MAM
McCann awarded creative duties of History Channel
MUMBAI: AETN-18, a joint venture between A & E Networks and TV18, has awarded creative duties for the soon-to-be-launched History Channel in India to McCann Erickson.
The agency will work on the launch communication strategy for the channel in India. The appointment comes after a multi-agency pitch.
Says TV18 President A+E Networks Ajay Chacko, “History has always been associated with the past, but with the new channel, we hope to change people‘s perception of History. The channel today is contemporary. It is also about action, thrill and adventure as much as it is about events and people that have shaped our lives. With the right blend of strategic insight, cutting edge creative and innovative thinking, we are happy to have McCann Erickson partner us best in our ndeavor to position History as the most relevant and engaging factual entertainment channel.”
Adds McCann Worldgroup India executive chairman Prasoon Joshi, “I‘m very excited with our partnership with History Channel and I‘m looking forward to doing great work together, especially because the AETN-18 team believes in out of the box thinking.”
MAM
Three senior OpenAI infrastructure executives join Meta
Key members of Stargate project move to rival amid aggressive AI spending race.
MUMBAI: Three key architects of OpenAI’s ambitious data centre plans have switched sides and joined Meta Platforms, according to people familiar with the matter. Peter Hoeschele, who played a central role in OpenAI’s high-profile Stargate initiative, is among the new hires. He is joined by Shamez Hemani, who focused on computing strategy and business development, and Anuj Saharan, another leader in the computing organisation. The Information first reported their departure from OpenAI on Thursday.
The moves come as Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg has pledged to spend aggressively on AI infrastructure. The company is projecting capital expenditure of up to $135 billion this year alone, with hundreds of billions more expected before the end of the decade to support its Meta Superintelligence Labs and new models such as Muse Spark.
OpenAI, which is pushing ahead with massive data centre expansion, had described its early lead in securing computing power as a competitive advantage. Stargate, originally announced last year as a $500 billion venture involving OpenAI, Oracle, and SoftBank, has since become an umbrella term for the company’s broader data centre ambitions. However, the project has seen recent adjustments, including a pause on its UK plans and the decision not to expand the Abilene, Texas site.
A spokesperson for Meta declined to comment, while Hoeschele, Hemani, and Saharan also declined to comment. OpenAI said it was grateful for the contributions of the three employees and remains focused on hiring talent for its infrastructure plans. The company recently brought in former Intel executive Sachin Katti to lead its industrial compute efforts.
In the high-stakes race to build the future of artificial intelligence, talent is proving to be as valuable as computing power itself. Meta’s latest hires suggest the competition for top infrastructure minds is intensifying, even as OpenAI continues to scale its own ambitious projects. The move highlights how quickly the AI talent war is heating up across Silicon Valley.
