Meta Executive Departs for OpenAI Amid Increasing Scrutiny of Social Media Giant in India
Sandhya Devanathan, vice president for India and Southeast Asia at Meta, is set to leave the company to take a position at OpenAI, the organization behind ChatGPT, as confirmed to TechCrunch.
In her new role based in Singapore, Devanathan will report to Kiran Mani, managing director for Asia-Pacific at OpenAI. She is expected to guide consumer growth, foster enterprise adoption, establish partnerships, engage with regulatory bodies, and manage operations throughout Southeast Asia and Australia, according to OpenAI.
Having spent over ten years at Meta, Devanathan’s exit comes amidst increasing scrutiny of the firm regarding online safety and content oversight. According to insiders, Devanathan played a significant role in the company’s strategic decisions in India.
Her appointment follows closely on the heels of Prabhjeet Singh joining OpenAI as head of India. Singh previously led Uber’s operations in India and South Asia for over a decade.
OpenAI has been actively broadening its reach in the Asia-Pacific region, launching offices in key cities such as Singapore, Tokyo, Seoul, Sydney, and Delhi over the past two years.
In light of Devanathan’s departure, Arun Srinivas, who oversees Meta’s operations in India, will now report directly to Benjamin Joe, the company’s VP for Asia Pacific, according to sources familiar with the situation.
Devanathan, who joined Meta in 2016, has held various influential roles, including leading the Asia Pacific gaming division, and was appointed vice president for India and Southeast Asia just last June.
Meta has recently encountered increasing pressure from Indian regulators. A notable incident occurred when the company apologized after Instagram mistakenly restricted a post from Prime Minister Narendra Modi in July. The Indian government summoned Meta officials, including Joel Kaplan, the firm’s chief global affairs officer, to discuss the matter.
Additionally, New Delhi has expressed concerns over the presence of child sexual abuse material on Meta’s platforms. Following a BBC report revealing Instagram ads that allegedly provided access to such content, the Indian government requested clarifications from the company.
In response, Meta confirmed it had removed the violating advertisements and accounts, denying any intentional targeting of such ads to users based on inappropriate interests. The company also reported that it had eliminated 160,000 accounts in India over a six-month period due to activity suggestive of child exploitation.
