Business
Khosla raids Elon’s ghosla: Calls on tech workers to quit Musk’s Tesla and SpaceX – The Times of India
The TOI correspondent from Washington: Among Silicon Valley elites where tech titans have largely aligned with President Donald Trump’s purportedly race-driven MAGA vision, Indian-American venture capitalist Vinod Khosla has been an outlier. Exceptional as his opposition to Trump has been, the billionaire tech savant has set off a political and cultural firestorm this week with a blunt message aimed at MAGA maverick Elon Musk’s workforce: if you are a non-white employee at Tesla, SpaceX or X, you should quit — and come work for him instead.In a viral post on X, Khosla accused Musk of advancing a racially exclusionary version of Trump’s MAGA movement and urged employees who disagreed to walk away. “@elonmusk doesn’t want MAGA, he wants WAGA — ‘white America great again’ — as a ‘racism is great and desirable’ paradigm,” Khosla wrote, responding to Musk’s comments about white people becoming a “rapidly diminishing minority.” Khosla went on to invite “all non-whites… and all decent whites” at Musk’s companies to resign and send their LinkedIn profiles to Khosla Ventures.
The extraordinary call — part political denunciation, part talent raid — crystallized Khosla’s position as one of the very few tech titans willing to openly challenge Trump’s growing alliance with Silicon Valley’s elite. While much of the industry – including companies like Google, Microsoft, and IBM, all led by Indian-Americans – has moved to accommodate, or even embrace, Trump II, Khosla has chosen defiance, framing the moment as a moral test for American capitalism.Musk responded by calling Khosla a “pompous a******” and reminding him that his partner, Shivon, is half Indian and his eldest son with her “is named in honor of the great Indian physicist Chandrasekhar.”The Musk clash did not emerge in isolation. For months, Khosla has used his social media presence to attack Trump’s leadership, values and approach to governance. In January 2026, he described the administration’s agenda as “The Undoing Project,” accusing Trump of orchestrating a “rampant, multifarious attack on American values, norms, institutions, laws, and democracy.” He has warned that fear and cynicism are being used to silence opposition and has repeatedly urged Republicans, executives and investors to speak out.Khosla’s hostility toward Trump is deeply personal as well as political. An immigrant from India and a co-founder of Sun Microsystems, he has argued that Trump’s rhetoric and policies undermine the meritocratic ideals that powered Silicon Valley’s rise. In earlier posts that resurfaced during the 2024 election cycle, Khosla said he despised Trump for his “lack of values, his pathological lying, his selfishness,” accusing him of appealing to “the least appealing parts of American society.”That worldview now puts Khosla sharply at odds with the prevailing direction of the tech industry. A growing cohort of influential “tech bros” has signed up, explicitly or implicitly, for MAGA. Musk stands at the center of that universe, having donated heavily to Trump’s campaign and emerged as the president’s most powerful ally in Silicon Valley. Others in Trump’s orbit include PayPal co-founder Peter Thiel, investor and podcaster David Sacks, and venture capital heavyweights Marc Andreessen and Ben Horowitz, all of whom have praised Trump’s promises of deregulation, tax cuts and a lighter regulatory touch on artificial intelligence and crypto.Even executives who once positioned themselves as Trump skeptics have largely shifted to pragmatic cooperation. Leaders of Meta (Mark Zuckerberg), Amazon (Jeff Bezos), Apple (Tim Cook), Google (Sundar Pichai), Microsoft (Satya Nadella), and IBM (Arvind Krishna) have attended Trump events, increased political donations and pledged billions in US investments, while tech lobbying has surged to record levels. The calculation is straightforward: access, influence and regulatory relief outweigh ideological discomfort.By contrast, open opposition has become rare. Aside from Khosla, only a handful of prominent figures — including LinkedIn co-founder Reid Hoffman and entrepreneur Mark Cuban — have maintained public distance from Trump. While dozens of top venture capitalists now lean pro-Trump, outspoken critics can be counted on one hand.The divide carries consequences for tech workers, many of whom remain politically liberal even as their employers drift right. Over 450 employees from Google, Meta, Amazon, Apple, Microsoft, and OpenAI recently signed an open letter demanding their CEOs “pick up the phone” to stop ICE excesses. Khosla’s call for non-white employees to leave Musk’s companies is tapping into that tension, highlighting a widening gap between executive power and workforce values. As Trump settles deeper into his second term, Silicon Valley increasingly looks like a sector that has chosen alignment over resistance. Khosla, by contrast, is betting that dissent still matters — even if it leaves him standing nearly alone.
Business
Budget 2026 Live Updates: TCS On Overseas Tour Packages Slashed To 2%; TDS On Education LRS Eased
Union Budget 2026 Live Updates: Union Budget 2026 Live Updates: Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman is presenting the Union Budget 2026-27 in Parliament, her record ninth budget speech. During her Budget Speech, the FM will detail budgetary allocations and revenue projections for the upcoming financial year 2026-27. Sitharaman is notably dressed in a Kanjeevaram Silk saree, a nod to the traditional weaving sector in poll-bound Tamil Nadu.
The budget comes at a time when there is geopolitical turmoil, economic volatility and trade war. Different sectors are looking to get some support with new measures and relaxations ahead of the budget, especially export-oriented industries, which have borne the brunt of the higher US tariffs being imposed last year by the Trump administration.
On January 29, 2026, Sitharaman tabled the Economic Survey 2025-26, a comprehensive snapshot of the country’s macro-economic situation, in Parliament, setting the stage for the budget and showing the government’s roadmap. The survey projected that India’s economy is expected to grow 6.8%-7.2% in FY27, underscoring resilience even as global economic uncertainty persists.
