TMS Ep431: Go First, Karnataka's economy, ONDC impact on Zomato, encryption

Which way are Go First and Indian aviation flying in? What's behind Karnataka's economic miracle? How will ONDC affect Zomato's valuations? What is end-to-end encryption? Answers here

Cash-strapped Go First has now been granted bankruptcy protection. The airline wants a “comprehensive debt restructuring” and its planes may well hit the runways soon. But will the future bring clear skies or more turbulence for Go First? And, what do the latest developments mean for the Indian civil aviation sector? 

Bengaluru’s airport, meanwhile, has been ranked among the most punctual airports in the world in 2022. It bagged 20th spot in the list by Cirium -- an aviation data analytics company. The city, which is also famous as India’s IT capital, has been the driving force behind Karnataka’s economic growth. And that of the country’s too. Karnataka, which has seen eight chief ministers since 2008, is also the third largest state economy in India. So, as the people of the state wait for the new assembly after a historic 73% turnout, find out if there is more to the numbers than what meets the eye, 

Moving on to financial markets, US-based investment arm Invesco recently slashed Swiggy’s valuation to 5.5 billion dollars, nearly 50% down from its peak valuation of over 10 billion dollars. This also coincided with a new delivery platform ONDC spreading its wings in the domestic market. All of this sent Zomato’s shares down 5% between May 9 and 10. But is there more pain ahead for the stock? Will Zomato’s valuation also come under threat? And what should investors do amid the ongoing uncertainty? 

After the markets, let us shift focus to our privacy. “Messages and calls are end-to-end encrypted. No one outside of this chat, not even WhatsApp, can read or listen to them.” If you are a WhatsApp user, you are sure to have read this message on at least one of your contact’s message windows. But have you ever wondered what it means to have your messages end-to-end encrypted? Listen to this episode of the podcast for answers.