Days after Blinkit launched its 10-minute ambulance service, a start-up founder and YouTuber reached out to Blinkit CEO Albinder Dhindsa with a request to introduce an “ATM-like” service. The founder suggested that this service would be “incredibly helpful.”

Harsh Punjabi, founder of The Dot Company and a YouTuber, posted on social media platform X: “Hey @albinder, please start an ATM-like service on Blinkit. Users could pay via UPI, and cash could be delivered to their doorstep in under 10 minutes. That would be super helpful!”

His rationale for this suggestion became clear in a follow-up tweet where he expressed, “Leaving for a trip and need cash. I only have Rs 100 at home. I don’t want to go to the ATM, but it looks like I’ll have to.”

Punjabi’s tweet sparked a variety of responses. Some users pointed out that delivery charges would incur an 18 percent GST, while others claimed that the idea would make Indians lazier. Many questioned the need for cash, given the widespread acceptance of UPI.

One user remarked, “The idea is good, but the 18 percent GST on delivery charges would ruin everything,” while another joked, “This scheme should be kept a secret.”

Another user lamented, “Why doesn’t Blinkit breathe on our behalf too? We’ve become that lazy,” and another added humorously, “Please, let’s not make India lazy to this extent.”

A user highlighted that similar arrangements exist where customers go to shops, pay extra for their bills, and take back the additional cash for tasks like paying rickshaw pullers.

“Why do you want cash? Cash should be eliminated. We need maximum digitalization,” one user opined, while another noted that acquiring smaller notes can be tricky, especially when UPI isn’t an option.

It’s worth mentioning that similar services are already available, such as platforms like MakeMyTrip that offer foreign currency delivery.

On January 2, Blinkit announced its ambulance service. Dhindsa stated, “We are taking our first step toward addressing the challenge of providing quick and reliable ambulance services in our cities. The first five ambulances will be operational in Gurugram starting today. As we expand, users will soon have the option to book a Basic Life Support (BLS) ambulance through the Blinkit app.”

Google has pruned its managerial workforce, reducing it by 10% in a move aimed at streamlining operations and redefining its corporate culture in a year-long push. This pruning, part of a broader efficiency drive, includes a 10% cut at manager, director, and vice president levels.

Reports indicate that during an all-hands meeting, CEO Sundar Pichai outlined the rationale behind the decision, emphasizing the need for efficiency and redefining the company’s core values, often referred to as “Googleyness.”

A Google spokesperson revealed that some affected employees would transition to individual contributor roles, while others faced role eliminations. These adjustments come amidst growing challenges in the tech industry, particularly with rapid developments in artificial intelligence (AI) and fierce competition from rivals like OpenAI.

The AI race and Google’s response

The tech giant has recently intensified its focus on AI innovations, unveiling Gemini 2.0, its most advanced AI model yet. Sundar Pichai described the new model as heralding a “new agentic era” in which AI systems are designed to comprehend and make decisions about the world.

This announcement boosted Google’s stock, which surged by over 4% following the news, a day after a 3.5% increase attributed to breakthroughs in its quantum chip technology.

Previous layoffs in 2024

The latest layoffs mark Google’s fourth round of job cuts in 2024. Earlier in January, Google eliminated several hundred positions in its global advertisements team. In June, its cloud unit also saw workforce reductions. By January of this year, Google had already cut 12,000 roles, equivalent to 6.4% of its global workforce.

In a letter addressed to employees during the earlier layoffs, Pichai took responsibility for the decisions, stating that the company had experienced dramatic growth that required adjustments to sustain operations. Despite efforts, he acknowledged the process could have been managed better.

Redefining ‘Googleyness’

At the same meeting, Pichai stressed the need to revisit and reshape the concept of “Googleyness.” This term, often used to define the company’s unique culture and hiring philosophy, will now play a pivotal role in transforming corporate dynamics to adapt to new challenges.

The adjustments highlight Google’s commitment to staying competitive while reshaping its operational framework to remain aligned with its long-term vision.

Zomato has introduced a new feature called Food Rescue to minimise food wastage, announced the food delivery platform CEO Deepinder Goyal on Sunday.

Announcing the new feature on X, Goyal said the decision, to introduce the new feature, was taken to prevent the tremendous amount of food wastage due to order cancellation on the platform.

Committed to minimising food wastage, the Zomato boss said: “We don’t encourage order cancellation at Zomato, because it leads to a tremendous amount of food wastage.”

Goyal said despite having stringent policies, and a no-refund policy for cancellations, more than 4 lakh perfectly good orders get cancelled, for various reasons by customers.

He said the top concern for the online food delivery platform, the restaurant industry, and even the customers who cancel these orders, is to somehow save the food from going to waste.

With the launch of the new feature, Food Rescue, cancelled orders will now pop up for nearby customers, who can grab them at an unbeatable price, in their original untampered packaging, and receive them in just minutes.

According to Zomato, the cancelled order will pop up on the app for customers within a 3 km radius of the delivery partner carrying the order. To ensure freshness, the option to claim will only be available for a few minutes.

The online food delivery platform will not keep any proceeds except the required government taxes and the amount paid by the new customer will be shared with the original customer (if they made payment online) and with the restaurant partner.

Orders containing items sensitive to distances or temperature such as ice creams, shakes, smoothies, and certain perishable items, will not be eligible for Food Rescue.

Restaurant partners will continue to receive compensation for the original cancelled order, plus a portion of the amount paid by the new customer if the order is claimed, the company said. “Most restaurants have opted in for this feature, and can opt of it easily whenever they want, directly from their control panels,” it added.

The delivery partners will be compensated fully for the entire trip, from the initial pickup to the final drop-off at the new customer’s location, it said.

Food Rescue will show up on the customers’ home page automatically if there’s a cancelled order available for them to grab. The Customers have to refresh the home page to check for any newly available orders which need to be rescued.