Sandhya Devanathan, Meta’s vice president for India and Southeast Asia, is leaving the social media giant to join OpenAI, the ChatGPT maker confirmed to TechCrunch on Friday. Devanathan, who spent over a decade at Meta, will be based in Singapore and report to OpenAI’s Asia-Pacific managing director, Kiran Mani, where she will oversee consumer growth, enterprise adoption, partnerships, regulatory engagement, and operations across Southeast Asia and Australia.
Her move comes at a central time for both companies. OpenAI has been aggressively expanding its footprint in the Asia-Pacific region, having opened offices in Singapore, Tokyo, Seoul, Sydney, and Delhi over the past two years. Devanathan’s appointment follows the recent hiring of Prabhjeet Singh, a former Uber executive, as OpenAI’s India head — a clear signal that the AI company is prioritizing the region’s fast-growing market.
Also read: Anthropic researcher shows AI systems can improve their own alignment training
Meta’s Growing Regulatory Troubles in India
Devanathan’s departure lands as Meta faces intensifying scrutiny from Indian authorities. Earlier this month, the company issued an apology after Instagram mistakenly restricted a post by Prime Minister Narendra Modi in July. The incident prompted the Indian government to summon Meta executives, including its chief global affairs officer, Joel Kaplan, for an explanation.
Beyond the Modi incident, New Delhi has raised concerns over child sexual abuse material (CSAM) on Meta’s platforms. Last month, the Indian government sought clarification from the company after a BBC report alleged that Instagram offered access to such content. Meta responded in a blog post, stating it had removed violating ads and accounts, and rejected suggestions that it knowingly targeted users with such ads based on inappropriate interests. The company also noted that it had removed 160,000 accounts in India over six months based on signals indicating child-exploitative activity.
These issues underscore the delicate balance Meta must strike in India, one of its largest user bases globally, where regulatory pressure is mounting alongside growing competition from local platforms and new AI-driven services.
What Devanathan’s Move Means for OpenAI and Meta
For OpenAI, hiring Devanathan brings a seasoned executive with deep regional expertise and established relationships across India and Southeast Asia — valuable assets as the company seeks to grow its enterprise and consumer adoption in these markets. Her experience in working through regulatory environments, honed during her time at Meta, will be critical as OpenAI expands its services in a region with increasingly complex data and content regulations.
For Meta, the loss of a senior leader with more than a decade of institutional knowledge adds to the challenges the company faces in India. Devanathan joined Meta in 2016 and held several leadership roles, including leading its Asia-Pacific gaming business, before being appointed vice president for India and Southeast Asia in June last year. Following her departure, Meta’s India managing director, Arun Srinivas, will now report directly to Benjamin Joe, the company’s vice president for Asia-Pacific.
The executive reshuffle comes as India’s digital economy continues to evolve rapidly, with increasing regulatory oversight of major tech platforms. OpenAI’s growing presence in the region, coupled with its recent hires, positions it to capitalize on the demand for AI tools among Indian businesses and consumers. Meanwhile, Meta must work through a complex space of content moderation, safety concerns, and government relations without one of its key regional leaders.
As both companies adjust their leadership structures, the coming months will reveal how these changes impact their strategies in one of the world’s most dynamic digital markets.
Disclaimer: This article is for informational purposes only and does not constitute financial advice. The technology and regulatory arena is volatile and subject to change; readers should conduct their own research before making any decisions.
