iWorld
YouTube 2014 Rewind: Year of Bollywood stars
MUMBAI: 2014 is winding up and YouTube has already given us its top trending videos of the year in India. Videos that people chose to watch repeatedly, shared and made them the most popular ones of the lot.
This year seemed to be the year of Bollywood celebrities, embracing YouTube as a means to connect with fans, do something madcap and establish their positions as youth icons. Whether it was the ice bucket challenges or film promotional strategies, celebrities have greatly benefited from YouTube in 2014!
Taking the top spot with over 8.8 million views is the episode of Comedy Nights with Kapil which featured sultry adult movie star Sunny Leone and producer Ekta Kapoor promoting Ragini MMS 2. Not surprisingly, Leone’s music video “Baby Doll” is also graded by YouTube as the top trending Indian music video of 2014 with nearly 40 million views.
Alia Bhatt made a stellar debut on YouTube this year when she paired up with All India Bakchod (AIB) and made the hysterical “Genius of the Year” mockumentary which garnered over 6.8 million views. That is not all – Bhatt’s unplugged version of “Samjhawan” highlighted her singing capabilities and increased curiosity for the film, Humpty Sharma Ki Dulhania. The video was watched by more than 16 million people.
Closely following Bhatt and Leone’s popularity meter on YouTube is Bollywood actor Ranveer Singh. As part of the promotion for his upcoming movie ‘Bang Bang’, actor Hrithik Roshan dared Singh to a challenge on the streets of Mumbai. In his usual feisty spirit, Singh danced to the popular “Main Aisa Kyon Hoon” in the Krissh get up. His fanatical “Bang Bang Dare” video acquired over 3 million views.
2014 also saw innovative and effective content that sought to entertain the audience while at the same time, sending out valuable messages to the viewers. For instance, Nestlé India’s “Good food, Good Life” advertisement, which ranks in the top 10 trending videos of India with over 6 million views, is truly a moving commercial that teaches us the joy of sharing. The public service announcement video entitled “SeatBelt Crew” received close to 4.7 million views. The unique concept featured a group of transgenders delivering a lesson in safe driving that motorists will carry for the rest of their lives.
Independent video creators like The Viral Fever and AIB, also took YouTube by storm this year with their spoof parodies and original content. Their popular videos “Bollywood Aam Aadmi Party – Arnab’s Qtiyapa” and “Nayak2: The Common Man Rises” attracted over 4 million and 3 million views respectively.
Other trending YouTube videos In India include Aap Ki Adalat’s episode feature Narendra Modi with over 4 million views, “Lion shows tourists why you must stay inside your car”, “Top 50 English Nursery Rhymes” and “Wheels on the Bus”. Amongst the music videos, “Chaar Botal Vodka” featuring Yo Yo Honey Singh takes the second most popular spot with over 28 million views. This is followed by “Tu Meri” from the movie Bang Bang, Rahat Fateh Ali Khan’s “Zaroori Tha”, “Yaar Naa Miley” from Kick, “Tune Maari Entriyaan” from Gunday and “Jumme Ki Raat” from Kick.
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.
