Page 34 - The Indian EYE 050324

NORTH AMERICAN Newsline MAY 03, 2024 | The Indian Eye 34

TARUN GHULATI

India-born leader to challenge

Sadiq Khan

the app, AirChat is banking on voice interactions to change the way people
connect online. A previous version of AirChat was released last year.

AirChat was the 23rd-most popular social media app in the US on
Apple’s App Store as of Monday, according to market research

firm SensorTower. Ravikant, who has made seed investments in
elhi-born Tarun Ghulati believes his experience as a businessman and companies including Uber Technologies, argues that voice is a
investment expert is what London needs to revive its fortunes as the
D “global bank of the world” by attracting the investment it needs. The In- more intimate medium for conversation than text.
dian-origin candidate in the race to challenge Sadiq Khan from winning a third
term as London Mayor says the citizens of the UK capital have been let down “Humans are all meant to get along with other humans, it just requires the
by all major political parties and that he wants to run London like a “seasoned natural voice,” he posted on AirChat.
CEO” who delivers profits for all. It has a design that mirrors most social media platforms and allows users
The 63-year-old is standing as an Independent candidate among 13 con- to post, scroll through a feed, and message other users privately, in the form
testants in the fray for the local elections on May 2 when Londoners will vote of audio recordings.
for their Mayor and also for members of the London Assembly. The voice notes play automatically and can be paused. The app also gen-
“I view London as a unique global city, akin to the ‘global bank of the erates transcripts of the notes simultaneously. The app has seen positive re-
world’ where diverse cultures converge to flourish,” Ghulati said in a speech ception from social media users.
this week. “The flexibility in transforming from one medium to another opens in-
“As Mayor, I will build London’s balance sheet such that it is the premier teresting new doors for capturing and sharing ideas online,” one user posted
choice for investment, safeguarding safety and prosperity for all its residents. on X. Others said they found the voice-to-text transcription to be accurate in
I will transform and run London effectively and efficiently like a seasoned initial tests.
CEO. London will be a profitable corporation where profitability means the
well-being of all. You will all be part of the journey. Let’s do it for our London, KAUSHIK RAJASHEKARA
our home,” he said.
Safety on the streets of the city is among his other major priorities, with
visible community policing and more officers patrolling on the beat on the Professor honored for outstanding
agenda. On May 2, Londoners will head to the polls to elect a mayor and 25
London Assembly members. The current Mayor of London, Sadiq Khan, is contribution in energy
seeking re-election for a third term. With a budget of billions, the mayor has
an important role in making London a better place for everyone who visits, n award-winning Indian-origin
lives or works in the city.
distinguished professor at the
AUniversity of Houston’s Cul-
NAVAL RAVIKANT len College of Engineering has been

VC rolls out social media app elected as an International Fellow of
the Engineering Academy of Japan.
Originally from a small village
based on voice notes in Karnataka, Professor Kaushik Ra-
jashekara has been recognized for his
contributions to power conversion
enture capitalist Naval Ravikant has rolled out a social media app cen- and electrification of transportation.
tered around communicating through voice notes, looking to challenge Rajashekara, 73 old is among an elite
Vthe dominance of text-based platforms such as Elon Musk-owned X group of fewer than 10 fellows from
and Meta Platforms’ Threads. the US, out of a distinguished group
Naval Ravikant is an American entrepreneur and investor. He is the comprising 800 fellows and 15 inter-
co-founder, chairman and former CEO of AngelList. national fellows.
Founded by Ravikant and former Tinder product chief Brian Norgard, “I am deeply honored to have Continued on next page... >>

www.TheIndianEYE.com