The Nine Indias

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Salutations, Olio aficionados! 👋

Midweek greetings to all, as we unveil the 207th chapter of Weekly Olio—a delightful concoction of laughter, insight, and a sprinkle of mystery. Within these pages, you'll discover a handpicked selection of fascinating finds from the vast realms of the internet.

Keep your eyes peeled for this week’s Publisher’s Parmesan, arriving this Sunday!

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The Quote󠀢 💭

The Tweet 🐦

Ali Partovi is one the more successful investors in Silicon Valley with early bets on hot AI startups like Cursor. This is an account from his early days that highlights the value of promises - even those made verbally without any formal agreement.

The Infographic 💹

Google’s Nano Banana Pro has been a star ever since it was released last week. We found the above AI generated image on Twitter - this is the most succinct breakdown of how AI is creating new deal structures on Wall Street. This is the clearest breakdown of the most - recent mega deals announced for the buildout of AI infrastructure.

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The Short Read 📝

Stop Hiring People - by Gaurav Vohra

This article is a note of caution for startups where hiring is often the default solution for a whole host of problems. Having a ‘people first’ approach to hiring can not only be inefficient but can also be potentially destructive for startups. Instead of hiring based on an impressive individual or a vague role, companies must first define a clear business problem or opportunity.

The author advocates for a structured, problem-centric process that begins with identifying a critical business gap. If no current team member can address it, the next step is to create a Mission, Outcomes, and Competencies (MOC) document. This MOC is a crucial internal requirement document, similar to a Product Requirements Document (PRD), that clearly articulates the specific, measurable business outcomes the new hire must achieve (e.g., "Grow ARR from $3M to $15M+"). The MOC, which is written before the public Job Description (JD), ensures that every hire is directly tied to a strategic business need, preventing the common pitfalls of hiring for the sake of a role or a person. The core message is to focus on the problem, then the role, then the person. Read more…

The Long Read 📜

The Nine Indias - by Manish Singh

It is often quoted that India’s per capita income is ~$2400 but this average figure hides a lot of disparity underneath. Due to extreme inequality, the average ceases to be a good indicator. The author contends that India is better understood as a collection of separate economies, where the national average is rendered useless by widening gaps. The analysis reveals that the average income for the wealthiest 2% of the population significantly inflates the national figure. When this top cohort is excluded, the per capita income for the remaining 98% drops substantially.

Furthermore, the bottom 90% of the population has an average income closer to $900 per year, held down by slow formal job creation and modest wage growth in rural and mass cohorts. The article emphasizes that India contains "Switzerlands, South Koreas and Brazils" nested within a much poorer nation. Therefore, policy and business decisions should be based on a granular understanding of these distinct consumer segments, rather than relying on the thin crust of aggregate statistics. Read more…

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That’s all for this week. If you enjoyed this edition, we’d really appreciate if you shared it with a friend, family member or colleague.

We’ll be back in your inbox 2 PM IST next Wednesday. Till then, have a productive week!

Peeyush and Mohit

Disclaimer: The views, thoughts, and opinions expressed in the text belong solely to the author, and not necessarily to the author's employer, organization, committee or other group or individual.