In season two of the epic fantasy Game of Thrones, Cersei Lannister, queen of the Seven Kingdoms, approaches Petyr ‘Littlefinger’ Baelish for some crucial information. Littlefinger, the wily and scheming courtier, proceeds to taunt her, hinting he knows about her incestuous relationship with her brother, and condescendingly quips, “Knowledge is power”.
Cersei instantly takes stock of the situation and orders her guards to seize Littlefinger and cut his throat. Just as an armoured guard is about to do it, she shrugs and says, “Oh wait, I’ve changed my mind…. let him go.”
As a shaken Littlefinger looks at her aghast, Cersei imperiously makes her point, “POWER is power!”
Jack Ma might just be feeling Littlefinger-like right now. As the imperial might of the statist China’s old guard looks to rein in his young and brazen internet success story, it holds valuable lessons not just for global business and Big Tech, but also for India’s startup ecosystem.
Jack Ma’s Alibaba is the world’s largest retailer and e-commerce company, despite operating primarily in mainland China. Alibaba fintech affiliate Ant is into everything from venture capital funding and lending to digital payment. Ma’s success over the past two decades had earned him sobriquets like ‘China’s Steve Jobs’ and was seen as an example of excellence in entrepreneurship that could be a role model to aspirants.
Diese Geschichte stammt aus der February 14, 2021-Ausgabe von THE WEEK.
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Diese Geschichte stammt aus der February 14, 2021-Ausgabe von THE WEEK.
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William Dalrymple goes further back
Indian readers have long known William Dalrymple as the chronicler nonpareil of India in the early years of the British raj. His latest book, The Golden Road, is a striking departure, since it takes him to a period from about the third century BC to the 12th-13th centuries CE.
The bleat from the street
What with all the apps delivering straight to one’s doorstep, the supermarkets, the food halls and even the occasional (super-expensive) pop-up thela (cart) offering the woke from field-to-fork option, the good old veggie-market/mandi has fallen off my regular beat.
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COURSE CORRECTION
India's best b-schools are navigating tumultuous times. Hurdles include lower salaries offered to their graduates and students misusing AI
