Brands
McDonald’s India – North and East introduces “The Kartik Aaryan Meal”
Mumbai: The Famous Orders platform has seen global success at McDonald’s, from Travis Scott Meal to BTS Meal. Customers in India are in for a delicious treat as McDonald’s India – North and East has introduced the Kartik Aaryan Meal, which includes Kartik’s favorites from the menu. The Kartik Aaryan Meal includes his favourite, go-to menu items from McDonald’s – the classic McAloo Tikki Burger, delicious Cheesy Fries, ever-so favourite Pizza McPuff with a Regular Beverage, served as a 4-piece meal. To the fans’ delight, the 4-piece meal will be served in a special Kartik Aaryan-themed, QR-code enabled packaging offering fans an opportunity to take a virtual selfie with their favorite celebrity.
Kartik Aaryan is McDonald’s India – North and East brand ambassador, and extremely popular among youth and families. This unique association presents an opportunity for Kartik’s fans to experience the Bollywood star’s go-to McDonald’s order and feel even closer to him.
Talking about the launch, McDonald’s India – North and East managing director Rajeev Ranjan said, “What unites all our customers, fans and famous celebrities, is that everyone has their go-to McDonald’s order! We are super excited about this collaboration with Kartik to bring his favourite go-to McDonald’s order for our customers. Our delicious food served in an exclusive packaging inspired by Kartik’s own style, with opportunities to engage with him, will help bring our customers closer to their favourite superstar.”
“I am thrilled to see my favourite McDonald’s go-to order come to life,” exclaimed Aaryan. “I have always been a McDonald’s fan and having a meal at McDonald’s named after me is truly a big moment! For many years, I have enjoyed the McAloo Tikki burger, beverages and Pizza McPuff. And to add my recent favourite – Cheesy Fries, the combination makes for a delicious, perfect go-to meal. I am very excited to share my McDonald’s go-to order with my fans. I truly hope people will enjoy my favourite McDonald’s order as much as I do.”
The Kartik Aaryan Meal is now available across McDonald’s restaurants in North and East India or through Swiggy, Zomato or Magic Pin), as well as via take-away, or drive-thru for a limited time.
Brands
Google nears Nvidia in race for world’s most valuable company
Market cap gap narrows as Google hits $4.65 trillion, Nvidia at $4.86 trillion.
MUMBAI: In the AI gold rush, even the giants are sprinting and Google is suddenly gaining ground. Google is rapidly closing in on Nvidia in the race to become the world’s most valuable publicly listed company, with the gap between the two narrowing sharply amid diverging stock momentum. The tech giant’s market capitalisation has surged to around $4.65 trillion, following a more than 140 per cent rise in its share price over the past year.
That rally has added over $2.6 trillion in value in just 12 months, including nearly $900 billion since January alone. Its stock recently hovered at $381.80, slipping marginally by 0.04 per cent, but still reflecting strong upward momentum.
Nvidia, meanwhile, continues to hold the top spot with a valuation of approximately $4.86 trillion. The chipmaker crossed the $5 trillion milestone in October last year and peaked at $5.27 trillion on 27 April. However, its shares have largely plateaued over the past six months, rising just 0.2 per cent recently to $199.99.
The contrast in trajectories is striking. While Nvidia has seen relatively flat movement, Google has gained over 36 per cent in the same six-month period. Barron’s estimates suggest that if current trends hold, the valuation gap could shrink to as little as $190 million by the time Nvidia reports its first-quarter earnings on 20 May.
Daily momentum paints a similar picture. Nvidia recorded average daily gains of about 0.66 per cent last month, compared to Google’s stronger 1.42 per cent, an edge that could prove decisive in the short term.
Driving Google’s resurgence is its aggressive push into artificial intelligence across its ecosystem, from search and YouTube to cloud computing. The company has already invested $144 billion in capital expenditure over the past two years and plans to deploy a further $490 billion over the next two.
Its cloud division is also gathering pace. Google Cloud reported an order backlog of nearly $220 billion in the latest quarter, with total backlog touching a record $462 billion, around half of which is expected to be realised within two years. The company’s entry into chip sales is also beginning to factor into its growth narrative.
The last time Google briefly topped the S&P 500 by market value was in February 2016, when it edged past Apple for just two days. This time, the stakes and the numbers are far higher.
At the heart of the contest lies a single force: artificial intelligence. As both companies pour billions into infrastructure, chips and platforms, the leaderboard is no longer just about size, it is about who can scale the future faster.
