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Jio Platforms hires tech veteran Dr Sayed Peerzade
MUMBAI: Jio Platforms Ltd (JPL) is making moves to shore up its AI and cloud ambitions. The company has hired tech veteran Dr Sayed Peerzade as executive vice-president – cloud. Peerzade, until recently, was with the Hiranandani group-promoted Yotta Data Services as chief cloud officer, head of special initiative, cloud, AI & M&E practice. He announced his joining JPL on linkedin.
In his new role as part of the AI ops team, Peerzade said “he will focus on driving technological innovations in cloud and AI domains, enhancing and creating products for the group, shaping go-to-market strategies, leading solutions and engineering channels and optimizing presales channels to deliver transformative business outcomes.”
Peerzade, who holds a PhD in engineering with a specialisation in digital transformation from Dr Abdul Kalam Research Centre, has worked with various organisations right from Netex Solutions to Hathway Cable, UTV, ICICI Bank, Zapak Digital, and Reliance Entertainment. He is a recipient of many an Indian and global honour and award for his work in technology.
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With 57 per cent single new users, Ashley Madison rebrands as discreet dating platform
Platform says majority of new members now identify as single
INDIA: Ashley Madison is shedding the “married-dating” label that defined it for two decades, repositioning itself as a platform for discreet dating in what it calls the post-social media age.
The rebrand, unveiled in India on 27 February, 2026, marks a structural shift in business model and identity. Once synonymous with married dating, the company now describes itself as the “premier destination for discreet dating” under a new tagline: Where Desire Meets Discretion.
The pivot is data-driven. Internal figures show that 57 per cent of global sign-ups between 1 January and 31 December, 2025 identified as single: a notable departure from the platform’s married core. The company argues that its community has already evolved beyond its original positioning.
“In an age where our lives have been constantly put on public display, privacy has become the new luxury,” said Ashley Madison chief strategy officer Paul Keable. He framed the platform’s offering as “ethical discretion” for singles, separated, divorced and non-monogamous users seeking private connections.
The shift also taps into wider digital fatigue. A global survey conducted by YouGov for Ashley Madison, covering 13,071 adults across Australia, Brazil, Canada, Germany, India, Italy, Mexico, Spain, Switzerland, the UK and the US, found mounting discomfort with hyper-public online lives.
Among dating app users, 30 per cent cited constant swiping and messaging as a source of fatigue, while 24 per cent pointed to pressure to curate public-facing profiles and early personal disclosure. Some 27 per cent said fears of screenshots or information being shared contributed to exhaustion; an equal share cited unwanted attention.
The retreat from oversharing appears broader. According to the survey, 46 per cent of adults actively try to keep most aspects of their life private online. Only 8 per cent feel comfortable sharing most aspects publicly, while 35 per cent say they are becoming more selective about what they disclose.
Ashley Madison is betting that this cultural recalibration towards controlled visibility can be monetised. By doubling down on privacy infrastructure and reframing itself around discretion rather than infidelity, the company is attempting to convert reputational baggage into a premium proposition.
