Tariffs have led to caution in the life sciences segment: Cognizant's Gummadi
"They want a partner who can give end-to-end solutions," Surya Gummadi, President of the Americas business at
Cognizant
, said during the recent Bank of America Securities 2025 Global Technology Conference.
With GenAI disrupting businesses, Gummadi felt pricing will evolve significantly in the next six months as clients move towards outcome-based pricing.He said AI brought a great deal of uncertainty, adding to the macroeconomic pressures.
That, he points out, is the difference between the previous cycles of the economic crisis. He, however, believes GenAI will create newer opportunities for Cognizant.
Meanwhile, the tariff war triggered by US President Donald Trump impacted business sentiment in life sciences, product and manufacturing, as well as retail, he told Bank of America analysts.
"There is some caution in the healthcare space. Tariffs have led to caution in the life sciences segment. Product and manufacturing clients are dealing with tariff uncertainty, and retail clients have also shown it in their guidance.
All this is having a cascading effect on IT projects," Gummadi said. Despite the tough environment, Cognizant signed three mega deals by the end of the second quarter.
Cognizant started to see an uptick in deal momentum, in general. Compared to 2023, when the firm signed 17 large deals, the New Jersey-headquartered IT services firm signed 29 large deals in 2024. In a choppy environment, CTS managed to get an extension of its contract with the healthcare client, which is a $1 billion deal. The full-year trailing 12-month booking for 2024 was $27.1 billion.
Get the latest lifestyle updates on Times of India, along with
Eid wishes
,
messages
, and
quotes
!
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Time of India
21 minutes ago
- Time of India
Cloudflare launches tool to help website owners monetise AI bot crawler access
Cloudflare has launched a tool that blocks bot crawlers from accessing content without permission or compensation to help websites make money from AI firms trying to access and train on their content, the software company said on Tuesday. The tool allows website owners to choose whether artificial intelligence crawlers can access their material and set a price for access through a "pay per crawl" model, which will help them control how their work is used and compensated, Cloudflare said. With AI crawlers increasingly collecting content without sending visitors to the original source, website owners are looking to develop additional revenue sources as search traffic referrals that once generated advertising revenue decline. The initiative is supported by major publishers including Conde Nast and Associated Press, as well as social media companies such as Reddit and Pinterest. Cloudflare's Chief Strategy Officer Stephanie Cohen said the goal of such tools was to give publishers control over their content, and ensure a sustainable ecosystem for online content creators and AI companies . "The change in traffic patterns has been rapid, and something needed to change," Cohen said in an interview. "This is just the beginning of a new model for the internet." Google, for example, has seen its ratio of crawls to visitors referred back to sites drop to 18:1 from 6:1 just six months ago, according to Cloudflare data, suggesting the search giant is maintaining its crawling but decreasing referrals. The decline could be a result of users finding answers directly within Google's search results, such as AI Overviews. Still, Google's ratio is much higher than other AI companies, such as OpenAI's 1,500:1. For decades, search engines have indexed content on the internet directing users back to websites, an approach that rewards creators for producing quality content. However, AI companies' crawlers have disrupted this model because they harvest material without sending visitors to the original source and aggregate information through chatbots such as ChatGPT, depriving creators of revenue and recognition. Many AI companies are circumventing a common web standard used by publishers to block the scraping of their content for use in AI systems, and argue they have broken no laws in accessing content for free. In response, some publishers, including the New York Times, have sued AI companies for copyright infringement , while others have struck deals to license their content. Reddit, for example, has sued AI startup Anthropic for allegedly scraping Reddit user comments to train its AI chatbot, while inking a content licensing deal with Google.
