HCLTech vs Mercor

HCLTech Newsroom: HCLSoftware to Acquire Robotiq.ai, HCLTech launches AI-powered wealth study, M Group selects HCLTech for AI-led IT transformation, and more

HCLTech's newsroom features multiple press releases: HCLSoftware to acquire Robotiq.ai to enhance HCL UnO Agentic; HCLTech launches first-of-its-kind AI-powered study for wealth management; M Group selects HCLTech for AI-led IT transformation across 200+ locations; HCLTech named Leader in Everest Group's PLM Services PEAK Matrix; HCLTech launches The Silicon Shift report; HCLTech launches HCLTech Pulse; HCLTech named Leader in ISG Procurement Services; HCLTech and CrowdStrike expand partnership; HCLFoundation and UP government extend partnership.

HCLTech launches Advanced Semiconductor Lab with Rs. 185 crore investment

The Bengaluru facility strengthens India’s position in the global chip ecosystem and is set to drive semiconductor innovation. Also, HCLTech and Transport for NSW to explore AI-powered traffic insights for India.

The Customer Trust Framework Brands Will Need to Make AI Pay Off

This article from CMSWire discusses why only 18% of brands see revenue impact from AI adoption, attributing the gap to customer trust rather than technology. It introduces the 'Triangle of Trust' framework—authenticity, logic, and empathy—coined by Harvard Business School professors Frances Frei and Anne Morris as a method to build trust in AI-driven customer experiences. The author advises brands to beta test AI tools with a smaller customer group before scaling and to incorporate human-like, empathetic interactions to accelerate trust. The piece cites an HCLTech report and offers practical steps for brands to close the AI revenue gap.

• Only 18% of brands report seeing revenue impact from AI investments, according to an HCLTech report.
• The Triangle of Trust framework consists of authenticity, logic, and empathy.
• The framework was coined by Harvard Business School professor Frances Frei and Anne Morris.

CEO Dinner Insights: Hiring in the Age of AI

A private CEO dinner focused on hiring and firing practices in the AI era. Key themes included the limitations of traditional hiring frameworks, the growing importance of self-awareness and judgment over raw execution, and the transformative impact of AI on the hiring process itself. Executives shared techniques like AI-sidebar audits, reference-check methodologies, and frameworks such as IQ/EQ/AQ. AI is commoditizing coding output, shifting value to product judgment and prompting some to reduce engineer hiring. A notable anecdote described a 19-year-old prodigy taught primarily by an LLM, highlighting a paradigm shift in talent development.

• A CEO dinner focused on hiring was held in Palo Alto, hosted by Shishir Mehrotra.
• Executives discussed shifting hiring criteria away from coding skills towards product judgment as AI automates code generation.
• One attendee described an engineer pushing 250,000 lines of code in three weeks with AI assistance.

Micro1 Hits $500M Gross Run Rate

Micro1, a four-year-old AI data-labeling startup, grew its gross annual run rate from $100 million to $500 million over the past eight months, according to a person familiar with the company. The startup retains roughly 60%–70% of gross, implying a net annual run rate of $150 million–$200 million. Micro1 is increasing use of synthetic, off-the-shelf datasets (some with gross margins of 80%–90%) and is seeing larger contract sizes and expected margin expansion. The company raised a Series A at a $500 million valuation in September 2025 and may have recently raised another round at a higher valuation. Founder Ali Ansari has said Micro1 does not sell data to Chinese model makers.

• Micro1 expanded its gross annual run rate from $100 million to $500 million over the past eight months.
• Micro1 retains roughly 60%–70% of gross run rate, implying a net annual run rate between $150 million and $200 million.
• Micro1 raised its Series A at a $500 million valuation in September 2025 and may have raised another round at a higher valuation.