Two Indian-origin businessmen makes it to Fortune's '40 Under 40' list
New York: Two Indian-origin persons have been named by American magazine Fortune in its annual list of 40 most influential and inspiring young people in business under the age of 40.
Intel's Vice President of artificial intelligence software and the AI lab Arjun Bansal and fashion platform Zilingo CEO and co-founder Ankiti Bose make it to Fortune's 2019 '40 Under 40' list, the annual selection of the most influential young people in business.
Bansal, 35, as vice president of artificial intelligence software and research at semiconductor giant Intel, has a lot on his plate, the magazine said.
Bansal's team of nearly 100 workers, scattered throughout the US, Israel and Poland work on AI technologies like reinforcement learning and natural-language processing, all intended to help keep Intel's silicon chips working swimmingly with the latest AI software, it said.
One of Intel's key AI projects involves specialised computer chips developed by Nervana, the startup co-founded by Bansal and acquired by the chip giant in 2016 in a deal reportedly worth over USD 350 million, the report said.
Bose, 27, launched the four-year-old Singapore-based startup after visiting Bangkok's Chatuchak market and realising its merchants had no easy way to sell their goods online, Fortune said.
"What started as an aggregator of small fashion retailers has since expanded into business-to-business offerings, such as supply-chain tools, and has tapped into Southeast Asia's booming Internet connectivity and smartphone adoption," it said.
The company's latest round of funding in February led by Sequoia Capital and Temasek Holdings and raising USD 226 million valued the firm with 600 employees across eight countries at USD 970 million, putting it within a rounding error of unicornship.
"Just 10 per cent of the world's venture capital backed startups worth USD 1 billion had a female founder as of last year. Bose is set to join that too-exclusive club," the publication said.
Also on the list is Voice user interface designer at Amazon Alison Atwell, 31, who is in charge of "training" Alexa, Amazon's cloud-based voice service, and teaching her new skills, and 37-year old US Presidential candidate Pete Buttigieg.
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London, Nov 22: A bomb disposal squad deployed as a “precaution” to the South Terminal of Gatwick Airport concluded an investigation into a "security incident" on Friday after making a “suspect package” safe.
The South Terminal of Gatwick Airport, the UK's second busiest airport after Heathrow, which was briefly shut owing to the incident reopened following the incident.
The Gatwick is around 45 km south of London.
Two people detained during the enquiries have since been allowed to continue their journey as the airport was opened.
“Police have concluded their investigation into a report of a suspect package at Gatwick Airport. Officers from the EOD (Explosive Ordnance Disposal) team made the package safe, and the airport has been handed back to its operator,” Sussex Police said in an updated statement.
“Two people detained while enquiries were ongoing have subsequently been allowed to continue their journeys. There will remain an increased police presence in the area to assist with passengers accessing the South Terminal for onward travel,” the statement added.
Earlier on Friday, the incident caused severe disruption at the busy airport’s South Terminal, while the North Terminal of Gatwick Airport remained unaffected.
“Police were called to the South Terminal at Gatwick Airport at 8.20 am on Friday (November 22) following the discovery of a suspected prohibited item in luggage,” a Sussex Police statement said.
“To ensure the safety of the public, staff and other airport users, a security cordon has been put in place whilst the matter is dealt with. As a precaution, an EOD (Explosive Ordnance Disposal) team is being deployed to the airport. This is causing significant disruption and some roads around the South Terminal have been closed. We’d advise the public to avoid the area where possible,” it said.
Footage on social media taken outside the airport showed crowds of frustrated travellers being moved away from the terminal building.
Gatwick said it was working hard to resolve the issue.
“A large part of the South Terminal has been evacuated as a precaution while we continue to investigate a security incident," the airport said in a social media post.
“Passengers will not be able to enter the South Terminal while this is ongoing. The safety and security of our passengers and staff remain our top priority. We are working hard to resolve the issue as quickly as possible.”
Train and bus services that serve the airport were also impacted while the police carried out their inquiries.
In an unrelated incident in south London on Friday morning, the US Embassy area in Nine Elms by the River Thames was the scene of a controlled explosion by Scotland Yard dealing with what they believe may have been a “hoax device”.
“We can confirm the 'loud bang' reported in the area a short time ago was a controlled explosion carried out by officers,” the Metropolitan Police said in a post on X.
“Initial indications are that the item was a hoax device. An investigation will now follow. Some cordons will remain in place for the time being but the majority of the police response will now be stood down,” it added.
