GoKawiilMeta's India-Southeast Asia VP Sandhya Devanathan departs for OpenAI
Sandhya Devanathan, who has led Meta's India and Southeast Asia operations since June 2024 after over a decade at the company, is moving to OpenAI. Based in Singapore, she will report to OpenAI's Asia-Pacific head Kiran Mani and take charge of consumer growth, enterprise adoption, partnerships and regulatory engagement across Southeast Asia and Australia. Meta's India managing director Arun Srinivas will now report directly to the company's Asia-Pacific VP Benjamin Joe.
GoKawiil's interpretation of the reporting above, not reported fact.
The move comes as Meta faces intensifying regulatory pressure in India, including a government summons over Instagram wrongly restricting a post by PM Modi and scrutiny over child safety content. Losing a senior executive who helped shape the company's India strategy amid these controversies could complicate Meta's response, while OpenAI's aggressive regional hiring signals its push to build local leadership and credibility across Asia-Pacific markets.
- Devanathan exits Meta after 10+ years to lead OpenAI's Southeast Asia and Australia operations.
- Her departure follows Meta's recent clashes with Indian regulators over content moderation issues.
- OpenAI continues rapid Asia-Pacific expansion, recently hiring a new India head as well.
Source: techcrunch.com — Jagmeet Singh, 2026-08-28
Published there as: “Meta executive leaves for OpenAI as the social media giant faces growing scrutiny in India”
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