e-commerce
Ronnie Screwvala’s UpGrad platform attracts entries from over 20 countries
MUMBAI: The online education platform UpGrad founded by Ronnie Screwvala, Mayank Kumar, Ravijot Chugh and Prabhav Phalgun went live with its first course on entreneurship on 25 November. The 15 week program, in its first outing, has received entries from 100 cities over 20 countries. Close to 2000 participants applied for course.
The program features five distinguished faculty members from academia, 30+ entrepreneurs like Ola Cabs co-founder Bhavish Aggarwal, MakeMyTrip.com founder Deep Kalra, Zomato co-founder Pankaj Chaddah and over 10 industry stalwarts from various fields to provide deep insights and first-hand experiences to the student base.
The courses will vary from a duration of six weeks to nine months and will have multiple start dates through the year. Going forward, UpGrad will also be available on the mobile platform through an android app.
Speaking on the response, UpGrad CEO & co-founder Mayank Kumar said, “The fact that we received close to 2000 applications across various demographic sections during the first leg of the launch, stands testament to the need for quality online education in India. We aim to bridge this need gap through UpGrad.”
“With UpGrad, we aim to revolutionise the online education industry by bringing credibility and scale. The response to our first course is a strong validation that we are on our way of achieving our vision. Our strong academics & media production team providing quality content, and our technology team building the most innovative learning platform enable us to provide a unique and first of its kind education experience to create industry ready professionals. Our programs will also offer a strong support services to ensure students have a seamless learning experience,” signed off UpGrad founder Ronnie Screwvala.
e-commerce
Amazon unveils first Trustworthy Shopping Experience Report
32,000 bad actors targeted, 15 million fake products removed in 2025.
MUMBAI: In a marketplace where trust is the real currency, Amazon is showing its receipts. Amazon has released its first-ever Trustworthy Shopping Experience Report, offering a detailed look at how it polices its vast digital shelves from counterfeit crackdowns to scam detection and review authenticity. At the heart of the report is a four-pronged strategy, proactive controls, risk anticipation, enforcement against bad actors, and consumer protection. The scale is staggering. Since 2020, Amazon’s Counterfeit Crimes Unit has pursued over 32,000 bad actors globally through litigation and criminal referrals spanning 14 countries.
The clean-up drive accelerated in 2025, with the company identifying and disposing of more than 15 million counterfeit products worldwide. Legal action also led to the takedown of over 100 websites linked to fake reviews and scams, an ongoing battle in the age of algorithmic manipulation.
Behind the scenes, artificial intelligence and machine learning are doing the heavy lifting. Amazon says it monitors billions of daily interactions across listings, reviews, and seller activity to spot trouble before it surfaces. Its predictive systems can even flag potentially infringing listings for trending products before brands raise the alarm.
Tools like Omniscan, which verifies product safety information at scale, and SENTRIX, designed to detect and eliminate phishing websites, are part of this expanding tech arsenal. Together, they aim to reduce risk while keeping the platform usable for legitimate sellers.
That balance between protection and friction is a tightrope Amazon acknowledges. Rohan Oommen, Vice President of Worldwide Customer and Partner Trust, noted that while safeguards are critical, they must not stifle genuine businesses. Features like the Account Health Dashboard are meant to give sellers clearer visibility into compliance and performance.
Consumer-facing measures are also getting sharper. From direct safety alerts to recall notifications and refund guidance, Amazon is leaning into transparency, backed by partnerships with consumer organisations to raise awareness.
The report’s release follows the expansion of Amazon’s Counterfeit Crimes Unit into India, signalling a deeper push into one of its fastest-growing markets, with closer coordination planned between brands, sellers, and law enforcement.
In short, as online shopping grows more complex, Amazon is betting that trust built through data, enforcement, and a fair bit of algorithmic vigilance will be its most valuable product yet.
