OpenAI India Appoints Former Uber Chief Prabhjeet Singh to Lead Second-Largest Market

OpenAI India Appoints Former Uber India Chief to Drive Market Expansion

OpenAI has appointed Prabhjeet Singh, former president of Uber India and South Asia, as its first India Managing Director, marking a significant step in the company's expansion in India 1

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. Singh announced his resignation from Uber on Friday and will join OpenAI in September, becoming the company's most senior executive in the region 2

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. He will report to Kiran Mani, OpenAI's managing director for Asia-Pacific, and take responsibility for consumer growth, enterprise adoption of AI, strategic partnerships in India, regulatory engagement, and overall operations 3

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The OpenAI India Managing Director appointment signals the company's commitment to what CEO Sam Altman has repeatedly described as its second-largest market after the United States 4

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. India has emerged as one of the key battlegrounds for U.S. AI companies, driven by its vast developer base, more than a billion internet users, and surging demand for generative AI solutions 1

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Proven Leadership in Scaling Technology Platforms

Prabhjeet Singh brings nearly 11 years of experience from Uber India, where he played a pivotal role in transforming the company's business across India, Bangladesh, and Sri Lanka 3

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. During his tenure, he led the expansion beyond ride-hailing by scaling services such as Uber Auto, Uber Moto, and Uber Shuttle, while strengthening the company's focus on electric mobility and multimodal transportation solutions. He was instrumental in building partnerships with India's digital public infrastructure, including the Open Network for Digital Commerce (ONDC), helping drive innovation in the country's mobility ecosystem 3

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An alumnus of IIT Kharagpur and IIM Ahmedabad, Singh combines strong analytical capabilities with deep operational expertise, positioning him well to lead OpenAI expansion in India across one of the world's most dynamic technology markets 3

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. His ability to scale technology-driven businesses and manage complex market dynamics is expected to accelerate AI adoption across enterprises, startups, educational institutions, and government organizations 5

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Building the AI Ecosystem in India Through Strategic Investments

The appointment comes as OpenAI has significantly ramped up its presence in India over the past year. The company opened its first office in New Delhi last August and earlier this year announced plans to establish new offices in Mumbai and Bengaluru 1

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. In 2024, OpenAI hired former Truecaller and Meta executive Pragya Misra to lead public policy and partnerships before expanding her role to head of strategy and global affairs last year 1

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. The company also brought on former Twitter India head Rishi Jaitly as a senior adviser to establish continuous engagement with the Indian government on AI policy 4

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Over recent months, OpenAI struck partnerships spanning higher education, enterprise payments, AI-powered commerce, and web streaming, while becoming part of the country's growing data center infrastructure build-out 1

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. Indian conglomerates Reliance and Tata Group are among its early partners in the market, reflecting the company's focus on building a robust AI ecosystem in India 1

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Aggressive Hiring Spree Signals Long-Term Commitment

OpenAI has simultaneously ramped up hiring in India, with openings including AI deployment engineers, developer experience engineers, a developer marketing lead, a partner director, and solutions engineers 1

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. This hiring push extends beyond India, as the company has been on a broader recruitment spree that includes White House artificial intelligence adviser Dean Ball, former Ironclad CEO Jason Boehmig for legal industry products, and former Salesforce AgentExchange CEO Brian Landsman as vice president of global partnerships 2

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The rapid adoption of generative AI across industries in India, coupled with the country's thriving startup ecosystem and vast developer base, has made the market central to OpenAI's international expansion strategy 3

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. Businesses across banking, healthcare, manufacturing, retail, education, and information technology are increasingly integrating AI into customer engagement, software development, productivity, automation, and decision-making 3

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Competition Intensifies as Rival Anthropic Enters the Market

The competitive landscape in India is heating up, with rival Anthropic opening its India office in Bengaluru in late 2025 and naming former Microsoft India managing director Irina Ghose as its India head earlier this year 1

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. This intensifying competition underscores why OpenAI is strengthening its local leadership to accelerate enterprise adoption and expand collaborations with businesses and institutions. Singh's experience in building large-scale technology businesses and fostering public-private collaborations will be critical as OpenAI deepens its presence while supporting organizations adopting AI to improve productivity and drive innovation 3

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. The appointment represents more than a leadership change—it signals OpenAI's intent to establish a stronger commercial, enterprise, and policy presence as India rapidly emerges as one of the world's most important AI markets 3

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