TikTok appoints Nikhil Gandhi as India head, launches EduTok

ByteDance-owned short video app TikTok has appointed former Times Group president Nikhil Gandhi as its India head. The appointment comes at a time when the platform is pushing for its monetisation in the India market and is also walking a policy tightrope.

Based in Mumbai, the Narsee Monjee alumnus will lead product development and operations at TikTok, media outlets report. A detailed email query sent to TikTok did not elicit a response till the time of publication.

With a user base of over 200 million in the country, India is TikTok’s top market. The app, which claims to have a majority user base beyond tier 1 cities in India, overtook Facebook as the most downloaded social network app globally in the first quarter of 2019. 

The entertainment app, better known for its dance and music videos, has been ramping up its advertiser base by diversifying content to include cooking, sports and do-it-yourself activities. 

It has also signed a partnership deal with multiple e-learning platforms such as toppr, Made Easy and Grade Up to push education content on the platform as part of its EduTok programme.

The company officially launched the programme on Thursday in partnership with social enterprises like Josh Talks and The/Nudge Foundation. 

As part of the mentorship programme being run by the social enterprise partners, 25 EduTok workshops will be conducted over six months across Bihar, Andhra Pradesh, Telangana, Rajasthan, Jharkhand and Jammu. 

The workshops will focus on different topics such as soft skills, skill development, identity building, job readiness and career planning. The programme is open to 5,000 creative individuals shortlisted from the TikTok platform.

TikTok has also been battling a case in the Madras High Court over the content on its platform. Earlier this year, the court had ordered a temporary ban on the download of the app in the country.