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Flipkart's new Minutes app; Anthropic employee sounds alarm
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Flipkart has launched a standalone app for its quick commerce unit Minutes. This and more in today’s ETtech Top 5.
Also in the letter:
■ Ajit Mohan quits Snap
■ Cognition AI raises $2B
■ Meta launches Muse
Walmart-backed Flipkart has launched a standalone app for its quick commerce arm, Flipkart Minutes, on the Google Play Store, as it steps up its push into the segment.
It is also piloting its food delivery service 'Eat In', people aware of the developments told us.
Driving the news: The Flipkart Minutes app is being piloted with early access for a few users. The company is collecting feedback to improve its performance ahead of a wider rollout before the Big Billion Days (BBD) sale in October.
ET was the first to report in April that the company planned a separate Minutes app later this year.
Also Read: Flipkart to launch food delivery pilot in August: Kalyan Krishnamurthy
The company is also testing its food delivery service, among select employees in Bengaluru. It plans to expand the pilot to all employees by September 15 before opening it to the public.
Tell me more: The standalone app’s launch comes as Flipkart’s share of monthly active users (MAUs) has fallen in recent years, with customers shifting to quick commerce platforms.
ET reported on September 9 that Flipkart and Amazon are expanding quick commerce alongside microdramas, in-app over-the-top (OTT) videos and food delivery to counter the decline in their MAU share to 10-minute delivery platforms.
Also Read: Flipkart's Kalyan Krishnamurthy rules out IPO timeline, plays down quick commerce as a separate business
Artificial intelligence (AI) researcher Jacob Coxon has quit Anthropic and the AI industry, accusing the company and OpenAI of playing with people's lives in the race to build self-improving AI systems. Anthropic is the company behind Claude and OpenAI runs ChatGPT.
Why he quit: The 27-year-old spent three years working on AI model pretraining, first at OpenAI and then at Anthropic. He said both companies are racing towards self-improving superintelligence despite the risks involved, adding that no other human activity poses this level of danger.
Quote, unquote: “Neither company is acting responsibly. They are racing straight to self-improving superintelligence and gambling with our lives,” Coxon said in his post on X.
The risk: Anthropic's Alignment stress-testing team lead Evan Hubinger backed Coxon's concerns, saying that researchers genuinely believe AI could potentially kill all humans. He estimated the risk at more than 10% over the next decade.
Why it matters: This comes as Anthropic, OpenAI, and other AI companies invest heavily in advanced models and AI agents that can perform tasks with less human input.
The companies say these systems could improve productivity, scientific research, and software development. However, critics warn that this could create new risks.
: Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis addresses the....jpg "Mumbai, Sep 09 (ANI): Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis addresses the...")
Payments and consumer internet firms are preparing for a shift where AI agents could search for products and complete purchases within limits set by users, making agentic commerce a key focus on the first day of the Global Fintech Fest.
Jargon buster: Agentic commerce is AI-powered shopping in which software searches, compares, orders and pays for products on a user’s behalf.
Tell me more: The National Payments Corporation of India (NPCI) is working on the proposed Unified Agent Protocol to set rules for identity, consent and accountability when agents transact through the Unified Payments Interface (UPI).
The framework builds on a 2025 pilot by NPCI, Razorpay and OpenAI that tested shopping through ChatGPT, with BigBasket as one of the merchants.
Razorpay cofounder and chief executive Harshil Mathur told us that a second version, due Thursday, will allow users to delegate payments to AI agents within preset limits.
What execs said:
After four years at Snap, Ajit Mohan has stepped down as chief business officer in a senior leadership change at the Snapchat parent.
What’s happening? Snap has promoted Ronan Harris, who has led its Europe, Middle East, and Africa business for nearly four years, to chief commercial officer.
Harris will oversee global advertising sales and go-to-market operations, with a focus on ad revenue and relationships with advertisers and agencies.
Yes, and? Mohan said on LinkedIn that the decision was personal and that he wanted to spend more time with his family in Singapore. He joined Snap in January 2023 as President of its Asia Pacific (APAC) region and was also part of the jury at the Economic Times Startup Awards 2026.
Also Read: Snap sees opportunity as Indian advertisers look beyond Google, Meta: CBO Ajit Mohan
Shares of mid-tier IT services firm Coforge fell more than 7% after chairman Om Prakash Bhatt resigned with immediate effect.
The resignation comes in the backdrop of “certain concerns” raised as part of the internal audit plan for Q2 FY26 reviewed by the company's internal auditor.
AI coding startup Cognition AI has raised $2 billion at a valuation of $48 billion.
More on the round:
Meta has launched Muse, a new AI assistant that can take actions on behalf of users, beyond simply answering questions. Muse can send emails, book travel, fill online forms, and buy or sell items.
Meta said it has built several security measures into the assistant, but internal tests have flagged reliability and privacy vulnerabilities.
Also in the letter:
■ Ajit Mohan quits Snap
■ Cognition AI raises $2B
■ Meta launches Muse
Flipkart rolls out standalone Minutes app, food delivery pilot ahead of flagship annual sale
Walmart-backed Flipkart has launched a standalone app for its quick commerce arm, Flipkart Minutes, on the Google Play Store, as it steps up its push into the segment.
