Fireside Chat: India’s Micro-enterprises and Bigtech Platforms Monopoly

In this first Fletcher Forum Fireside Chat, Dr. Jonathan Donner and Dr. Pramod Varma talk about taking an open protocol approach to counter bigtech monopoly in digital commerce towards making it more inclusive for micro-enterprises. Dr. Varma elaborates on India’s journey so far towards democratising access to public services through open technology, and the more recent efforts to demonopolise digital commerce.

Dr. Jonathan Donner is a Visiting Faculty Fellow at The Hitachi Center for Technology and International Affairs at The Fletcher School at Tufts University, and also, Senior Director for Research, Caribou Digital, a research consultancy focused on building inclusive digital economies

Dr. Pramod Varma was the Chief Architect of Aadhar, and many things India Stack. He’s currently the Chief Technical Officer at Ekstep Foundation and the Co-Creator of the Beckn Protocol.