Meta executive leaves for OpenAI as the social media giant faces growing scrutiny in India

image via TechCrunch

August 28, 2026, 12:21 PM

• •Meta vice president for India and Southeast Asia Sandhya Devanathan is leaving the company to join OpenAI.
• •At OpenAI, Devanathan will be based in Singapore and oversee consumer growth, enterprise adoption, partnerships, regulatory engagement, and operations across Southeast Asia and Australia.
• •Her move follows OpenAI's recent hiring of former Uber executive Prabhjeet Singh as India head and reflects the company's wider Asia-Pacific expansion.
• •Meta said India managing director Arun Srinivas will report directly to Asia-Pacific vice president Benjamin Joe after Devanathan's departure.
• •The leadership change comes as Meta faces pressure in India over content moderation, including an Instagram restriction of a post by Prime Minister Narendra Modi and concerns about child sexual abuse material.

Sandhya Devanathan, Meta’s vice president for India and Southeast Asia, is leaving the company to join OpenAI. Based in Singapore, she will report to Asia-Pacific managing director Kiran Mani and oversee growth, partnerships, regulatory engagement, and operations across Southeast Asia and Australia. Her appointment follows OpenAI’s recent hiring of Prabhjeet Singh as India head and fits the company’s broader expansion across Asia Pacific. The move comes as Meta faces increased scrutiny in India over content moderation, including an Instagram restriction involving Prime Minister Narendra Modi and concerns about child sexual abuse material on its platforms.

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