Sandhya Devanathan Departs Meta to Lead OpenAI’s Southeast Asia and Australia Expansion

Sandhya Devanathan, Meta’s Vice President for India and Southeast Asia, is set to leave the social media giant to join OpenAI, the pioneering artificial intelligence company behind ChatGPT, a move confirmed by OpenAI to TechCrunch. This high-profile executive transition underscores the intensifying competition for top talent between established technology behemoths and rapidly expanding AI innovators, particularly as AI companies aggressively expand their global footprint.

Devanathan’s new role at OpenAI will see her based in Singapore, a strategic hub for the Asia-Pacific region. She will report directly to Kiran Mani, OpenAI’s Asia-Pacific Managing Director, signaling the importance of her upcoming responsibilities. Her mandate will be extensive, encompassing several critical areas vital for OpenAI’s growth and adoption in a diverse and rapidly evolving market. Specifically, she will oversee consumer growth initiatives, drive enterprise adoption of OpenAI’s advanced AI solutions, forge strategic partnerships, manage crucial regulatory engagement, and streamline operational activities across the key markets of Southeast Asia and Australia. This comprehensive portfolio highlights OpenAI’s ambition to establish a strong, multifaceted presence in these high-potential regions.

Her departure marks the end of a distinguished tenure spanning over a decade at Meta, formerly Facebook. Devanathan’s time at the company saw her rise through various leadership roles, culminating in her significant position as Vice President for India and Southeast Asia. Her exit comes at a time when Meta has been under increasing scrutiny globally, facing persistent challenges and growing regulatory pressure concerning critical issues such as online safety, data privacy, and content moderation across its vast platforms. A person familiar with the matter indicated that Devanathan was deeply involved in Meta’s decision-making processes within India, suggesting her departure leaves a notable void in the company’s regional leadership.

This significant appointment follows closely on the heels of another strategic hire for OpenAI in the Asia-Pacific region. Just days prior, Prabhjeet Singh, who previously served as Uber’s India chief, joined OpenAI to lead its operations in India, which is poised to become one of the company’s largest markets outside the United States. Singh, like Devanathan, brings over a decade of experience from a major global tech player, having successfully led Uber’s India and South Asia business. The parallel recruitment of these seasoned executives from established tech giants like Meta and Uber underscores OpenAI’s aggressive talent acquisition strategy aimed at accelerating its expansion in the burgeoning Asia-Pacific technology landscape.

OpenAI has been actively and rapidly expanding its physical presence across the Asia-Pacific over the past two years, establishing a network of key regional offices. These include strategic locations in Singapore, Tokyo, Seoul, Sydney, and Delhi. These office openings signify OpenAI’s commitment to localize its operations, engage more directly with regional businesses and governments, and tailor its offerings to meet the specific demands of these diverse markets. The consistent establishment of these regional hubs, coupled with the hiring of top-tier local leadership, illustrates a concerted effort to capitalize on the immense growth potential for AI technologies in the APAC region.

Following Devanathan’s departure, Meta has adjusted its leadership structure in the region. Arun Srinivas, the current Managing Director for Meta India, will now report directly to Benjamin Joe, Meta’s Vice President for Asia-Pacific. This streamlined reporting line, confirmed by a source familiar with the matter to TechCrunch, suggests a consolidation of regional oversight and strategic alignment within Meta’s Asia-Pacific operations.

Devanathan initially joined Meta in 2016, embarking on a remarkable career trajectory within the company. Prior to her most recent role, she held several influential leadership positions, including successfully leading Meta’s Asia Pacific gaming business. Her appointment as Vice President for India and Southeast Asia in June of the previous year highlighted her strategic importance to Meta’s efforts in these critical growth markets. Her extensive experience across diverse segments and geographies within Meta positions her uniquely to drive OpenAI’s multifaceted agenda in the region.

Meta has recently encountered heightened pressure and scrutiny from Indian authorities, reflecting a broader trend of increased governmental oversight on major tech platforms. Earlier this month, the company was compelled to issue an apology after Instagram mistakenly restricted a post by Prime Minister Narendra Modi in July. The incident, which raised concerns about content moderation practices and potential political implications, led to the Indian government taking the unusual step of summoning senior Meta executives, including its chief global affairs officer, Joel Kaplan, to address the matter. This incident underscored the delicate balance global tech companies must maintain with national governments, particularly in large and politically sensitive markets like India.

Beyond content moderation, New Delhi has also expressed serious concerns regarding the prevalence of child sexual abuse material (CSAM) on Meta’s platforms. This deeply sensitive issue has become a significant focal point for regulators globally, and India is no exception. Last month, the Indian government formally sought an explanation from Meta after a BBC report brought to light Instagram advertisements that allegedly offered access to such illicit content. The report detailed how certain ads, despite Meta’s policies, appeared to facilitate connections to child exploitation networks, drawing immediate and strong condemnation.

In response to these grave allegations and regulatory inquiries, Meta issued a comprehensive blog post at the time, outlining its efforts to combat child exploitation. The company stated that it had promptly removed violating advertisements and associated accounts identified in the BBC report. Furthermore, Meta emphatically rejected any suggestions that it knowingly targeted such advertisements at users based on inappropriate interests, asserting its commitment to eradicating such content. The company also provided quantitative data to demonstrate its proactive measures, noting that it had removed approximately 160,000 accounts in India over a six-month period based on sophisticated signals indicating child-exploitative activity. These actions highlight the ongoing, complex challenge tech companies face in policing vast amounts of user-generated content and the significant resources dedicated to combating illegal activities on their platforms, especially in high-stakes areas like child safety.