WhatsApp India chief Abhijit Bose steps down amid layoff turmoil
Meta, parent company of Facebook and WhatsApp, has announced the resignation of WhatsApp’s head of India unit Abhijit Bose. The news comes at a time when Meta is in the midst of a layoff turmoil, along with many leading tech companies.
Last week in November, Meta Chief Executive Mark Zuckerberg informed the business world that the company would be laying off about 13% of its staff globally, the number estimated to be more than 11,000 employees. The decision has been followed with some of the leaders departing, notably ex-head of Meta India Ajit Mohan, who stepped down from his role and later on, joined Snap as President, Asia-Pacific.
Commenting on his departure, Bose said that he plans to rejoin the entrepreneurial world after a small break and is “really excited” about his next role. He also added that the decision to leave social media platform after four years “has not been an easy one.”
“I want to thank Abhijit Bose for his tremendous contributions as our first Head of WhatsApp in India. His entrepreneurial drive helped our team deliver new services that have benefited millions of people and businesses. There is so much more WhatsApp can do for India and we’re excited to continue helping advance India’s digital transformation,” Will Cathcart, Head of WhatsApp, said in a statement.
After Bose’s departure, Meta India’s Director of Public Policy Rajiv Aggarwal, has also resigned from his role to “pursue another opportunity”, the statement added.
In light of the development, WhatsApp swiftly announced the elevation of Shivraj Thukral as the new head of Public Policy at Facebook, Instagram and WhatsApp in India. Previously, he was the head of Public Policy at WhatsApp since 2017.
“We are also announcing the appointment of Shivnath Thukral as our Director, Public Policy for Meta in India. Shivnath has been an integral part of our Public Policy team since 2017. In his new role, Shivnath will define and lead important policy development initiatives across our apps - Facebook, Instagram and WhatsApp - in India. We remain committed to our users in India and will continue to contribute meaningfully to the regulatory process that will enable everyone to harness the full potential of India’s digital economy", said Manish Chopra, Director, Partnerships, India Meta.
The leadership and employee attrition turmoil has bogged many of the top-notch tech companies and unicorns in recent times.