In Brief: WhatsApp to launch payment service only after RBI nod; Uber rescinds job offers

Facebook-owned messaging platform WhatsApp assured the Supreme Court that it would not launch its payments feature WhatsApp Pay until the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) cleared it, The Economic Times reported. The court, however, clarified that there was no stay on WhatsApp’s application pending with the government, the report said. Additionally, it issued notices to the National Payments Corporation of India, the RBI and the government, asking them to submit their stand on the issue in three weeks, the newspaper reported.

Read: WhatsApp Pay to comply with India guidelines

Uber withdraws  job offers from B-school students

San Francisco headquartered ride hailing platform Uber has recalled the job offers it made to students from business schools in India, The Economic Times reported, citing sources. Students from institutes including the Indian Institute of Management (IIM) Lucknow, IIM Kozhikode, IIM Calcutta and SP Jain Institute of Management and Research have been impacted, it said. Last week, the company said it would lay off 3,700 full-time employees to cancel out the financial impact of Covid-19 on its operations.

Read: Coronavirus India LIVE updates

Ex-Microsoft VP Cesar Cernuda joins NetApp as president

Sunnyvale, California headquartered cloud data services provider NetApp has appointed Microsoft veteran Cesar Cernuda as its president. He will take over the role to lead the company’s global go-to-market operations spanning sales, marketing, services and support, from July, a statement said. The former Microsoft vice president will report to NetApp CEO George Kurian, it added. Last month, the firm appointed former TechM executive Puneet Gupta as its vice president for sales in India and the SAARC region.

Capillary, Increff partner to accelerate tech adoption among retailers

Software-as-a-service provider Capillary Technologies has partnered with Bengaluru headquartered data and technology company Increff to accelerate the adoption of technology among retailers. The companies will enable retailers to create a unified platform, which will allow them to capture demand across physical stores, brand websites, social media channels and online marketplaces, a statement said. Retailers can fulfill orders that come in through these channels via their warehouses and retail stores, it added.

Read: Retail sales in India can recover by May, if lockdown not extended: study

1mg develops AI-based product to assist medical professionals

Digital healthcare platform 1mg has developed an artificial intelligence (AI)-based product to facilitate diagnosis of common illnesses and assist doctors. The solution is aimed at enhancing turnaround time for medical professionals, according to a statement. In February, the company raised $9.93 million (Rs 71 crore then) from philanthropic organisation Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation in a Series B funding round.

Customer files plea against Google Pay in Delhi HC

A writ petition has been filed against Google Pay in the Delhi high court for allegedly flouting interoperability rules, according to a report on Mint. Shubham Kapaley, who reportedly tried to donate to PM CARES, said in his petition that Google Pay did not allow him to use his existing UPI ID made on a different application, on its platform. The first hearing on the matter was scheduled for today, the report said.

Paytm Money CTO Vasudevan, operations head Pillai step down

Suresh Vasudevan, the chief technology officer (CTO) and Beejish Pillai, the head of operations for Paytm Money, have stepped down from their respective positions, Entrackr reported. Vasudevan and Pillai had been working with the Paytm subsidiary since January 2019, according to their LinkedIn profiles. The development comes a month after the exit of Pravin Jadhav, who was the company’s managing director and CEO. 

Nykaa raises funds from new investor

Mumbai headquartered FSN E-Commerce Ventures, which owns and operates omnichannel beauty ecommerce platform Nykaa, will raise Rs 26.6 crore from new investor Lexdale International, Inc42 reported. With this investment, Lexdale will own a 1.27% stake in Nykaa, the report said. Last month, the company raised $13.2 million (Rs 100 crore) in a funding round from returning investor Steadview Capital.