iWorld
Times Bridge appoints two Twitter execs to leadership roles
MUMBAI: Times Bridge has added two more Twitter seasoned professionals to its roster. The global investments arm of The Times Group has appointed Viral Jani and Margot Ling-former executives at the microblogging site-to its leadership team. Jani has been appointed senior vice president of investment operations while Ling has been appointed as head of greater China investments and partnerships.
Both appointments are effective immediately.
“The mission of Times Bridge is to bring the world’s best ideas to India and to share India’s best insights with the world,” said Times Bridge CEO Rishi Jaitly, who previously served as Twitter’s vice president, Asia Pacific and Middle East. “Viral and Margot are proven, mission-driven leaders who will help us build on recent momentum to scale the pan-India success of our investment portfolio and meet the demand for Times Bridge’s platform in China and beyond.”
Viral Jani, a graduate of MICA in Ahmedabad, has worked in a variety of functions across technology and media firms. Until recently, Jani led strategy, television and entertainment partnerships for Twitter across India working with key strategic partners to drive innovation and monetisation. Previously, he was Head of Strategy and Social Media for The Times Network. Jani will be based in Mumbai and lead the India success of Times Bridge’s growing investment portfolio, which includes Airbnb, Coursera, Houzz, MUBI, Thrive, Uber, Vice and others.
“India is a meeting point for the world’s great ideas and a microcosm of the world’s markets, presenting unique challenges and opportunities for all entrepreneurs,” said Jani. “At Times Bridge, I look forward to setting a new standard for what it means for big ideas, from our investment portfolio and beyond, to immerse across India.”
Margot Ling, before leading strategy and partnerships for Twitter across Greater China, helped global companies such as Dolby, News Corp and Edipresse structure deals in Mainland China. Ling will be based in Hong Kong and work with entrepreneurs and executives across Greater China to help them realize their India opportunity.
“China and India are not only the world’s fastest-growing economies but also two of the world’s most celebrated, ancient civilisations,” said Ling. “At Times Bridge, I look forward to building a bridge between India and China and, in so doing, setting a new standard for what it means for ideas to travel between cultures.”
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.
