TCS faces US class action over alleged discrimination; NotCo raises $70 mln; smartphone addiction hurting marriages

Tata Consultancy Services, India's biggest IT services company, is facing a class-action lawsuit in the US, the company’s biggest market. TCS has been sued by Shawn Katz, a former employee, who alleges that the IT giant discriminates against non-South Asian and non-Indian applicants and employees, Money Control reports. Also in this episode, Vivo’s latest Switch Off report shows smartphone addiction is hurting marriages, and NotCo, backed by Jeff Bezos, has raised $70 million in series D1 funding, led by Princeville Capital. Notes: Tata Consultancy Services, India's biggest IT services company, is facing a class-action lawsuit in the US, the company’s biggest market. TCS has been sued by Shawn Katz, a former employee, who alleges that the IT giant discriminates against non-South Asian and non-Indian applicants and employees, Money Control reports. The lawsuit alleges that TCS has a systematic pattern of discriminating against non-South Asian and non-Indian applicants and employees “with respect to hiring, staffing, benching, termination, and promotion decisions,” and that this policy is implemented top-down at the company. Katz worked at the company for more than nine years before being let go. This case was filed in the United States District Court for the District of New Jersey on Dec. 7, according to Money Control. Marketers at Vivo have released the results of the latest edition of an intelligent campaign they started four years ago to draw attention to their products. The fourth edition of the Vivo switch-off campaign – which the Chinese smartphone maker started in 2019 – focuses on spousal relationships and the harmful effects of excessive smartphone use. A survey of 1,000 smartphone users, conducted by Cybermedia Research – commissioned by Vivo – found that 88 percent of the respondents feel that their addiction to their smartphones is hurting their relationship and 84 percent want to spend more quality time with their spouse, according to a press release. The survey polled smartphone users in Delhi, Mumbai, Kolkata, Chennai, Hyderabad, Bangalore, Ahmedabad and Pune. 69 percent of couples feel being occasionally distracted by their smartphone, or not attentive enough to their spouse. 70 percent confess to getting irritated sometimes when their spouse asks something while they are immersed in their smartphones, and 90 percent of the respondents say that the smartphone is the most preferred way to relax. NotCo, a Santiago, Chile-based food tech unicorn known for its plant-based dairy and meat alternatives, has closed $70 million in new funding as a Series D1 round. The company will use the money to expand its new B2B unit to offer its proprietary AI software to other CPG brands, ingredient suppliers and technology providers, according to a press release. The latest funding round – which retained NotCo’s $1.5 billion valuation – was led by Princeville Capital. In-Med Prognostics, an AI startup, with expertise in multi-modal data and image processing has raised $2.13 led by Exxora with participation from prominent angels, the company said in a press release. In-Med uses deep learning algorithms and machine learning to provide time-saving accurate Neuro analysis which aids in the assessment and early detection of neurological disorders such as Dementia, Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s at affordable prices, according to the press release. Theme music courtesy Free Music & Sounds: https://soundcloud.com/freemusicandsounds