iWorld
Tendulkar-backed Smartron mobiles to have Eros Now app, deal signed
MUMBAI: Eros Now, one of the fastest growing digital over-the-top (OTT) South Asian entertainment platforms, owned by Eros International Plc, has announced a strategic partnership with Smartron, a Sachin Tendulkar-backed India-based IoT startup, to provide its extensive entertainment repertoire to Smartron smartphone customers.
Eros Now will be the exclusive digital OTT service for entertainment content on all Smartron devices. Sachin Tendulkar is an Indian sporting legend and one of the most accomplished cricket players of all time. He is the only player to complete more than 30,000 runs in international cricket.
As their preferred partners, Eros Now will provide its vast repository of movies, television shows, music, originals and regional content across multiple languages such as Tamil, Telugu, Malayalam, Bengali, Punjabi and Marathi to all Smartron customers. Eros Now will leverage from Smartron’s extensive marketing campaigns and packaging to promote the partnership.
The smartphone user base in India reached 300 million in 2016 with the market growing by 18% as per a report by Counterpoint’s Research, paving the way for India to become the second-biggest smartphone market in terms of active unique smartphone users.
Commenting on the association, Rishika Lulla Singh, CEO, Eros Digital said, “With high smartphone penetration and an all-time rise in content consumption on handheld devices, we are happy to join hands with Smartron as this strategic partnership strengthens our philosophy of bringing entertainment at audience fingertips anytime, anywhere.”
“We are excited to partner with Eros Now as we get ready to roll out our highly intelligent and customized entertainment experience through our tronx platform,” said Mahesh Lingareddy, Founder and Chairman, Smartron. “All of our tronx users can experience great entertainment seamlessly across all our existing smart devices like the tphone, tbook, srtphone and the soon to be launched devices and beyond. We believe in making life smarter and simpler and, with this, even more people can tap into the incredible capabilities of our tronx IoT platform.”
iWorld
OpenAI hits back at Elon Musk’s lawsuit ahead of trial
Company calls claims “baseless” and accuses Musk of trying to disrupt a rival.
MUMBAI: When the stakes are measured in billions and egos are involved, even Silicon Valley titans can turn a courtroom into a battlefield. OpenAI has issued a sharp public response to Elon Musk’s ongoing lawsuit, accusing the billionaire of filing the case to harass a competitor rather than address genuine concerns. In a strongly worded statement shared on its official X account, OpenAI described Musk’s allegations as “baseless” and suggested the lawsuit is an attempt to disrupt the company as the case heads toward trial later this month in Oakland, California.
The response comes after Musk’s legal team recently amended the complaint, proposing that any damages potentially exceeding $150 billion should go to OpenAI’s nonprofit entity rather than to Musk personally. OpenAI questioned the timing and motive behind this change, calling it a late-stage attempt to “pretend to change his tune” on the nonprofit structure.
The company further labelled the lawsuit a “harassment campaign”, arguing that Musk’s actions are driven by personal rivalry, ego, and a desire for greater control and financial upside.
At the heart of the dispute is Musk’s claim that OpenAI has abandoned its original nonprofit mission of developing artificial intelligence for the benefit of humanity. A co-founder who left in 2018, Musk is seeking governance changes, including the removal of CEO Sam Altman from the nonprofit board, and the return of certain financial gains linked to Altman and President Greg Brockman.
OpenAI has firmly rejected these allegations, maintaining that its current hybrid structure, a public-benefit corporation overseen by a nonprofit parent remains true to its long-term goals. The company has also previously accused Musk of anti-competitive behaviour aimed at weakening its leadership.
As the case prepares for a jury trial, this public exchange highlights the deepening rift between two of the most influential figures in the AI revolution and raises broader questions about governance, mission, and power in the fast-moving world of artificial intelligence.
In the high-stakes game of AI, it seems the real drama isn’t just inside the models, it’s playing out in courtrooms too.
