September 2, 2025

Mukesh Ambani, Asia’s richest tycoon, is facing quite the storm! His $250 billion empire, Reliance Industries, is caught in the crossfire of tough US-India relations. The problem? Reliance’s big business in discounted Russian oil, which has angered the US. President Donald Trump hit India with a whopping 50% tariff, blaming it for supporting Russia’s war. At Reliance's recent virtual annual general meeting, some heavyweight friends appeared to support Ambani’s leadership. CEO giants like Alphabet’s Sundar Pichai, Meta’s Mark Zuckerberg, Disney’s Bob Iger, and Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund joined Ambani, his wife Nita, and their three children. This dazzling lineup showed many hands are on deck to help Reliance weather this political and economic storm. Ambani called out to Prime Minister Narendra Modi in a fiery statement, "I assure our respected prime minister that Reliance will follow his command with redoubled efforts." Ambani’s loyalty to India’s push for economic self-reliance is clear. But behind the scenes, he is careful not to upset the US, crucial for technology and capital that Reliance needs to hit the ambitious $1 trillion market value. The plan? Ambani’s son Akash is charged with winning US goodwill by preparing a mega initial public offering (IPO) of Reliance’s digital division, Jio Platforms. During the tough pandemic time, tech giants invested $20 billion in Jio, which boasts 500 million customers. With Google’s cloud infrastructure and a new $100 million AI venture with Meta, Akash’s mission is huge. Meanwhile, sister Isha is busy building a consumer goods company linked to Reliance Retail, India’s largest shopping giant. Disney’s involvement promises a powerful advertising boost, especially with its 300 million subscribers and cricket love. Reliance even plans to launch global news bureaus to give India a strong international voice — a move that supports Modi and counters rival Adani’s struggles in the US. Anant Ambani, the youngest son, faces the toughest job: leading Reliance’s pivot from oil to big renewable energy, matching the profits of its $7 billion oil-to-chemicals business within 5-7 years. This is crucial since the US no longer wants to fund solar and wind projects under Trump’s policies. Anant’s bold dream will be tested against fierce rivals like Adani Group. But with powerful friends, such as Yasir Al-Rumayyan of Saudi PIF, also chairman of Saudi Aramco, new oil partnerships might shift Reliance’s energy sources away from Russia toward the Middle East and the US. However, not all is smooth sailing. Anant’s wildlife sanctuary, Vantara, is under a Supreme Court probe for possible rule-breaking, a distraction during this vital phase. Plus, investors remain cautious since Reliance’s stock hasn't shined despite Ambani’s promise to make it a “deep-tech company.” To keep the focus tight, Nita Ambani postponed a grand India event in New York. With politics, global giants, family drama, and big dreams all mixed, Mukesh Ambani’s Reliance is like a giant ship braving a fierce storm. The question is—will this all-hands-on-deck approach sail smoothly or hit choppy waters?

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Tags: Mukesh ambani, Reliance industries, Us-india ties, Russian oil, Ipo, Artificial intelligence,