Bengaluru startup fires 80% staff, layoffs at Facebook-parent, US sues Adobe, and more top tech news of the week

ReshaMandi lays off 80% of its staff due to funding issues, Meta's Reality Labs goes under restructuring, a US lawsuit against Adobe over subscription practices, ongoing GST discussions for online gaming in India, Google's Gemini app launch in Indian languages, and more. Read the top tech news of the week.
ReshaMandi, a Bengaluru-based B2B marketplace specialising in silk yarn products, has laid off 80% of its workforce due to its failure to secure Series B funding.The company has been significantly downsizing its operations since the last year. From 500 employees in January 2023 to around 100 by the end of the year, the company scaled down heavily in the past year. And in the process, 300-odd employees are still awaiting their final dues and salaries. Read more about what led to this situation at ReshaMandi.
Facebook parent Meta is restructuring its Reality Labs division, which’ll now be divided into two groups - Metaverse and Wearables. The restructuring comes with pink slips for some. However, the exact number is not known yet. The Metaverse unit of Reality Labs will focus on Oculus headsets, while the Wearables unit will work on other wearables, including the company's Ray-Ban smart glasses. Read more about the restructuring at Meta.
The United States government has filed a lawsuit against Adobe, accusing the software company of deceiving consumers by hiding early termination fees and making it difficult for customers to cancel their subscriptions. The Department of Justice (DOJ) alleges that Adobe's practices have harmed consumers and violated federal laws designed to protect them. Read more to know what the complaint says.
Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman chaired the 53rd GST Council Meeting in which several decisions on improving trade, easing tax compliance, and offering taxpayer relief have been taken. While online gaming companies anticipated a revision of the 28% Goods and Services Tax (GST) rate applicable to their industry and online casinos, the FM clarified that the topic wasn't addressed during the meeting. Read more to find what Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman said on the matter.
Google has launched the Gemini app in India, now supporting nine Indian languages alongside English. The app aims to make the AI assistant more accessible to users in the country. Gemini now supports Hindi, Bengali, Gujarati, Kannada, Malayalam, Marathi, Tamil, Telugu, and Urdu. Users can type, talk, or add an image to receive AI assistance on the go. Read more to know what all can Gemini do.
Apple customers in Europe might have to wait a bit longer for some exciting new iPhone tricks. The tech giant announced Friday it's putting the brakes on rolling out three new features, including the Apple Intelligence, in the EU this year. Why? It's all because of the DMA. Read more to know what Apple and the EU has to say on the matter.
Netflix has announced they're selling their very own popcorn, the "Netflix Now Popping" popcorn. They come in two flavours that sound like they're straight out of a movie -- "Cult Classic Cheddar Kettle Corn" (for cheese lovers) and "Swoonworthy Cinnamon Kettle Corn" (for those with a sweet tooth). Read more to know how much they cost and where to buy them.
Apple has confirmed that it is shutting down its buy now, pay later service, Apple Pay Later, and will instead introduce a new global instalment loan offering later this year. This new feature will allow users to access instalment loans through credit and debit cards, as well as lenders, when using Apple Pay. Read more to know what went wrong with Apple’s Pay Later service.
Motorola launched the Edge 50 Ultra in India. The phone features a 6.7-inches 1.5K 144Hz pOLED, Snapdragon 8s Gen 3, and a 50MP triple camera setup. The Motorola Edge 50 Ultra is priced at Rs. 59,999. Read more to know all about the Edge 50 Ultra.
Realme launched the second phone in its GT6 series in India, namely the GT6. The phone comes with a 6.78-inch 1.5K 8T LTPO AMOLED, Snapdragon 8s Gen 3, and trio of 50MP cameras. The Realme GT6 is priced at Rs 40,999 and onwards. Read more about Realme’s new phone.