India's youngest founders are redefining the startup landscape through agile, tech-heavy models. By launching in their teens, leaders like Aadit Palicha (Zepto), Neelakantha Bhanu (Bhanzu), and Rohith Reji (Neokred) prove that digital-native instincts can capture untapped markets. Their success dictates that rapid iteration and scalability not age now define the future of India's economy.

The Economic Survey 2026 projected that non-agricultural gig jobs, currently over 2% of India's total workforce, could make up 6.7% of the workforce by 2029-30, contributing ₹2.35 lakh crore to GDP. The growth of gig workers outpaces overall employment, the Survey noted. "While the gig economy is booming, income volatility persists, leading to challenges in accessing credit," it added.

Amazon, NVIDIA and Microsoft are in talks to invest up to $60 billion in OpenAI, The Information reported. Existing investors NVIDIA and Microsoft could invest around $30 billion and $10 billion, respectively, while Amazon could potentially invest $10-20 billion. SoftBank is also planning a $30 billion investment in the ChatGPT maker, reports earlier claimed.

Elon Musk-led Tesla on Wednesday announced an agreement to invest about $2 billion in the billionaire's AI startup xAI. Additionally, the EV maker said it would discontinue the Model S and Model X cars to make space for the production of its Optimus humanoid robot. For the fourth quarter of last year, Tesla's net income dropped 61% to $840 million.

Buy.AI, an AI-first electronics procurement platform, has raised ₹32.5 crore in seed funding led by 100Unicorns, with participation from Ashish Kacholia, Gruhas, and FJ Labs. Founded by ex-unicorn builders, Buy.AI helps manufacturers cut sourcing costs by 5-10% using AI-driven data, sourcing, and inventory solutions.

Amazon has announced it will lay off around 16,000 corporate employees globally. As part of this latest workforce reduction, the company will cut over 500 jobs in India, The Financial Express reported, citing people familiar with the matter. The impact in India is expected to be split almost evenly between the company’s e-commerce operations and Amazon Web Services, they said.

Amazon on Wednesday confirmed that it will cut 16,000 jobs globally. Employees in Amazon Web Services, the core retail business, Prime Video, and the People Experience and Technology human resources unit are likely to be impacted by the job cuts, as per a report by Reuters. Laid-off employees who cannot secure new roles at Amazon will receive severance pay.

AI startup Delve's Indian-origin CEO Karun Kaushik claimed his COO Selin Kocalar took a 16-hour flight to Morocco on a Friday to participate in a marathon. Kaushik said Kocalar flew back to San Francisco in the night and returned to the office on Monday with her suitcase. "Sometimes in life, you've to take risk and say 'why not'," Kaushik said.

PaleBlueDot AI became a unicorn in January 2026 after raising $150 million in a Series B round led by B Capital. Founded in 2024, the neocloud startup builds AI-focused cloud infrastructure to address GPU shortages. Its rise highlights growing investor confidence in specialised compute providers driving the next wave of AI growth.

The Centre plans to empower municipal bodies in Union Budget by reducing their dependence on state and central grants, a Moneycontrol report said. Budget announcement will focus on enabling urban local bodies (ULBs) to generate more resources through mechanisms like property tax reforms and rationalised user charges. Goal is to make cities more self-reliant in funding, the report said.