Meta is losing one of its senior leaders in India to OpenAI at a time when the social media company is facing tougher questions from Indian authorities over online safety, content moderation and its handling of sensitive material.
Sandhya Devanathan is stepping down as Meta’s vice president for India and Southeast Asia after more than a decade with the company. She is not retiring. She is heading straight to OpenAI.
According to a person familiar with the matter, Devanathan was deeply involved in Meta’s high-stakes decision-making processes in India. Now, she will be based in Singapore, overseeing consumer growth, regulatory engagement, and operations across Southeast Asia and Australia for the ChatGPT maker.
The timing is hard to ignore.
Meta has been facing intense pressure from Indian authorities in recent weeks. Earlier this month, the government summoned Meta executives, including its chief global affairs officer, after Instagram mistakenly restricted a post by Prime Minister Narendra Modi. On top of that, New Delhi has raised serious concerns over child safety and content moderation on the platform.
Navigating that kind of political and regulatory friction requires a specific kind of expertise. OpenAI is clearly eager to get that expertise on its side.
SEE ALSO: UN Calls for Reform Across All Social Media Apps Following Meta’s Child Safety Agreement
This move comes just days after OpenAI hired Prabhjeet Singh, the former head of Uber’s India business, to lead its operations in the country. The AI lab has been aggressively expanding its footprint across the Asia Pacific, opening new offices in Delhi, Singapore, Tokyo, and Sydney over the past two years.
Back at Meta, the departure leaves a noticeable gap. Arun Srinivas, Meta’s India managing director, will now report directly to Benjamin Joe, the company’s vice president for Asia-Pacific.
Details about Devanathan’s exact start date at OpenAI remain unclear, but the message is loud enough.
For years, Meta dominated the digital landscape in India. But as regulatory walls close in and top talent walks across the street to a rival, the company is being forced to realize that holding the market is no longer enough. You also have to survive the scrutiny.
Promise Idoko is a tech analyst and writer at Moderncrux, specializing in artificial intelligence, fintech, and emerging technologies. Based in Nigeria, he is dedicated to delivering insightful and accessible coverage of complex technological developments. His work explores the impact of innovation on businesses, industries, and societies, with a particular focus on Africa’s evolving technology landscape and its connection to global trends.
