iWorld
Arvind Kejriwal on The Viral Fever
MUMBAI: Delhi has decided its next Chief Minister in Arvind Kejriwal and the man of the moment will soon feature on multi channel network – The Viral Fever’s show Barely Speaking, on Monday, 16 February.
Speaking about its achievements, The Viral Fever founder & CEO Arunabh Kumar said, “We at the Viral Fever are committed to bring out the best content for our eager audiences. We strive to reach out to an entirely resonated audience with what I have personally believed all my life-common Indian man needs to be parodied the most. With Arvind Kejriwal deciding to join us, it proves that we have been able to disseminate great content experiences to young Indians in the digital era.”
“Viewers will be able to see Kejriwal in a never seen before avatar and I am confident that they will be equally impressed beyond doubt. Our satire based programming has always been thought provoking in the past and who better than Kejriwal whose symbol is the humble broom, to strike a meaningful conversation with us,” Kumar added.
Setting another precedent for the genre, it is for the first time that a distinguished and influential politician from the country will be seen gracing a satire show on an Indian online network. Audiences will be able to view previously unseen facets of the man, more popularly and seriously known as the ‘muffler man’ as he gets set to be grilled by show host Arunabh.
e-commerce
American Express to acquire AI startup Hyper to boost automation
Deal targets expense management as AI reshapes corporate spending tools.
MUMBAI: From receipts to robots, the expense sheet is getting a brain upgrade as American Express moves to bring artificial intelligence into the heart of corporate spending. The company has announced plans to acquire Hyper, a relatively young but fast-rising startup founded in 2022 that builds AI-powered agents capable of organising expenses, generating reports, verifying compliance with budgets and policies, and nudging users with timely reminders. The deal, expected to close in the second quarter of 2026, underscores a growing shift among financial institutions to automate traditionally manual, time-heavy workflows.
Hyper counts Sam Altman among its backers, adding a layer of Silicon Valley credibility to the acquisition. While financial details remain undisclosed, the strategic intent is clear: deepen automation capabilities and sharpen American Express’s position in the competitive corporate spending ecosystem.
The two companies are not strangers. They previously collaborated in 2024 on a co-branded credit card product, suggesting that the acquisition is less a cold buy and more an extension of an existing relationship. With this move, American Express is effectively bringing that capability in-house, aiming to embed AI directly into its commercial services stack.
Chief executive Stephen Squeri had already signalled the direction of travel in a recent shareholder letter, describing AI as a “structural shift” in how businesses operate. The Hyper acquisition appears to be a direct response to that shift, particularly in expense management, where processes such as approvals, compliance checks and reporting remain ripe for automation.
Alongside the acquisition, the company is also expanding its product suite. A recently launched business credit card offers cashback and benefits at an annual fee of $295, with another card expected later this year moves that complement its broader push into commercial services.
Taken together, the strategy points to a future where managing expenses may require fewer spreadsheets and more algorithms. For American Express, the bet is simple, if businesses are rethinking how work gets done, the tools that power that work need to evolve just as quickly.
