Marc Manara, Global Head of Startups at OpenAI, said Indian startups are focusing on AI costs much earlier in their growth journey compared to their Silicon Valley peers. Manara stated that Indian founders emphasise cost efficiency and practical unit economics from beginning. He said Indian firms are building sustainable AI solutions tailored to market rather than prioritising rapid scaling alone.

US' Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) has ordered inspection for 471 Boeing 737 Max jets, following reports of fuselage cracks in some older models. Last year, Civil Aviation Ministry said that 56 Boeing 737 Max planes are operational in India. Akasa Air and Air India Express, key operators of the jets in India, said their fleets aren't impacted by the directive.

Petroleum Minister Hardeep Singh Puri said US now accounts for 67% of India's LPG imports, making it the country's largest LPG supplier. Referring to Strait of Hormuz's closure, Puri said, "As some doors closed, others opened." India decided autonomously at the start of 2026 to import 10% of its LPG from US, a move which helped the country, he added.

Karnataka CM DK Shivakumar on Thursday met a senior delegation from Anthropic to discuss a long-term partnership. The talks focused on integrating AI into citizen-centric governance, launching large-scale skilling programmes and supporting deep-tech startups. Discussions also focused on advancing the state's proposed AI University initiative to strengthen Karnataka's position as an innovation hub.

Amid heavy rainfall in Delhi NCR, office-goers took to social media to complain about not being able to book cabs despite trying for hours. People shared how Uber was overcharging ₹400 for a 2-km ride in Noida while highlighting that its regular fare for the same route is around ₹100. Several areas faced water-logging in the region.

Bengaluru-based startup Astrobase Space on Friday unveiled 'Everest', India's first full-flow staged combustion (FFSC) rocket engine. Currently, SpaceX is the only company to have flown an FFSC engine in orbital rocket. The fully integrated 80-tonne-class engine uses liquid oxygen and liquid methane and is designed to produce about 800 kilonewtons of thrust in the vacuum of space.

After Lok Sabha passed bill allowing Centre to permit MDR on UPI transactions, Payments Council of India (PCI) clarified who bears the cost of operating UPI. Operating UPI involves continuous investment in technology, fraud prevention, cybersecurity, compliance and customer support, stated PCI. Banks, NPCI and payment apps like Paytm and Google Pay, currently bear these costs, it added.

Several Sahara investors protested outside Supreme Court in Delhi, demanding refunds of their long-pending deposits. One protester climbed a tree to draw attention to investors' demands. Protesters sought immediate action to recover stuck funds. Notably, a refund portal was launched in July 2023 following Supreme Court order but fewer than 10% of investors have been paid as of February 2026.

The Maharashtra government has cleared the rollout of India-based startup Sarvam AI's technologies to its departments with a two-year outlay of ₹11.26 crore. Under the deal Sarvam's AI workspace Indus will be deployed to around 2,500 government users. The firm's agent Samvaad AI will be used in a one-month pilot for outreach to tubercolosis patients for awareness in local languages.

A Reddit post claiming that a single employee's mistake led to a team losing its work-from-home arrangement sparked widespread discussion online. The post stated that an employee accidentally shared his screen during a client call, revealing an open video game. Hours later, HR mandated full-time office work, though users argued management merely used the incident as an excuse, reports stated.