,A few months ago, I came across a thought-provoking thread on Twitter.

Essentially, a denunciation of how entirely soulless and devoid of character modern

architecture and design have become.\xc2\xa0The thesis is pretty simple\xe2\x80\
x94modern architecture sucks because it\xe2\x80\x99s boring.\xc2\xa0And by modern
architecture, we\xe2\x80\x99re not talking about the crazy, convoluted lines and
headache-inducing spaces of designer buildings. Like @culturaltutor
https://twitter.com/culturaltutor says, at least those are examples of effort. Of
architects or designers trying.\xc2\xa0But those are hardly representative of our
era, are\xc2\xa0they? Bland, cuboid apartment blocks are more our jam.\xc2\xa0And I
get the thinking: why waste effort and resources on detailing when it doesn\xe2\
x80\x99t add to function? Totally logical. It\xe2\x80\x99s also why hardly anything
built recently seems to have any character anymore. Extremely functional, and
extremely boring.\xc2\xa0Detail is important because it says a lot more about a
particular thing than any\xc2\xa0purely\xc2\xa0functional, barebones version could.
In art and architecture, it bestows beauty. In journalism, it delivers depth and
insight.\xc2\xa0Great narrative style aside, it\xe2\x80\x99s also why you should
read our latest crop of stories\xe2\x80\x94they\xe2\x80\x99re packed full of juicy
detail.\xc2\xa0Take Anand\xe2\x80\x99s piece on Monday. Telecom-equipment maker
Tejas Networks is a company that dominated the Indian tech-news cycle in the 2000s,
with high expectations riding on it when it listed on the bourses in 2017. But its
share value over the next few years didn\xe2\x80\x99t exactly meet them. Until that
is, it was acquired by the Tata Group this summer. Now, Tejas Networks\xe2\x80\x99
stock valuation is off the charts with a price-to-earnings multiple of more than
2,000X. What\xe2\x80\x99s the deal here? Anand\xc2\xa0has the details https://the-
ken.com/story/the-tata-wind-beneath-tejas-networks-wings-carries-investors-away/?
utm_source=recap_story&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=recap_newsletter.\xc2\xa0Then,
on Tuesday, we had Yunindita\xe2\x80\x99s piece on Southeast Asia\xe2\x80\x99s
tech-funding scene. Global economic prospects are gloomy, yes, and we are in a \
xe2\x80\x98tech winter\xe2\x80\x99. But that doesn\xe2\x80\x99t mean there aren\
xe2\x80\x99t funds to go around. In fact, investors in the region have raised over
US$4 billion over the past twelve months. Not everyone\xe2\x80\x99s getting the
cash, however. It\xe2\x80\x99s turning into an investors\xe2\x80\x99 market, and if
you need the funds, you need some\xc2\xa0hard proving
https://the-ken.com/story/tech-winter-and-us4b-dry-powder-tip-the-scales-in-favour-
of-southeast-asias-vcs/?
utm_source=recap_story&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=recap_newsletter\xc2\xa0to
do.\xc2\xa0On Wednesday, Soumyajit wrote about how Apple\xe2\x80\x94long struggling
to become a major mobile-phone player in India\xe2\x80\x94is finally taking off. In
the year ended March 2022, its India revenue grew 45%, and iPhones led smartphone
shipments in the quarter ended September 2022. But the offline retailers who\xe2\
x80\x99ve been the key to Apple\xe2\x80\x99s India success are\xc2\xa0not
particularly happy https://the-ken.com/story/indians-love-for-the-iphone-is-
stronger-than-ever-but-apple-retailers-are-not-happy/?
utm_source=recap_story&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=recap_newsletter.\xc2\
xa0Anushka\xe2\x80\x99s Thursday piece took a long-deep look at another tech giant
and a man who has helmed its operations in India through some exciting times. Ajit
Mohan quit as head of Meta\xe2\x80\x99s (formerly Facebook) India division early
this month after a nearly four-year stint, and the story deconstructs Meta\xe2\x80\
x99s and Mohan\xe2\x80\x99s\xc2\xa0eventful journey https://the-ken.com/story/how-
ajit-mohan-walked-a-tightrope-between-metas-business-wins-and-regulatory-troubles/?
utm_source=recap_story&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=recap_newsletter\xc2\xa0in
that time\xe2\x80\x94from his role in Meta\xe2\x80\x99s US$5.7-billion deal with
Reliance Jio to encounters with India\xe2\x80\x99s regulators.\xc2\xa0To round off
the week, Sashwata examined FamPay\xe2\x80\x94a three-year-old fintech trying to
build a business by catering to a pretty interesting target market: young adults
seeking financial independence. FamPay does this by offering pocket-money smart
cards. Essentially, app-based prepaid cards that also come with UPI IDs.\xc2\
xa0But\xc2\xa0how is that working out https://the-ken.com/story/what-is-your-
teenager-doing-with-a-prepaid-card/?
utm_source=recap_story&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=recap_newsletter? And what are
its users learning from it?\xc2\xa0Happy reading! And stay tuned for more next
week!\xc2\xa0Regards,Jonathanjonathan@the-ken.com mailto:jonathan@the-ken.comWhat
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