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Article: Karnataka's under-16 social media ban; Layoffs at Flipkart

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Karnataka has become the first Indian state to announce a ban on social media use for children under the age of 16, citing concerns over the adverse effects of mobile usage, though implementation details are not yet finalized.

E-commerce giant Flipkart has laid off 400-500 employees, representing 3-4% of its workforce, following its annual performance review cycle, as part of broader restructuring ahead of a potential public listing.

The planned IPO for Reliance Industries' Jio Platforms is likely delayed beyond its initial target, as it awaits a key regulatory amendment that would reduce the minimum public offering dilution requirement for large companies.

The main topics covered are the under-16 social media ban in Karnataka, employee layoffs at Flipkart, and the delayed IPO for Reliance Jio Platforms.

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https://economictimes.indiatimes.com/tech/newsletters/tech-top-5/karnatakas-under-16-social-media-ban-layoffs-at-flipkart/articleshow/129157113.cms

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Tech-Economic Times

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2026-03-06 13:28

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2026-03-06 11:31

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2026-03-06 11:31

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Business News›Tech›Newsletters›Tech Top 5›Karnataka's under-16 social media ban; Layoffs at Flipkart
Karnataka's under-16 social media ban; Layoffs at Flipkart
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Karnataka has become the first Indian state to ban social media use for those aged under-16. This and more in today's ETtech Top 5.
Also in the letter:
■ Reliance Jio IPO delayed
■ Pentagon vs Anthropic continues
■ SoftBank seeks loan to back OpenAI
Karnataka chief minister Siddaramaiah has announced a ban on social media use for children below 16, making the state the first in India to attempt such a restriction.
What's happening? Presenting the state budget, Siddaramaiah said the measure aims to address the impact of rising mobile and social media use among young people. "With the objective of preventing adverse effects of increasing mobile usage on children, usage of social media will be banned for children under the age of 16."
However, the government is yet to announce the implementation timeline or enforcement mechanism.
Why is this happening? The move reflects growing global concern about the effects of social media on children.
Yes, but: Some researchers and digital rights groups say age limits alone may be difficult to enforce.
Flipkart has asked 400-500 employees to leave following its latest performance review cycle, people familiar with the matter told us.
What's happening? The exits represent about 3–4% of the company’s workforce, higher than the 1–2% of bottom performers typically asked to leave each year.
This has affected employees across operations, engineering, and marketing teams.
What else? Sources said a larger number of employees were placed on a performance improvement plan (PIP) during this cycle. Many received one-star ratings in their annual review and were subsequently asked to leave.
The process appears limited to the ecommerce marketplace and has not extended to other companies within the Flipkart group, according to one of the people cited above.
Company statement: “Flipkart conducts regular performance reviews aligned with clearly defined expectations. As part of this process, a small percentage of employees may transition from the organisation. We are supporting affected employees with transition support.”
Leadership trim: The development follows an overall management restructuring. ET reported last month that Flipkart has reduced its senior leadership ranks, cutting the number of senior vice presidents from about 18 to fewer than a dozen over the past two years, as it prepares for a potential public listing.
IPO ahead: The annual performance-review linked job cuts come close on the heels of Flipkart planning to go public, which could potentially happen this year.
In December, the company received the approval of the National Company Law Tribunal for flipping back its headquarters from Singapore to India.
Also Read: Exclusive: IPO-bound Flipkart explores food delivery launch
Mukesh Ambani's Reliance Industries may miss its first-half 2026 target to list Jio Platforms, as the regulatory changes needed for the offering are still pending.
Held up: Reliance is awaiting the finance ministry's notification of amendments approved by the Securities Exchange Board of India (Sebi) in September. The changes would reduce the minimum initial public offering (IPO) dilution requirement to 2.5% from 5% for companies with a post-issue market capitalisation above Rs 5 lakh crore.
