US tech giants turn to India for new apps before world release

As one of the largest economies and most populous countries in the world, India has turned into a testing ground for companies such as Facebook Inc, which has used it to beta-test a payments feature for WhatsApp. — AP

India is emerging as the testing and acquisition playground for global consumer technology companies, especially the so-called FAANGs, according to a veteran Internet analyst.

RBC Capital Markets’ Mark Mahaney, who calls himself Wall Street’s "oldest Internet analyst” after covering the sector for more than two decades, said India is now more popular than markets like China because it has the same growth dynamics but with fewer regulations.