Business | The ties that bind

Why family empires dominate business in India

Their grip on the economy may be starting to weaken—slowly

Reliance Industries Chairman Mukesh Ambani
Photograph: Getty Images
|Mumbai

For many years the hottest event in Indian capitalism was the annual general meeting of Reliance Industries. Thousands of attendees, from rickshaw drivers to day labourers, would pile into the Cooperage Football Stadium in Mumbai for a glimpse of Dhirubhai Ambani, the company’s charismatic founder.

Explore more

This article appeared in the Business section of the print edition under the headline “The ties that bind”

From the September 14th 2024 edition

Discover stories from this section and more in the list of contents

Explore the edition

Discover more

Food packaging with "Notpla Coating" is pictured at Notpla.

Could seaweed replace plastic packaging?

Companies are experimenting with new ways to reduce plastic waste

A sequoiq tree with a metal detector scanning around the Silicon valley and California.

Has Sequoia Capital outgrown its business model?

Venture capital’s hardiest perennial gets back to its roots


A man cutting the red tape that tiies him.

On stupid rules and quick wins

Why every boss can benefit from asking employees what most infuriates them


TikTok wants Western consumers to shop like the Chinese

It still has some convincing to do

Will the trouble ever end for Volkswagen and its rivals?

From strikes to Trump tariffs, calamities abound

After Northvolt’s failure, who will make Europe’s EV batteries?

The continent looks ever more reliant on Asian producers