Meta's India operations have lost a key executive to a rival AI powerhouse. Sandhya Devanathan, who led Meta's India division and played a central role in the company's push into emerging markets, has joined OpenAI as the AI startup expands its footprint across Southeast Asia and Australia.
Devanathan's departure marks the latest high-profile exit from Meta as the social media giant grapples with mounting regulatory pressure in India, one of its largest and most strategically important markets. Her new title at OpenAI positions her to oversee regional operations spanning Southeast Asia and Australia, a geography that represents some of the fastest-growing markets for AI services and language model adoption.
Her move underscores a shift in talent flow within the tech industry. Meta, which once dominated recruitment in India and the broader Asian tech scene, now competes directly with AI-focused companies for experienced leaders who understand regulatory landscapes, government relations, and market development in high-growth regions. OpenAI's expansion into Asia reflects the company's ambitions to compete globally with Anthropic, Google, and other AI developers betting heavily on the region's growth trajectory.
The timing of Devanathan's departure coincides with intensified scrutiny of Meta in India. The country's regulators and government officials have repeatedly challenged Meta's handling of user data, misinformation control, and content moderation practices. India represents roughly 400 million of Meta's users globally, making it the single largest market by user base. Recent investigations and regulatory actions have created friction between Meta's leadership and Indian authorities.
Devanathan's experience navigating India's complex regulatory environment makes her valuable to OpenAI as it seeks to establish legitimate operations across Asia without repeating earlier missteps. OpenAI's own India strategy involves partnering with local firms, building relationships with government bodies, and localizing its services for regional languages and use cases. Her institutional knowledge of India's regulatory agencies, business culture, and political dynamics gives OpenAI a seasoned guide.
Meta has not yet named a successor to Devanathan's position. The company's India operations remain substantial, encompassing not only Facebook and Instagram but also WhatsApp, which serves as a primary communication tool for hundreds of millions of Indian users. However, the loss of an executive with Devanathan's stature and connections signals organizational strain within Meta's Asia-Pacific division.
For OpenAI, the hire reinforces its commitment to building a sustainable, regionally grounded presence across Asia rather than deploying a purely centralized go-to-market strategy. The company faces pressure from both Western regulators and Asian governments to demonstrate responsible AI development and deployment. Having a regional leader with government relations expertise helps address those demands.
The executive shuffle also reflects broader competitive dynamics in AI. As the industry matures beyond the initial hype cycle, companies increasingly prioritize execution over innovation headlines. Regional expertise, regulatory fluency, and on-the-ground relationships matter more than they did two years ago. Devanathan's career trajectory mirrors this shift.