OpenAI Appoints Former Uber India Chief to Lead Expansion in India

OpenAI is stepping up its investment in India, viewing the country as one of its most important markets outside the United States. As part of this strategy, the company has appointed Prabhjeet Singh, former President of Uber India and South Asia, as its first Managing Director in India.

Singh, who announced his resignation from Uber on Friday (June 26), will join OpenAI in September. He will report to Kiran Maani, Managing Director for the Asia-Pacific region. His responsibilities will include driving customer growth, expanding enterprise adoption of OpenAI's technologies, building strategic partnerships, engaging with government and policymakers, and overseeing the company's day-to-day operations in India.

The appointment is part of OpenAI's broader expansion strategy in India. After opening its first office in New Delhi in August last year, the company has announced plans to establish additional offices in Mumbai and Bengaluru this year.

Earlier, in 2024, OpenAI hired Pragya Mishra, formerly of Truecaller and Meta, as its Head of Public Policy and Partnerships. She was later given additional responsibilities for strategy and global operations. The company also appointed Rishi Jaitly, former head of Twitter India, as an adviser to coordinate AI policy engagement with the Indian government.

In recent months, OpenAI has forged several partnerships across higher education, corporate payments, AI-powered commerce, and web streaming. The company has also entered India's data center infrastructure sector. According to OpenAI, the rapid adoption of ChatGPT in India underscores the market's strategic importance, with Reliance and Tata Group already among its partners.

OpenAI is also expanding its hiring efforts in India. The company is recruiting for positions including AI Deployment Engineer, Developer Experience Engineer, Developer Marketing Lead, Partner Director, and Solutions Engineer.

As global competition in artificial intelligence intensifies, India has emerged as a key strategic market for U.S. technology companies. Its vast developer community, more than one billion internet users, and growing demand for generative AI have made the country an increasingly attractive destination for investment.

Rival AI startup Anthropic also expanded its presence in India by opening an office in Bengaluru in late 2025. This year, the company appointed Irina Ghose, former Managing Director of Microsoft India, as its India head.