MAM
The Quint, founded by Raghav Bahl and Ritu Kapur, turns 4
MUMBAI: The Quint, India’s leading mobile-first online news portal, completes four years of delivering bold and thought-provoking news, views and interactive content to its readers. With a variety of content across politics, entertainment, fitness & lifestyle, tech & auto and food & travel, The Quint has changed the way digital news is consumed in India.
The Quint started off as a Facebook page publishing news in 2015 and since, has grown to approximately 16 million unique monthly visitors, nearly 69% of which comprises millennials, i.e. readers in the age group of 18 to 34 years (source: Google Analytics). The Quint caters to a massive WhatsApp subscriber base of 175K+ readers.
The portal has redefined digital storytelling by popularising snackable content formats such as 360 degree videos, elections on mobile, podcasts and interactive stories. Through their social assets, The Quint reaches 100 million users every month. With deep expertise and forte in digital video, The Quint is the largest digital-only publisher on Facebook (Crowdtangle, February 2019 data).
Ritu Kapur, founder and CEO, The Quint, says, “I have no doubt that it is our innovative, energetic, young team that gives The Quint its edge, making us the fastest growing digital only offering in the country. Our vision is to be the next-gen news leader.”
Since its inception, The Quint has gone beyond just being a news portal. They have introduced multiple content verticals in keeping with what the audience wants. Quint Hindi has successfully managed to tap into the ever-growing Hindi speaking audience base. Quint Neon manages to get the pulse of millennials just right, and Quint FIT is the one-stop destination for health and fitness lovers.
To counter fake news, The Quint launched ‘WebQoof’, a fake news busting service. Their ongoing ‘Me, The Change’ campaign directly speaks to India’s first-time women voters and gives them a platform to put forth their aspirations.
In just a span of four years, The Quint has indeed come a long way and created a unique space for itself in the digital news publishing space.
Brands
Wipro hires 7,500 freshers, withholds FY27 hiring outlook
Profit rises to Rs 3,522 crore, Rs 15,000 crore buyback announced.
MUMBAI- Hiring may be on, but visibility is off, Wipro is adding talent even as it pauses the crystal ball. The company hired 7,500 freshers in FY26 but stopped short of offering any hiring outlook for FY27, underscoring the uncertainty gripping the IT services sector as it pivots towards an AI-led operating model.
The disclosure came alongside its fourth-quarter earnings, where management flagged volatile demand conditions and refrained from committing to future workforce expansion. Chief human resources officer Saurabh Govil noted that over 3,000 of the total hires were onboarded in the March quarter alone, signalling continued intake despite a lack of clarity on deployment pipelines.
This divergence active hiring without forward guidance reflects a broader industry pattern where talent acquisition continues even as deal conversions remain uneven and client spending cycles stretch. Wipro expects its IT services revenue for the June quarter to range between a decline of 2 per cent and flat growth sequentially in constant currency terms, reinforcing near-term caution.
Chief executive officer Srini Pallia pointed to artificial intelligence as both a disruptor and an opportunity. He said evolving client priorities are pushing the company towards outcome-driven engagements, with Wipro increasingly focusing on a services-as-software model through its AI Native Business and Platforms unit. The shift marks a structural change from traditional headcount-led growth to AI-enabled delivery frameworks.
The company has already committed over $1 billion to its AI ecosystem, with investors closely watching how these investments translate into revenue. For now, the numbers present a mixed picture. Net profit rose sequentially to Rs 3,522 crore, while revenue grew 3 per cent to Rs 24,236 crore. However, core IT services performance remained under pressure, with full-year revenue declining 0.3 per cent in dollar terms and 1.6 per cent in constant currency.
Large deal bookings offered a counterpoint, rising 45.4 per cent year-on-year to $7.8 billion, highlighting a widening gap between deal wins and actual revenue realisation. On a quarterly basis, IT services revenue slipped 1.2 per cent sequentially, signalling continued softness in execution.
Margins, however, told a more optimistic story. Operating margins expanded to 17.3 per cent in the fourth quarter, up from 14.8 per cent in the previous quarter, reflecting improved cost discipline. That said, the company cautioned that upcoming wage hikes and the ramp-up of large deals could exert pressure going forward.
Attrition stood at 13.8 per cent in the March quarter, indicating stabilisation after periods of elevated churn. Alongside its earnings, Wipro also announced a Rs 15,000 crore share buyback, reinforcing its focus on shareholder returns, with a payout ratio of 88 per cent over the past three years.
Taken together, the numbers capture a company in transition investing in AI, maintaining hiring momentum, but navigating a demand environment where growth is uneven and visibility remains limited.
