OpenAI hires former Uber India chief to lead its India business

In short: OpenAI appointed former Uber India and South Asia president Prabhjeet Singh as its first managing director for India.

What happened

OpenAI said it has hired Prabhjeet Singh to lead the company in India, which OpenAI has called its second-largest market after the United States. Singh was previously president for Uber India and South Asia, and he announced his resignation from Uber before the move.

Singh is expected to join OpenAI in September. He will report to Kiran Mani, OpenAI’s managing director for Asia-Pacific, according to the company.

OpenAI said Singh will be responsible for its work in India across areas like growing its consumer audience, helping businesses adopt its tools, building partnerships, working with regulators, and running local operations. “Regulators” are government bodies that set and enforce rules, like a referee for how companies operate.

The hire adds to OpenAI’s recent expansion in India. The company opened its first India office in New Delhi last year, and it has said it plans new offices in Mumbai and Bengaluru. OpenAI has also been building partnerships in India, including with large local companies like Reliance and Tata, and it has been posting new job openings in the country.

Why it matters

India has a huge number of internet users and a large base of software developers, which makes it an important place for AI companies to grow. For everyday users and businesses, this kind of local leadership can mean more support, more partnerships with familiar services, and products that better fit local needs and rules.

Source: TechCrunch AI