Inshorts‘ core philosophy is centered on maintaining factual accuracy while continuously innovating its delivery, said Deepit Purkayastha, Co-Founder and CEO of Inshorts, while adding that their competitive edge stems from a deep, localised understanding of specific geographies and Indian consumers, including insights into what type of advertising resonates, what content engages the audience, and how to personalise experiences effectively.
In the first part of the story, he delved into the app’s evolution, from transforming news consumption with 60-word summaries to expanding its scope through Public, a hyperlocal video platform.
He emphasised the company’s commitment to innovation, personalized content delivery, and distinctive ad formats, while also acknowledging the increasing challenges in digital news and the shifting user expectations for premium content.
In the second part of the story, Purkayastha pointed out that their core philosophy revolves around emphasising factual accuracy and innovating how they deliver it. A crucial aspect of this is combating misinformation and fake news. To address this challenge, they implement rigorous fact-checking procedures to prevent the spread of fake news.
“Structurally, we ensure that partners with a history of spreading misinformation are not onboarded. Additionally, when unsourced or unverified information surfaces, we require confirmation from multiple independent sources before it is published on our platform,” he said.
He added, “On Public app, where content is primarily local and created by verified professionals, we maintain a stringent review process. We monitor reports from users regarding evidence-based content and take action against repeated offenders by revoking their verified status. Managing misinformation and fake news is integral to our design process from day one, it is not an afterthought.”
While discussing whether Big Tech is monopolising the Indian news industry, Purkayastha expressed his views, stating that Big Tech holds its title for a reason, it’s massive and well-known by everyone, dominating the space not just because they control the largest content and social media platforms, but also because they have access to the biggest advertising exchanges and platforms. These two sides of their business reinforce each other, their ad operations fuel the launch of new consumer products on the content consumption side, and the content side anchors their advertising business.
“While their dominance is undeniable, I believe Big Tech will never fully capture 100% of the market. They will always hover around 60-70% due to the innovation driven by local players like us,” he said.
“Our strength comes from a deep, localised understanding of specific geographies. For instance, our knowledge of Indian consumers, what advertising resonates, what content engages, and how to personalise experiences, gives us a competitive edge. Even when operating algorithmically, the insights from Indian engineers, who are tuned into the needs of the local market, influence decision-making across all levels, from content creation to operations and algorithms. This localised focus enables us to compete effectively against Big Tech in India,” he added.
Purkayastha said that take Twitter and Reddit, for example, they have been in India for a long time, yet the traction his Company has gained with platforms like Inshorts and Public far exceeds theirs. Both Twitter and Reddit are information-centric platforms, and yet, Inshorts’ localised approach has allowed it to surpass them in user engagement within India.
“Similarly, Yahoo once launched an app called Yahoo News Digest, which was available globally. Despite being a Yahoo product, it failed to gain significant traction in India, while we dominated the short news space. In the hyper-local content space, our Public platform continues to lead. This deep understanding of local nuances clearly gives us a strong advantage when competing with Big Tech players,” he added.
Amid growing concerns over data privacy, Inshorts strikes a balance between personalised advertising and user privacy. They have implemented extremely strict compliance measures within the company.
Access to user data is always anonymised, ensuring that personally identifiable information (PII) remains highly confidential and is kept separate from non-PII databases. Any targeting activities, such as gender or location targeting, are carried out on anonymised and masked databases.
“For instance, if gender targeting is required, the ads database will only include gender identifiers, without revealing the actual identities of the individuals. Similarly, in location targeting, we may have location identifiers but will not know the person’s identity, even if they are in Mumbai. Our internal legal and compliance teams rigorously oversee and manage these processes to maintain the highest standards of compliance,” Purkayastha explained.
Earlier this year, Inshorts Co-founder and Chairman Azhar Iqubal joined Shark Tank India as a judge on SonyLIV.
Purkayastha highlighted that by appearing on such a platform, Inshorts has achieved visibility among people who may have heard of it but lacked a deeper understanding of what it does or its level of popularity. It has helped establish a broader appeal, particularly among aspirational individuals in smaller towns who are striving for growth.
“In terms of news as a category, there’s often a lot of negativity surrounding it. However, our platform has consistently represented a positive approach by maintaining neutrality, respect, and a focus on value creation for users. This is what sets us apart from other platforms. We have stuck to presenting facts rather than pushing narratives or opinions, and Shark Tank has amplified this message, reinforcing our values in the minds of the audience through its vast reach and brand awareness,” he stated.
Purkayastha, while discussing the emerging trends or technologies that will shape the future of digital news and advertising, said that Artificial intelligence (AI) and automation are the talk of the town right now. While AI and automation have existed for a while, what tools like ChatGPT with large language models and stable diffusion algorithms for image generation have achieved is truly groundbreaking. The major shift lies in how these technologies have become accessible to consumers, allowing people to integrate them into daily tasks.
He also said, “We are all now using solutions like ChatGPT for various tasks and automation, and image generation tools have also gained widespread use. The full impact of these technologies on content creation, classification, and large-scale content management is still unfolding. However, it’s clear they will transform how content businesses operate.”
“We are leveraging these advancements to adapt and evolve our operational models, tapping into new growth opportunities. While some details remain confidential due to ongoing R&D, we are closely monitoring these trends and continuously innovating with the tools at our disposal,” he added.