Budget 2026 Expectations
Expectations across key sectors are taking shape as stakeholders look to the Budget for support that sustains growth, strengthens jobs and eases financial pressures:
Taxpayers & Households: Many taxpayers want practical improvements to the income tax structure that preserve simplicity while supporting long-term financial planning — including broader deductions for home loan interest and diversified retirement savings options.
New Tax Regime vs Old Tax Regime | New Income Tax Rules | Income Tax 2026
Businesses & Industry: With industrial output and investment showing resilience, firms are looking for policies that bolster capital formation, ease compliance, and expand infrastructure spending — especially in manufacturing and technology-driven sectors that promise jobs and exports.
Startups & Innovation: The startup ecosystem expects incentives around employee stock options and capital access, along with regulatory tweaks that encourage risk capital and talent retention without increasing compliance burdens.
Also See: Stock Market Updates Today
The Budget speech will be broadcast live here and on all other news channels. You can also catch all the updates about Budget 2026 on News18.com. News18 will provide detailed live blog updates on the Budget speech, and political, industry, and market reactions.
We are providing a full, detailed coverage of the union budget 2026 here, with a lot of insights, experts’ views and analyses. Stay tuned with us to get latest updates.
Also Read: Budget 2026 Live Streaming
Here are the Live Updates of Union Budget 2026:
New Delhi: The Cabinet on Sunday approved the Union Budget 2026-27 during a meeting in Parliament chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi. A meeting of the Union Cabinet was held at Sansad Bhawan at 10 a.m., and after the Cabinet’s approval, Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman proceeded to Parliament to present the Budget.
Earlier, FM Sitharaman met President Droupadi Murmu and offered her a copy of the digital budget. The President also offered ‘dahi-cheeni’ (curd and sugar) to Sitharaman when she arrived at the Rashtrapati Bhavan. The Finance Minister was seen carrying her trademark ‘bahi-khata’, a tablet wrapped in a red-coloured cloth bearing a golden-coloured national emblem on it.
Minister of State for Finance Pankaj Chaudhary, Chief Economic Advisor Dr V. Anantha Nageswaran, Central Board of Direct Taxes (CBDT) Chairman Ravi Agrawal and other officials were seen accompanying the Finance Minister. Sitharaman was set to present her ninth consecutive Union Budget in the Lok Sabha. In 2021, she switched to using a digital tablet to carry the Budget papers, further promoting a modern and eco-friendly approach.
The ‘bahi-khata’ is a red pouch that holds the digital tablet containing the Budget documents. This year, Sitharaman opted for a deep maroon Kanjeevaram saree from Tamil Nadu. The saree featured a deep maroon base with a contrasting border and subtle gold detailing, paired with a yellow blouse.
The Budget is likely to strike a deft balance of sustaining growth momentum and maintaining fiscal consolidation. It also needs to address near-term challenges emanating from unprecedented geopolitical flux, said economists. According to economists, the budget is likely to focus more on capital expenditure, especially in sectors deemed to be strategically important owing to prevailing geopolitical compulsions.
While the FY26 Budget was more tilted towards stimulating middle-class consumption with tax reliefs, the FY27 Budget’s approach to stimulating consumption will be selective, they added.
Business
Education Budget 2026 Live Updates: What Will The Education Sector Get From FM Nirmala Sitharaman?
Union Education Budget 2026 Live Updates: Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman will present the Union Budget 2026–27 on February 1, with a strong focus expected on the Education Budget 2026, a key area of interest for students, teachers, and institutions across the country.
In the previous budget, the Bharatiya Janata Party government announced plans to add 75,000 medical seats over five years and strengthen infrastructure at IITs established after 2014. For 2025, the Centre had earmarked Rs 1,28,650.05 crore for education, a 6.65 percent rise compared to the previous year.
Meanwhile, the Economic Survey 2025–26, tabled in the Parliament of India, points to persistent challenges in school education. While enrolment at the school level is close to universal, this has not translated into consistent learning outcomes, especially beyond elementary classes. The net enrolment rate drops sharply at the secondary level, standing at just over 52 per cent.
The survey also flags concerns over student retention after Class 8, particularly in rural areas. It notes an uneven spread of schools, with a majority offering only foundational and preparatory education, while far fewer institutions provide secondary-level schooling. This gap, the survey suggests, is a key reason behind low enrolment in higher classes.
Stay tuned to this LIVE blog for all the latest updates on the Education Budget 2026 LIVE.
Budget 2026 Live Updates: TCS On Overseas Tour Packages Slashed To 2%; TDS On Education LRS Eased
Trump says India will buy oil from Venezuela, not Iran
Budget 2026: Cabinet gives green signal to Union Budget 2026–27
-
Business1 week agoSuccess Story: This IITian Failed 17 Times Before Building A ₹40,000 Crore Giant
-
Fashion1 week agoSouth Korea tilts sourcing towards China as apparel imports shift
-
Sports1 week agoTransfer rumors, news: Saudi league eyes Salah, Vinícius Jr. plus 50 more
-
Sports5 days agoPSL 11: Local players’ category renewals unveiled ahead of auction
-
Sports1 week agoWanted Olympian-turned-fugitive Ryan Wedding in custody, sources say
-
Entertainment1 week agoThree dead after suicide blast targets peace committee leader’s home in DI Khan
-
Tech1 week agoStrap One of Our Favorite Action Cameras to Your Helmet or a Floaty
-
Tech1 week agoThis Mega Snowstorm Will Be a Test for the US Supply Chain