It is also piloting its food delivery service 'Eat In', people aware of the developments told us.
Driving the news: The Flipkart Minutes app is being piloted with early access for a few users. The company is collecting feedback to improve its performance ahead of a wider rollout before the Big Billion Days (BBD) sale in October.
ET was the first to report in April that the company planned a separate Minutes app later this year.
Also Read: Flipkart to launch food delivery pilot in August: Kalyan Krishnamurthy
The company is also testing its food delivery service, among select employees in Bengaluru. It plans to expand the pilot to all employees by September 15 before opening it to the public.
ET reported on September 9 that Flipkart and Amazon are expanding quick commerce alongside microdramas, in-app over-the-top (OTT) videos and food delivery to counter the decline in their MAU share to 10-minute delivery platforms.
Also Read: Flipkart's Kalyan Krishnamurthy rules out IPO timeline, plays down quick commerce as a separate business
‘AI could kill all humans’: Anthropic employee who quit warns against reckless AI race
Artificial intelligence (AI) researcher Jacob Coxon has quit Anthropic and the AI industry, accusing the company and OpenAI of playing with people's lives in the race to build self-improving AI systems. Anthropic is the company behind Claude and OpenAI runs ChatGPT.
Why he quit: The 27-year-old spent three years working on AI model pretraining, first at OpenAI and then at Anthropic. He said both companies are racing towards self-improving superintelligence despite the risks involved, adding that no other human activity poses this level of danger.
Quote, unquote: “Neither company is acting responsibly. They are racing straight to self-improving superintelligence and gambling with our lives,” Coxon said in his post on X.
The risk: Anthropic's Alignment stress-testing team lead Evan Hubinger backed Coxon's concerns, saying that researchers genuinely believe AI could potentially kill all humans. He estimated the risk at more than 10% over the next decade.
Why it matters: This comes as Anthropic, OpenAI, and other AI companies invest heavily in advanced models and AI agents that can perform tasks with less human input.
The companies say these systems could improve productivity, scientific research, and software development. However, critics warn that this could create new risks.
Fintech founders bet on AI agents to move commerce beyond apps
Payments and consumer internet firms are preparing for a shift where AI agents could search for products and complete purchases within limits set by users, making agentic commerce a key focus on the first day of the Global Fintech Fest.
Jargon buster: Agentic commerce is AI-powered shopping in which software searches, compares, orders and pays for products on a user’s behalf.
Tell me more: The National Payments Corporation of India (NPCI) is working on the proposed Unified Agent Protocol to set rules for identity, consent and accountability when agents transact through the Unified Payments Interface (UPI).
The framework builds on a 2025 pilot by NPCI, Razorpay and OpenAI that tested shopping through ChatGPT, with BigBasket as one of the merchants.
Razorpay cofounder and chief executive Harshil Mathur told us that a second version, due Thursday, will allow users to delegate payments to AI agents within preset limits.
What execs said:
- Prakash Sikaria, founder and chief executive of Flipkart-backed Super.money, said the architecture would allow agents representing merchants and consumers to interact directly.
- PhonePe cofounder Rahul Chari said, “We don’t believe in making the entire PhonePe app AI-first. Not every existing experience becomes better simply because AI is added to it.”
- Oyo parent Prism’s founder Ritesh Agarwal said AI agents are being used for accounts payable, treasury and customer operations at Oyo.
Ajit Mohan steps down as Snap's chief business officer
After four years at Snap, Ajit Mohan has stepped down as chief business officer in a senior leadership change at the Snapchat parent.
What’s happening? Snap has promoted Ronan Harris, who has led its Europe, Middle East, and Africa business for nearly four years, to chief commercial officer.
Harris will oversee global advertising sales and go-to-market operations, with a focus on ad revenue and relationships with advertisers and agencies.
Yes, and? Mohan said on LinkedIn that the decision was personal and that he wanted to spend more time with his family in Singapore. He joined Snap in January 2023 as President of its Asia Pacific (APAC) region and was also part of the jury at the Economic Times Startup Awards 2026.
Also Read: Snap sees opportunity as Indian advertisers look beyond Google, Meta: CBO Ajit Mohan
Coforge stock tanks 7% as chairman OP Bhatt resigns over audit concern
Shares of mid-tier IT services firm Coforge fell more than 7% after chairman Om Prakash Bhatt resigned with immediate effect.
The resignation comes in the backdrop of “certain concerns” raised as part of the internal audit plan for Q2 FY26 reviewed by the company's internal auditor.
Cognition AI raises $2 billion at $48 billion valuation
AI coding startup Cognition AI has raised $2 billion at a valuation of $48 billion.
More on the round:
- The funding was led by new investors Andreessen Horowitz and Accel, along with existing backers Founders Fund, General Catalyst, and Avenir.
- The latest round nearly doubles Cognition’s valuation from $26 billion in May, when it raised $1 billion.
- Its revenue run rate has since grown from $492 million to nearly $900 million, the company said in a blog.
Meta Muse: Why is this new AI agent raising privacy concerns?
Meta has launched Muse, a new AI assistant that can take actions on behalf of users, beyond simply answering questions. Muse can send emails, book travel, fill online forms, and buy or sell items.
Meta said it has built several security measures into the assistant, but internal tests have flagged reliability and privacy vulnerabilities.
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