iWorld
Silly Monks appoints C Ratnakar Rao as non-executive chairman
MUMBAI: Hyderabad-based digital media entertainment company Silly Monks Entertainment Ltd has expanded its board of directors with the appointment of independent director and chairman C Ratnakar Rao.
C Ratnakar Rao, a graduate in economics (Delhi and Osmania Universities) and management education programme – (IIM-Ahmedabad), brings invaluable experience in the domestic and international markets in the areas of media and advertising spanning over 25 years, having worked with leading Indian and international advertising agency networks (RK Swamy/BBDO and DDB Worldwide) – India, middle east, north Africa and European markets.
He was a faculty at Institute of Management Technology (Ghaziabad’s Hyderabad campus) and has served as a member of the academic council in Osmania University’s department of communication and journalism. He also served as president of The Advertising Club of Hyderabad for four terms at different stages.
Silly Monks MD Sanjay Reddy said: “He is highly regarded in his respective fields and I look forward to deriving the maximum out of his vast experience to help Silly Monks catapult to the next level.”
“COVID-19 times have helped us learn a lot, with increased revenues during the adversities we look forward to a leaner and a smarter organisation while praying for an early cure for this pandemic.”
Ratnakar Rao added, “The future of media and entertainment is perhaps one of the most fascinating stories unfolding in the world today. I cannot be more excited than being part of an industry that is driven by passionate innovation and creativity. Silly Monks has been occupying a vital position in this space and I’m quite delighted by the opportunity to be associated with an energetic and promising organization like Silly Monks. It’s a great honour and I look forward to seeing the organization making remarkable progress as we take ambitious strides.”
Ratnakar has been associated with marketing communication activities of major international brands including Sony, Almarai Dairy, Clorox Corporation, Henkel Germany, General Motors Corporation and Landmark Retail Group. He was also associated with the advertising of many leading brands not limiting to Hyderabad Industries, Coromandel Fertilisers, Vizag Steel, Margadarsi Group, Continental Coffee, Furniture World Group, Birla Shakti Cement, Apollo Hospitals, Care Hospitals, Ratnadeep Retail and many more.
iWorld
X launches XChat messaging app on iOS with calls and encryption
Standalone app marks shift from “everything app” vision, adds E2E messaging.
MUMBAI: From one big app to many small chats, X seems to be splitting its ambitions. X has rolled out its standalone messaging app, XChat, to iOS users, opening up a new front in its evolving product strategy. The app allows users to connect with existing X contacts through private and group messages, file sharing, as well as audio and video calls. The launch follows a limited beta phase, where the platform tested the product with a smaller user base to refine the experience. Now available publicly, XChat marks a notable pivot from earlier ambitions championed by Elon Musk to turn X into a single “everything app” combining messaging, payments, commerce and more.
Instead, the company under xAI ownership and backed by SpaceX appears to be building a suite of standalone applications, each targeting specific use cases while expanding its broader ecosystem.
At launch, XChat includes end-to-end encrypted messaging, PIN-based access, disappearing messages, and features such as message editing, deletion for all participants, and screenshot blocking. The company has also said the app is free from advertisements and tracking mechanisms, positioning it as a privacy-first alternative in a crowded messaging space.
However, security claims around the platform are likely to face scrutiny. Earlier iterations of XChat drew criticism from experts who argued it fell short of established encrypted platforms like Signal. With the wider rollout, the app is expected to undergo fresh evaluation to assess whether those concerns have been addressed.
Beyond messaging, XChat will also house X’s Communities feature, which is being discontinued on the main platform due to low usage and spam concerns. Migrating these users could provide an early boost to adoption, effectively turning XChat into both a communication and community hub.
The move underscores a broader recalibration at X less about cramming everything into one app, and more about spreading bets across multiple touchpoints, one message at a time.