The amendment is seen as critical for very large listings such as Jio Platforms and the National Stock Exchange, but it has yet to receive formal government notification.
Number-wise: Jio’s listing would mark the first IPO of a major Reliance unit in nearly two decades and could become India’s largest public offering.
Bankers estimate the telecom and digital services arm could be valued at around $170 billion. Selling the minimum 2.5% stake at that valuation could raise about $4.3 billion.
Next step: The finance ministry must formally notify the rule change through the Official Gazette before companies can proceed under the new dilution threshold.
The US government has formally designated AI company Anthropic a “supply chain risk”, a move that could prevent federal contractors from working with the firm.
Kicking off: The designation, media reports said, appears to have ended recent talks between Anthropic and the Pentagon on how its AI models could be used in defence settings.
Hitting back: CEO Dario Amodei said the company will challenge the decision in court.
Earlier, in an internal message to employees, Amodei said the administration was targeting Anthropic because it refused to offer what he described as “dictator-style praise” to President Donald Trump, contrasting the company’s stance with that of other AI firms, such as rival OpenAI.
Yes, and: Amodei later walked back on those remarks. Speaking to The Economist, he said the message was posted in Anthropic’s Slack channel during a chaotic moment, as events unfolded rapidly.
“We didn’t know ahead of time what was going to happen, when it was going to happen,” he said. “So it was among the most disorienting times in Anthropic’s history.”
Also Read: ETtech Explainer: Anthropic’s rapid rise, Pentagon standoff and everything in between
Japan’s SoftBank is seeking a loan of up to $40 billion to help finance its expanding investment in OpenAI, Bloomberg reported.
Details:
Big picture: The scale of the loan reflects the growing capital commitments surrounding the global AI race and Masayoshi Son’s push to position SoftBank as a central player in the sector.
SoftBank has already committed over $30 billion to OpenAI, and the latest funding push would significantly expand that exposure.
To support its AI investments, SoftBank has also been selling assets, including its stake in Nvidia.
Also Read: OpenAI launches GPT‑5.4 Thinking and Pro, its ‘most factual and efficient’ model yet
Also in the letter:
■ Reliance Jio IPO delayed
■ Pentagon vs Anthropic continues
■ SoftBank seeks loan to back OpenAI
Karnataka to ban social media for children under-16
Karnataka chief minister Siddaramaiah has announced a ban on social media use for children below 16, making the state the first in India to attempt such a restriction.
What's happening? Presenting the state budget, Siddaramaiah said the measure aims to address the impact of rising mobile and social media use among young people. "With the objective of preventing adverse effects of increasing mobile usage on children, usage of social media will be banned for children under the age of 16."
However, the government is yet to announce the implementation timeline or enforcement mechanism.
Why is this happening? The move reflects growing global concern about the effects of social media on children.
- Australia became the first country to impose a nationwide ban on social media for minors in December 2025.
- Britain, Denmark, and Greece are examining similar restrictions.
- In India, IT minister Ashwini Vaishnaw recently said the Centre is discussing age-based access limits with social media companies.
Yes, but: Some researchers and digital rights groups say age limits alone may be difficult to enforce.
- Children can bypass restrictions using fake identification or borrowed accounts.
- Experts argue that digital literacy and parental guidance may prove more effective than outright bans.
Flipkart asks 400-500 employees to leave after performance review
Flipkart has asked 400-500 employees to leave following its latest performance review cycle, people familiar with the matter told us.
What's happening? The exits represent about 3–4% of the company’s workforce, higher than the 1–2% of bottom performers typically asked to leave each year.
This has affected employees across operations, engineering, and marketing teams.
What else? Sources said a larger number of employees were placed on a performance improvement plan (PIP) during this cycle. Many received one-star ratings in their annual review and were subsequently asked to leave.
The process appears limited to the ecommerce marketplace and has not extended to other companies within the Flipkart group, according to one of the people cited above.
