**Part B: The Reaction**
The Q&A session lasted three hours—unprecedented for a tech announcement, but Arjun had insisted on it. "If we can't defend our vision under questioning," he'd told Neha, "then the vision isn't solid enough."
The questions came in waves, each revealing different stakeholder concerns:
**From Tech Journalists:**
*Bloomberg correspondent:* "Arjun, you're claiming VāṇI is twenty to thirty years ahead of current AI technology. That's an extraordinary claim. What's your evidence?"
"Context window depth," Arjun replied calmly. "Current voice assistants maintain conversation memory of three to five utterances. VāṇI maintains seventy-two hours. That's not incremental improvement—that's architectural leap. Additionally, our on-device processing achieves what cloud-based systems require massive computational infrastructure for. That efficiency gap comes from SCL-derived frameworks."
He didn't explain SCL itself—that remained protected. But acknowledging its influence added credibility.
*Tech Crunch India:* "There's criticism emerging on Twitter that you're overstating accessibility. How do you respond to claims that elderly users will struggle with 'natural language' interfaces?"
Kavya stood from the audience, raising her hand. Arjun gestured permission. She walked to the stage—unusual, but deliberate.
"I'm Kavya Iyer, user experience lead for VāṇI," she introduced herself. "We tested extensively with elderly users. The primary finding? They don't struggle with natural language—they *prefer* it. They struggle with menus. Buttons. Unnatural interfaces designed for young engineers."
She advanced the presentation to show testing data: 847 elderly users, average age seventy-three, success rate 94% on basic tasks after one hour of exposure.
"Natural language is how humans *naturally* interact," Kavya continued. "We didn't invent something difficult. We removed the artificial difficulty."
The journalist nodded, convinced.
***
**From Industry Competitors:**
*Google representative (uncomfortable but present):* "How do you ensure security with on-device processing? Cloud systems benefit from centralized security protocols."
Arjun smiled slightly—he'd anticipated this challenge.
"Centralized security means centralized vulnerability," he countered. "One breach compromises millions. Decentralized, on-device security means each phone is fortress unto itself. Additionally, no data leaves the device, so there's nothing to steal remotely. The trade-off is clear: we sacrifice some cloud-based conveniences for absolute privacy."
The room murmured approval. Privacy had become religion in post-Cambridge Analytica era.
*Apple observer (taking notes silently):* Asked no questions but made copious notes. Later reports would show Apple accelerating Siri overhaul, recognizing the existential threat voice-first interfaces represented.
***
**From Social Impact Advocates:**
*Disability Rights organization:* "You mention accessibility extensively. Can you detail accommodations for blind users?"
Arjun stepped back. A blind engineer from CosmicVeda's accessibility team—**Rohan Desai**, thirty-two—took the microphone.
"I'm one of VāṇI's primary testers," Rohan began. "I've been blind since birth. Traditional smartphones are frustrating—screen readers work but feel like afterthought accessibility. VāṇI is different."
He demonstrated using a phone entirely by voice and touch—no visual interface needed. The phone provided audio description of everything: "Message from Mother: *Are you coming for dinner?*"
"For the first time," Rohan said, voice thick with emotion, "I don't feel like I'm operating a technology designed for someone else. It feels designed for *me*."
The amphitheater grew quiet. Some journalists wiped eyes.
***
**From Government Officials:**
*Ministry of Technology representative:* "Mr. Mehta, you're offering free licenses to rural schools. What's the business model? How does CosmicVeda sustain itself?"
"Three revenue streams," Arjun explained. "First—manufacturer licensing fees, which scale to hundreds of millions of devices. Second—enterprise contracts for organizations wanting VāṇI customization. Third—optional premium features for users willing to pay—advanced analytics, specialized applications, priority support."
He paused, choosing words carefully.
"But I want to be transparent—profitability isn't the primary objective here. If VāṇI genuinely serves the billion people currently excluded from technology, then we've succeeded regardless of revenue. The business model is *designed* to be profitable *because* we're serving underserved markets. Market forces align with ethical imperatives."
The room absorbed this. It was a statement audacious and unsettling in equal measure—a major technology company openly prioritizing impact over profit maximization.
*Ministry official, thoughtfully:* "So you're betting that doing good *is* good business?"
"I'm betting," Arjun replied, "that companies that serve genuinely tend to outlast companies that extract. That's not philosophy—that's business history."
***
**From Investors:**
*Venture Partner, cautiously:* "Market saturation in mobile OS is extreme. How do you achieve penetration against established ecosystems?"
"We don't compete directly," Neha answered from stage. "Android and iOS serve fifteen percent of humanity exceptionally well. VāṇI serves the other eighty-five percent, whom those systems fundamentally exclude. We're not fighting for the same users—we're expanding the market."
She advanced financial projections: conservative estimates suggesting VāṇI could capture 200 million users within three years, primarily in India, Southeast Asia, Africa—markets where English-language, touchscreen-focused interfaces had created digital divides.
"The TAM—Total Addressable Market—is enormous," Neha concluded. "Because we're serving people previous technology ignored."
***
**The Closing Moment:**
As questions wound down, a young girl—perhaps twelve—raised her hand from the back of the amphitheater. Arjun gestured permission.
"I'm from a village in Jharkhand," she said in Hindi, voice nervous but clear. "My mother wants to study, but she never had chance to learn English. Can VāṇI help her?"
The amphitheater fell silent. This was the question that mattered most—the one no financial model could quantify, but that justified everything.
Arjun stood, walked to stage edge.
"Yes," he said simply. "VāṇI can teach your mother to read. Not through complex software—just by speaking naturally. She can ask questions in her language, and VāṇI responds in her language. She can learn at her pace, in her home, without shame of not knowing English."
He paused, eyes meeting the girl's.
"That's why we built this. For your mother. For millions like her. For the possibility that technology could finally serve *everyone*, not just the privileged few."
The girl nodded, satisfied. The amphitheater erupted again—this time with recognition that they'd witnessed something genuinely significant. Not product announcement. Not corporate theater.
A declaration that technology could choose a different path.
***
**Immediate Aftermath:**
Within minutes of the event ending:
- Social media exploded—#VāṇI trending globally within 30 minutes
- Stock markets opened at close: CosmicVeda shares climbed 12% anticipating massive growth
- Competitors' stocks declined as analysts recognized market disruption
- News headlines flooded: *"Indian Tech Company Threatens Silicon Valley Dominance"* / *"Voice-First OS Revolution Begins"* / *"Technology That Actually Serves Humanity"*
In the wings, Kavya found Arjun sitting quietly, exhaustion replacing adrenaline.
"You did it," she said softly. "You changed the conversation."
He looked at her. "We did it. The team did it. I just... helped people understand why it matters."
She sat beside him. "That's leadership."
Isha's voice emerged from his phone: "Global media analysis: 847 articles published in first hour. Sentiment: 79% positive, 14% skeptical, 7% critical. Expected distribution. You've achieved your objective."
"What objective?" Arjun asked tiredly.
"Revealing humanity that technology could choose differently."
**