use it, but also
24:27for video editing, and it requires heavy graphics, right? So, the amount of graphic processing that
24:33a desktop can do, you cannot do with a cloud PC. However, you can have other utility with a cloud PC.
24:41If you are someone who wants basic office work done and wants option to access your content anywhere in the
24:46world, then a cloud PC makes sense. Also, remember, with cloud PC, you can also get to save up money
24:52with easy software access and subscription costs. So, I think of the two, you better choose wisely.
24:58Okay, now moving on. Sana, I was chatting with one of my office colleagues one day and he asked a very pertinent
25:06question. Now, some smartphone companies are sharing six to seven years of software updates with their phones,
25:12but he believes that instead of focusing on software and, you know, other things, they should focus on improving
25:18the battery life that the phone has. While I have my take on this, what do you think?
25:23This is a tricky one. Smartphone companies battle various hurdles to procure batteries to add to the device
25:29while many companies are switching to new battery technologies to last longer. They offer software updates
25:34knowing that the phone will be able to last that long. Also, keep in mind that the phone's battery
25:40health drops around 60 to 70 percent at an average in five to six years depending on how you are
25:45charging or using it. But companies are right now using silicon carbon batteries for new phones, which
25:51is a much better tech and enhances the overall life of the battery and adds more capacity without adding
25:58extra bulk. So, yes, while software update timelines are growing, battery tech is also getting better with
26:05your phone. So, I hope that really helped you. And thank you so much, Sana, for your help. And I will see you
26:11next week. Thank you, Cyrus. See you soon.
26:27The current scenario in the tech space teaches us a valuable lesson. And the valuable lesson is
26:33upscaling and why it is relevant to stand out from the crowd. I want to hear what you have to say
26:40about this. What do you think is the future of humans and AI? Write to us and do not forget to tune
26:46in next week for a brand new episode of Tech Today with me, Cyrus. And I'll have something very
26:51interesting to show you from the future of gadgets and AI. This is Cyrus, signing off. Take care.
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