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Key Points

BYJU'S founder Byju Raveendran insists every product meets his family's standards, even amid financial turmoil. He acknowledges past aggressive sales tactics but emphasizes course correction toward ethical education tech. The embattled CEO positions BYJU'S as irreplaceable for Indian learners despite regulatory battles. Raveendran remains defiant, drawing parallels between his son's learning journey and company values.

Key Points: BYJU'S Raveendran Vows Only Family-Tested Products Amid Crisis

  • Admits some sales teams made errors now corrected
  • Stresses BYJU'S focus on "love for learning"
  • Claims platform remains India's top ed-tech despite challenges
  • Vows comeback for students lacking access
3 min read

I'll never sell anything which I won't give to my son: BYJU'S founder Raveendran

BYJU'S founder defends ethics, admits past sales mistakes but insists on offering only what he'd give his own son amid company struggles.

"I will never sell anything to anyone which I won’t give to my son – Byju Raveendran"

Dubai, May 18

Byju Raveendran, founder and Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of embattled ed-tech company BYJU'S, said that he would never sell anything to anyone that he wouldn't give to his son.

In an exclusive interview with ANI, Byju Raveendran admitted that "mistakes were made" by some salespeople in the company regarding the allegations of rigorous sales techniques used by BYJU's. He added that those mistakes were corrected and the company was involved in selling the "love for learning"

"We were selling love for learning. At the ground level, a few hundred of those tens of thousands of sales guys have made mistakes, but we have corrected them. Teachers, with the kind of urbanization which has happened in the last 20-30 years, Forget about good teachers. Schools are struggling to find teachers. The only way you can solve this at scale is by using technology as an enabler," Byju Raveendran said.

He further added that he will never sell any product which is not used at his home or can't be used by his family.

"I will never sell any product which is not used at home. I will never sell anything to anyone which I won't give it to my son who is very special to me. Whether it's WhiteHat Junior so he has learned everything. The fundamentals of math and coding he has learned from some special teachers in WhiteHat Junior," he said.

Highlighting BYJU'S interactive methods of learning, Byju Raveendran focused on "how to learn" anything.

"Today there is no alternate to BYJU'S. So we have to make a comeback in one form or the other for students who have not got access. We were creating those movie like videos and game like interactions to make sure that students love learning. To bring the childlike curiosity back in students. The students who are going to schools today, all of us know that 15 years later, the skill set which they are learning in school, the math and science won't be of any use. But if you can make sure that you learn how to learn. You have to be, become a continuous learner. You need to learn at the pace which a four-year-old or 33 year old learn," he said.

Highlighting the scale at which BYJU's dominated other Ed-tech platforms, Byju Raveendran said, "Most of the AI platforms, the results come from BYJU'S. We are by far the largest platform like this even today. Our products were mapped to CBSE, state boards, ICSE. So that's what we did. We were building that product for 10 years. There's no one who has invested even a fraction of that globally. We get more users than Khan Academy in US."

The Bengaluru-based edtech company is facing financial problems, regulatory issues, and legal battles.

Speaking about the media narratives regarding the company's recent struggles, Byju Raveendran said, "We are not able to fight this media battle because it moves on the other side. It's like large corporations on the other side. But we are not giving up. So you need to understand that we won't give up till we win. How do you beat a person who never gives up?"

Founded in 2011, BYJU'S became a household name during the Covid-19. However the leading Ed-tech platform's fall was as rapid as its rise.

- ANI

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Reader Comments

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Priya K.
As a parent who subscribed to BYJU'S during the pandemic, I must say the content quality was excellent. My daughter improved significantly in math. But the aggressive sales calls after we paused the subscription were really off-putting. Hope they've genuinely corrected these practices 🤞
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Rahul S.
Actions speak louder than words, Mr. Raveendran. Many middle-class families invested in BYJU'S courses based on your promises. Now with financial troubles, will you ensure refunds for those who paid upfront? That's the real test of whether you'd give it to your own son.
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Ananya M.
The interactive learning methods were revolutionary! But the pricing made it inaccessible for many Indian families. If the product was truly meant for all children, why not make it more affordable? Quality education shouldn't be a luxury 🎓
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Vikram P.
BYJU'S was a classic case of growing too fast too soon. The core product was good but expansion into so many areas diluted quality. Hope they can bounce back - India needs strong edtech players to bridge our education gap. Just wish they'd been more careful with people's hard-earned money.
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Sneha T.
The "love for learning" line sounds nice, but when salespeople pressured my domestic help to take loans to pay for courses, that crossed all limits. Hope the corrections he mentions are real and not just PR talk. Education business needs more ethics than commerce.
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Karthik R.
Say what you will about BYJU'S, but they did change how India thinks about digital education. Their fall is a cautionary tale for all startups - growth at any cost isn't sustainable. Maybe this phoenix can rise again, but only with complete transparency this time.

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