Meta Executives Depart for OpenAI as India Intensifies Scrutiny of Social Media Giant

Sandhya Devanathan, who has been serving as Meta’s vice president for India and Southeast Asia, is leaving the company to join OpenAI, the organization behind ChatGPT, as reported by TechCrunch.

Devanathan will be based in Singapore, reporting to Kiran Mani, OpenAI’s managing director for the Asia-Pacific region. Her new role will focus on consumer growth, enterprise adoption, partnerships, regulatory relations, and operations across Southeast Asia and Australia, according to OpenAI.

After more than a decade with Meta, this executive is departing amidst escalating scrutiny on the company’s handling of online safety and content moderation. Sources have indicated that Devanathan was instrumental in shaping the company’s strategy in India.

Her appointment comes shortly after Prabhjeet Singh assumed the role of head of operations for OpenAI in India. Singh brings over ten years of experience from Uber, where he led the company’s initiatives in India and South Asia.

OpenAI has been strengthening its presence in the Asia Pacific, having established offices in Singapore, Tokyo, Seoul, Sydney, and Delhi over the past two years.

Following Devanathan’s departure, Arun Srinivas, the managing director for India at Meta, will now report directly to Benjamin Joe, the vice president for the Asia-Pacific region, according to a knowledgeable source.

Joining Meta in 2016, Devanathan occupied several leadership roles, including heading the Asia Pacific gaming division, before being appointed vice president for India and Southeast Asia in June of the previous year.

Recently, Meta has faced intensified scrutiny from Indian authorities. Earlier this month, the company issued an apology after Instagram mistakenly restricted a post from Prime Minister Narendra Modi that was originally published in July. The Indian government subsequently sought clarifications from Meta executives, including Joel Kaplan, the chief global affairs officer, regarding the issue.

Furthermore, New Delhi has raised alarms over child sexual abuse material available on Meta’s platforms. Last month, the Indian government demanded explanations from the company after a BBC report revealed that Instagram ads were allegedly promoting access to such content.

In response, Meta published a blog post asserting that it had removed ads and accounts that breached its policies, and denied claims that it intentionally targeted these advertisements to users based on inappropriate interests. The company also disclosed that it had shut down 160,000 accounts in India over a six-month timeframe due to signs of child exploitation activities.