Abu Dhabi’s blend of modernity and history; Exploring India’s spice mixes

Hello,

It’s official: OpenAI is not for sale.

The ChatGPT maker’s board has turned down Elon Musk’s $97.4 billion offer to buy the company’s assets after assessing that the bid was “not in the best interests” of OpenAI’s mission.

OpenAI chairman Bret Taylor was also firm in reiterating that the company was “not for sale, and the board has unanimously rejected Mr Musk’s latest attempt to disrupt his competition.”

And so ends that saga, but the race for the next big AI innovation is far from over. And Musk is seeking big bucks for his vision–canvassing investors for a roughly $10 billion funding round that would value his AI company, xAI, at about $75 billion.

He’s not the only one looking at fresh investments. Meta Platforms plans to revive its Reality Labs unit, which involves developing AI-powered humanoid robots. 

The Facebook parent joins rivals such as Nvidia-backed Figure AI and Tesla in the emerging but competitive field, aiming to create humanoid robots that can assist in physical tasks by maximising its homegrown model Llama's platform capabilities.

It’s got serious competition in Figure AI in particular, which is in talks to raise $1.5 billion at a valuation of $39.5 billion, nearly 14X its current value at $2.9 billion. 

The time of the bots is here and now. 

In today’s newsletter, we will talk about 

• Abu Dhabi’s blend of modernity and history
• Exploring India’s spice mixes
• The many faces of patriarchy

Here’s your trivia for today: While presenting the first iPhone, Steve Jobs prank-called what company in the first public call made through the device?

Travel and Leisure

Abu Dhabi’s blend of modernity and heritage

Abu Dhabi, the capital and largest of the seven Emirates of the UAE, is also the country’s political and cultural hub. It is also among the most popular travel destinations for Indian tourists.  

The city holds on to its past and traditional way of life even as it builds for the future. From Qasr Al-Hosn, one of Abu Dhabi’s oldest buildings, to the Louvre Abu Dhabi—a museum that looks straight out of a sci-fi movie, the city holds the best of both worlds. 

Time capsule: 

• Last year, the Traditional Handicraft Festival was held at Al Ain, which sits on the border of Oman and has archaeological sites dating back to 4,500 BC. Popular among them are the underground water channels, or the falaj system, some of which are thousands of years old. 
• Meanwhile, exploring Qasr-al-Hosn, Abu Dhabi’s oldest and most significant building, feels like travelling back in time. In contrast, the Louvre Abu Dhabi on Saadiyat Island—with its white walls and a massive dome that seems to be hovering above—looks like a place of the future.
• A car-dependent city, Abu Dhabi offers few options for those who love to explore on foot. One such place is the eight-kilometre-long Abu Dhabi Corniche, which offers some spectacular views and an opportunity to relax.

Wine and Food

Exploring India’s spice mixes

In the introduction to Masalamandi: A Guide to The World of Indian Spice Blends, author-chef-food writer Sadaf Hussain calls spices the rooh (or soul) of any dish. 

The idea of Masalamandi is for people to learn and immerse themselves in the fascinating world of spices, eventually triggering enough curiosity to experiment with it. Calling himself a “food romancer”, Hussain’s strongest weapon is his ability to weave an informative narrative, yet not preachy. 

Heritage via spices:

• While most books about food are dedicated to the family’s matriarchs, their names are hardly mentioned upfront. In Hussain’s book, his mother Anjum, grandmother Bilqis, and the family’s sil batta (mortar and pestle) share equal credit. 
• A quick glance through Masalamandi reveals the enormous variety of spice blends for dishes like biryani, chole, rajma, and curry masala. There’s also chaat masala or garam masala, which for most, may be an overarching term, but each region and household has its version. 
• With Masalamandi, Hussain wants his readers to have certain takeaways. His foremost attempt is to help them understand and value the role of spices in their food. 

Entertainment

The many faces of patriarchy

Sanya Malhotra-starrer Mrs., an adaptation of the Malayalam film The Great Indian Kitchen, is director Arati Kadav’s take on the many manifestations of patriarchy, primarily the invisible female labour in the kitchen.  

After receiving rave reviews at international film festivals, Mrs. released on OTT platform Zee5 on February 7, 2025. The film has struck a chord with women across age groups, who find themselves confined to household chores and are unable to break free from societal constraints. 

Adaptation expectations:

• While co-writers Harman (Baweja) and Anu Singh Choudhary wanted Mrs. to be as close to the original, Kadav felt it was “a micro surgery on everyday life” and all about understanding the subtext of kitchen politics.
• Since the crew was mostly women, the details in the film—like the etchings in the mirror and the recurring flower motif—brought in a certain aesthetic. The film also reflected Richa’s (Sanya Malhotra) mother-in-law’s aesthetics. 
• Kadav already has other projects in the works, including working on a sci-fi story with Deepa Motwane and another mainstream sci-fi filmmaker with Sumit Purohit, she says. 

News & updates

• Low impact: Higher US tariffs on European exports are likely to have little effect on euro area inflation, a top European Central Bank policymaker said, adding the main risk remained that of medium-term inflation falling below 2%.
• Boost: Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co is considering taking a controlling stake in Intel’s factories at the request of Trump administration officials, a person familiar with the matter said, as the president looks to boost American manufacturing and maintain US leadership in critical technologies.
• Selling off: Banks led by Morgan Stanley have sold to investors another chunky portion of loans that formed the $13 billion debt supporting Elon Musk's $44 billion acquisition of Twitter, now X, in 2022.

While presenting the first iPhone, Steve Jobs prank-called what company in the first public call made through the device?

Answer: Starbucks. Jobs ordered 4,000 lattes to go, before immediately cancelling the order.

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