OpenAI Makes a Big Play in India

The AI giant has appointed Prabhjeet Singh, former Uber India president, as its first managing director for India. He will lead OpenAI's efforts in scaling its presence in the country, a key battleground for AI companies.

OpenAI is making a significant investment in India by appointing Prabhjeet Singh, former Uber India and South Asia president, as its first managing director for the country. Singh will join OpenAI in September and report to Kiran Mani, the company's managing director for Asia-Pacific. He will be responsible for OpenAI's performance in India across consumer growth, enterprise adoption, partnerships, regulatory engagement, and operations.

This marks OpenAI's latest investment in India, following the opening of its first office in New Delhi last August and plans to establish new offices in Mumbai and Bengaluru. The company had earlier 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. OpenAI had also brought on former Twitter India head Rishi Jaitly as a senior adviser to help establish its engagement with the Indian government on AI policy.

OpenAI has struck partnerships in India spanning higher education, enterprise payments, AI-powered commerce, and web streaming, while also becoming part of the country's growing data center build-out. The company has pointed to India's rapidly growing adoption of ChatGPT as a sign of the market's importance. Indian conglomerates Reliance and Tata Group are also among its early partners in the market.

The company 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. 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. Rival Anthropic opened its India office in Bengaluru in late 2025 and earlier this year named former Microsoft India managing director Irina Ghose as its India head.

As OpenAI expands its presence in India, it marks a significant milestone for the company's growth in the region. With Singh at the helm, OpenAI is well-positioned to capitalize on the country's growing demand for AI and establish itself as a major player in the market.

Key Partnerships and Hires in India

• OpenAI has struck partnerships in India spanning higher education, enterprise payments, AI-powered commerce, and web streaming.
• The company has hired Prabhjeet Singh, former Uber India president, as its first managing director for India.
• OpenAI has also hired former Truecaller and Meta executive Pragya Misra and former Twitter India head Rishi Jaitly as senior advisers.

India's Growing Importance in the AI Market

• India has emerged as a key battleground for U.S. AI companies, driven by its vast developer base and growing demand for generative AI.
• The country has more than a billion internet users and a surging demand for AI-powered solutions.
• OpenAI has pointed to India's rapidly growing adoption of ChatGPT as a sign of the market's importance.

OpenAI's Expansion Plans in India

• The company plans to establish new offices in Mumbai and Bengaluru, in addition to its existing office in New Delhi.
• OpenAI has ramped up hiring in India, with openings including AI deployment engineers, developer experience engineers, a developer marketing lead, a partner director, and solutions engineers.