OpenAI taps Uber veteran to lead India amid AI sovereignty push
OpenAI has hired former Uber India president Prabhjeet Singh as its first managing director in the country, a move that underscores how US tech giants are redirecting resources toward Asia while European economies risk being sidelined in the global AI race.
OpenAI has appointed Prabhjeet Singh as its first managing director for India, tasking the former Uber executive with overseeing consumer growth, enterprise partnerships and regulatory engagement in what the company calls its largest market outside the US. Singh, who spent 11 years at Uber and previously worked at McKinsey, will take up the role in September reporting to Asia Pacific chief Kiran Mani.
The hire highlights a stark contrast in how American AI companies are allocating their global resources. While Europe grapples with complex tech regulation, OpenAI is aggressively building physical offices in Delhi, Mumbai and Bengaluru, alongside striking partnerships with domestic heavyweights like Tata Group and Reliance’s JioHotStar.
India’s sheer scale justifies the investment. The country accounts for 100 million weekly active ChatGPT users, with users aged 18 to 24 sending nearly half of all Indian messages on the platform. For European tech investors and executives, this disparity in user growth is a pressing concern, as it suggests the next wave of foundational AI adoption is happening outside the continent.
OpenAI’s expansion is not occurring in a vacuum. Anthropic opened a Bengaluru office late last year and hired former Microsoft India managing director Irina Ghose, while domestic startup Sarvam reached unicorn status with a $234 million funding round. Crucially, this competition has triggered a geopolitical backlash that carries direct warnings for Europe.
A US government order in June suspending Anthropic’s most powerful models for non-US users sparked a fierce sovereignty debate in India, leading to concrete proposals for a $5 billion annual fund to build domestic AI capabilities. For European governments and corporations increasingly reliant on American infrastructure, the Indian reaction serves as a bellwether for the political risks of technological dependency.
By placing a seasoned local operator at the helm, OpenAI is attempting to navigate these political currents and avoid being branded a foreign dependency. As Prime Minister Narendra Modi elevates AI to a national priority, European capitals should note that the battle for AI dominance is increasingly being fought on the regulatory and political fronts of the Global South, not just in Silicon Valley or Brussels.