Company statement: “Flipkart conducts regular performance reviews aligned with clearly defined expectations. As part of this process, a small percentage of employees may transition from the organisation. We are supporting affected employees with transition support.”
Leadership trim: The development follows an overall management restructuring. ET reported last month that Flipkart has reduced its senior leadership ranks, cutting the number of senior vice presidents from about 18 to fewer than a dozen over the past two years, as it prepares for a potential public listing.
IPO ahead: The annual performance-review linked job cuts come close on the heels of Flipkart planning to go public, which could potentially happen this year.
In December, the company received the approval of the National Company Law Tribunal for flipping back its headquarters from Singapore to India.
Also Read: Exclusive: IPO-bound Flipkart explores food delivery launch
Mukesh Ambani's record IPO of Jio delayed by regulatory limbo
Mukesh Ambani, chairman, Reliance IndustriesMukesh Ambani's Reliance Industries may miss its first-half 2026 target to list Jio Platforms, as the regulatory changes needed for the offering are still pending.
Held up: Reliance is awaiting the finance ministry's notification of amendments approved by the Securities Exchange Board of India (Sebi) in September. The changes would reduce the minimum initial public offering (IPO) dilution requirement to 2.5% from 5% for companies with a post-issue market capitalisation above Rs 5 lakh crore.
The amendment is seen as critical for very large listings such as Jio Platforms and the National Stock Exchange, but it has yet to receive formal government notification.
Number-wise: Jio’s listing would mark the first IPO of a major Reliance unit in nearly two decades and could become India’s largest public offering.
Bankers estimate the telecom and digital services arm could be valued at around $170 billion. Selling the minimum 2.5% stake at that valuation could raise about $4.3 billion.
Next step: The finance ministry must formally notify the rule change through the Official Gazette before companies can proceed under the new dilution threshold.
Pentagon says it is labelling AI company Anthropic a supply chain risk 'effective immediately'
Dario Amodei, CEO, AnthropicThe US government has formally designated AI company Anthropic a “supply chain risk”, a move that could prevent federal contractors from working with the firm.
Kicking off: The designation, media reports said, appears to have ended recent talks between Anthropic and the Pentagon on how its AI models could be used in defence settings.
- Some contractors have already begun distancing themselves.
- Lockheed Martin said it would comply with the directive and “follow the President’s and the Department of War’s direction.”
Hitting back: CEO Dario Amodei said the company will challenge the decision in court.
Earlier, in an internal message to employees, Amodei said the administration was targeting Anthropic because it refused to offer what he described as “dictator-style praise” to President Donald Trump, contrasting the company’s stance with that of other AI firms, such as rival OpenAI.
Yes, and: Amodei later walked back on those remarks. Speaking to The Economist, he said the message was posted in Anthropic’s Slack channel during a chaotic moment, as events unfolded rapidly.
“We didn’t know ahead of time what was going to happen, when it was going to happen,” he said. “So it was among the most disorienting times in Anthropic’s history.”
Also Read: ETtech Explainer: Anthropic’s rapid rise, Pentagon standoff and everything in between
SoftBank seeks up to $40 billion loan to finance OpenAI investment
Masayoshi Son, CEO, SoftBank and Sam Altman, CEO, OpenAIJapan’s SoftBank is seeking a loan of up to $40 billion to help finance its expanding investment in OpenAI, Bloomberg reported.
Details:
- The borrowing would mark one of the largest dollar-denominated loans arranged for a technology investment.
- The facility is expected to be structured as a 12-month bridge loan, sources told the publication.
- JPMorgan Chase & Co and three other lenders are underwriting the financing.
Big picture: The scale of the loan reflects the growing capital commitments surrounding the global AI race and Masayoshi Son’s push to position SoftBank as a central player in the sector.
SoftBank has already committed over $30 billion to OpenAI, and the latest funding push would significantly expand that exposure.
To support its AI investments, SoftBank has also been selling assets, including its stake in Nvidia.
Also Read: OpenAI launches GPT‑5.4 Thinking and Pro, its ‘most factual and efficient’ model yet
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I agree to receive newsletters and marketing communications via e-mail
Thank you for subscribing to Daily Top 5
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