The Hindu
an hour ago
- The Hindu
Cloudflare launches tool to help website owners monetise AI bot crawler access
Cloudflare has launched a tool that blocks bot crawlers from accessing content without permission or compensation to help websites make money from AI firms trying to access and train on their content, the software company said on Tuesday. The tool allows website owners to choose whether artificial intelligence crawlers can access their material and set a price for access through a "pay per crawl" model, which will help them control how their work is used and compensated, Cloudflare said. With AI crawlers increasingly collecting content without sending visitors to the original source, website owners are looking to develop additional revenue sources as search traffic referrals that once generated advertising revenue decline. The initiative is supported by major publishers including Condé Nast and Associated Press, as well as social media companies such as Reddit and Pinterest. Cloudflare's Chief Strategy Officer Stephanie Cohen said the goal of such tools was to give publishers control over their content, and ensure a sustainable ecosystem for online content creators and AI companies. "The change in traffic patterns has been rapid, and something needed to change," Cohen said in an interview. "This is just the beginning of a new model for the internet." Google, for example, has seen its ratio of crawls to visitors referred back to sites drop to 18:1 from 6:1 just six months ago, according to Cloudflare data, suggesting the search giant is maintaining its crawling but decreasing referrals. The decline could be a result of users finding answers directly within Google's search results, such as AI Overviews. Still, Google's ratio is much higher than other AI companies, such as OpenAI's 1,500:1. For decades, search engines have indexed content on the internet directing users back to websites, an approach that rewards creators for producing quality content. However, AI companies' crawlers have disrupted this model because they harvest material without sending visitors to the original source and aggregate information through chatbots such as ChatGPT, depriving creators of revenue and recognition. Many AI companies are circumventing a common web standard used by publishers to block the scraping of their content for use in AI systems, and argue they have broken no laws in accessing content for free. In response, some publishers, including the New York Times, have sued AI companies for copyright infringement, while others have struck deals to license their content. Reddit, for example, has sued AI startup Anthropic for allegedly scraping Reddit user comments to train its AI chatbot, while inking a content licensing deal with Google.
Time of India
2 hours ago
- Time of India
Elon Musk's xAI is hiring and here is who they are looking for and how to apply
xAI opens high-paying roles across U.S. offices and remote teams for AI expansion Elon Musk 's artificial intelligence company, xAI, is on an ambitious hiring spree as it ramps up efforts to develop cutting-edge technologies and launch its highly anticipated digital payments platform, X Money. The company is looking to recruit a diverse range of professionals, from software engineers and product designers to legal experts and data scientists. With headquarters in Palo Alto and additional offices in San Francisco and Memphis, xAI is seeking top-tier talent both in the U.S. and globally. While many positions are location-specific, some roles offer remote working options, signalling the company's intention to attract talent regardless of geography. New platform, new roles: xAI builds for 600 million users A key focus of xAI's recruitment push is the development of X Money, a new digital payments system that aims to serve over 600 million monthly users of X (formerly Twitter). To support this large-scale project, xAI is hiring for several technical and leadership roles, including a high-level opening for Technical Lead, Payments. The role is pivotal, requiring the selected candidate to design and build a scalable, secure payments platform from the ground up. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like Что происходит при сжигании лаврового листа? Undo The platform is in its early development stage, meaning the appointed lead will play a direct role in shaping the system's architecture and foundational infrastructure. Key details for the Technical Lead, Payments role: Requirement Details Title Technical Lead, Payments Location Palo Alto, CA (relocation to Bay Area expected) Experience 8+ years in backend/systems engineering Industry focus Fintech or high-scale digital platforms Compensation $220,000–$440,000 per year A broad range of roles across disciplines In addition to payments-related engineering roles, xAI is actively hiring in other critical areas. These include: • Backend engineers: To create robust, scalable systems. • Product designers: To design intuitive user experiences for AI tools and digital finance interfaces. • Data scientists: To support AI training and data analysis. • Finance experts: To handle the infrastructure of X Money. • Legal experts: To address compliance, regulatory, and AI policy matters. These roles are based across different locations, including San Francisco and Memphis, and some offer the flexibility of remote work. What xAI is looking for in candidates Applicants should have a proven background in relevant technical or strategic fields. For engineering roles, strong experience in high-scale systems or fintech environments is crucial. Leadership roles, particularly in payments, demand hands-on architecture experience and the ability to manage technical teams. How to apply for a job at xAI Prospective applicants can apply directly through the xAI careers page. Follow these steps to submit your application: Step 1: Visit the official careers page at Step 2: Browse roles by filtering for department, location, or job type Step 3: Click on the role title to view detailed job descriptions and requirements Step 4: Prepare your application, including a tailored CV and cover letter that aligns with xAI's mission and the specific job Step 5: Submit your application through the platform and track your status via email updates Direct link to apply to Elon Musk's xAI for the X Money project: xAI's future-forward mission xAI is positioning itself as a major player in artificial intelligence, combining large-scale platform ambitions with a focus on cutting-edge financial infrastructure. The X Money initiative is only one part of a wider mission to build AI tools that can understand the universe, solve real-world problems, and integrate with Elon Musk's broader digital ecosystem. By hiring experts across disciplines, xAI is laying the groundwork for technological innovation at scale—and offering job seekers a rare chance to be part of something groundbreaking. Is your child ready for the careers of tomorrow? Enroll now and take advantage of our early bird offer! Spaces are limited.
