Uber's Prabhjeet Singh to join OpenAI as Managing Director for India operations
New Delhi, June 26
Uber India and South Asia President Prabhjeet Singh, who stepped down on Friday from his role at the ride-hailing company after 11 years, is joining Sam Altman-run OpenAI as its Managing Director for India.
According to the leading AI company, Singh will strengthen its leadership team as it expands its presence in one of its top priority markets.
Singh will join OpenAI in September and report to Kiran Mani, Managing Director for Asia Pacific, the US-based company said on June 26.
Singh will oversee the company's performance across consumer growth, enterprise adoption, strategic partnerships, regulatory engagement and operations, according to multiple reports.
He will also focus on building partnerships across India's AI ecosystem while helping consumers, businesses, institutions and government bodies adopt artificial intelligence.
Earlier, an Uber spokesperson told IANS that the company remains committed to expanding its presence in India, which continues to be one of its most important markets globally.
"India is one of Uber's most important markets globally, an important driver of innovation and long-term growth. The strength of our business today reflects the incredible team and foundation built over the years," the spokesperson stated.
"We thank Prabhjeet for his leadership and lasting contributions in his decade-long journey with Uber - we remain deeply committed to our next phase of growth in India," the spokesperson added.
Singh joined Uber more than a decade ago and played a significant role in shaping the company's operations across India and South Asia.
His tenure coincided with a period of rapid growth for the ride-hailing industry, marked by evolving consumer preferences, technological advancements and intense competition.
During his leadership, Uber expanded its footprint across several Indian cities and diversified its services beyond conventional cab-hailing operations. The company increased its focus on technology-driven mobility solutions, strengthened driver partnerships and introduced initiatives aimed at enhancing customer experience.
— IANS
Reader Comments
Hope this means OpenAI will finally launch ChatGPT officially in India with local servers and language support! We've been using it unofficially for too long. The government should also prioritize developing our own AI models alongside partnerships like this.
Another top talent moving from Indian operations to a foreign tech giant... we need to ask why our own startups aren't retaining people like this. Yes, AI is exciting, but we should be building Indian AI champions instead of always being the talent pool for others.
Smart hire - Prabhjeet knows the Indian market inside out, especially the regulatory challenges and partnership dynamics. OpenAI needs that local expertise if they want to compete with Google's AI efforts in India. Looking forward to seeing what he builds there!
Let's be honest - Uber India's service has degraded in recent years with surge pricing issues and driver problems. Maybe Prabhjeet jumping ship isn't surprising. But OpenAI is getting a capable operator who understands how to scale tech in India's complex market. Hope he focuses on making AI accessible in all Indian languages!
Exciting times for AI in India! Having someone with Prabhjeet's connections across government and business will be invaluable for OpenAI's India push. But I hope they don't just use India as a market - we need real R&D centers and data sovereignty protections 🚀
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