iWorld
AirtelBlack.com: how one frustrated customer turned a month of outages into a viral headache for Airtel
Reddit user buys unused domain, mocks service, and forces telecom giant to apologise
Mumbai: A single frustrated customer has taught Bharti Airtel a lesson in digital humility. Reddit user anir0y bought the website airtelblack.com after Bharti Airtel failed to secure it. Instead of selling it for money, they turned it into a public joke about the company’s poor customer service.
The problem began with nearly 30 days of internet outages. The customer’s office network, which relied on a static IP, was repeatedly disrupted. Every complaint, they said, was marked “resolved” without fixing the problem.
The website, called Airtel Black — The Customer Experience, A Satirical Tribute, mocks Airtel in many ways. It plays the Airtel jingle on repeat, shows a fake “letter from the ceo” saying fixes are “someone else’s job”, and has a “ticket roulette” that highlights how service requests are ignored. The fine print also makes fun of the “up to 1 Gbps” speed claim.
The protest is powered by AI. Users can email their own bad experiences, and verified stories are automatically added to a “wall of shame”. The site stays live as long as new complaints keep coming.
Airtel eventually noticed, apologised, and refunded the month-long outage. The site’s owner agreed to take it offline on 19 June 2026, but warned:
“If anyone sends a real Airtel horror story with proper evidence, the AI will verify it and bring the site back to life.”
As of late March 2026, airtelblack.com remains live, a clear lesson that in 2026, a single customer with a bit of tech knowledge can create a big headache for a company.
iWorld
MS Dhoni invests in Kuku, joins Kuku TV as brand ambassador
Cricket icon backs AI storytelling platform, fronts Kuku TV campaign
MUMBAI: MS Dhoni has invested in Kuku and joined its short-form drama app Kuku TV as brand ambassador, signalling a high-profile bet on India’s fast-growing AI-led content space.
Kuku, a mobile-first storytelling platform, operates across formats with apps such as Kuku TV for micro-dramas, Kuku FM for audio content and Guru for learning-led entertainment. Founded in 2018, the company has scaled rapidly, crossing 350 million installs and building a catalogue of over 20,000 titles across multiple Indian languages.
Dhoni said his decision to invest and partner with the platform was driven by its distinct approach to storytelling and its strong growth trajectory. MS Dhoni said, “I chose to invest in Kuku, and also come on board as the ambassador for Kuku TV, because the platform really stood out to me. It has built a differentiated entertainment experience for audiences across India, spanning multiple languages and formats. The growth has been impressive, and I connect strongly with the founders, who come from small towns like mine and have built something of this scale. I believe in their vision of building an AI-driven storytelling platform from Bharat, for Bharat, and for the world.”
Founded by Lal Chand Bisu, Vinod Kumar Meena and Vikas Goyal, the platform positions itself at the intersection of technology and storytelling, using AI to create and distribute bite-sized content tailored to mobile audiences.
Sharing his perspective, Kuku co-founder and CEO Lal Chand Bisu said, “MS Dhoni is known for backing bold decisions that others might hesitate to take. At Kuku, we are also taking bold bets. That spirit of unconventional thinking resonates deeply with us.”
Adding to this, Kuku co-founder and COO Vinod Kumar Meena said, “Our beloved Thala is one of the rare personalities with truly nationwide appeal. As we build Kuku for all of India, that connection makes him a natural fit for us.”
Further, Kuku co-founder and CTO Vikas Goyal said, “MSD has a unique understanding of people. As we build for both creators and consumers, that perspective will be incredibly valuable, especially as we continue strengthening our AI-driven storytelling stack.”
Backing the momentum, Panthera Peak Capital managing director Nikhil Bhandarkar said, “Kuku’s vision, execution, and clarity of thought are exceptional, qualities that closely mirror MS Dhoni’s approach. We are excited to partner with the team as they build Kuku into a global entertainment platform.”
To mark the association, Kuku TV has rolled out the campaign Dhoni Watches Kuku TV, anchored by a brand film that plays on Dhoni’s instinctive decision-making. Built around short, engaging stories delivered in minutes, the campaign highlights the platform’s promise of quick, compelling entertainment.
With Dhoni stepping in as both investor and face of the brand, Kuku appears to be doubling down on its ambition to take AI-driven storytelling from India to a global audience, one short story at a time.
