WhatsApp India head steps down

WhatsApp India head Abhijit Bose and Meta India’s director for public policy Rajiv Aggarwal have stepped down, Meta announced on Tuesday. WhatsApp’s director for public policy in India Shivnath Thukral will take charge as director of public policy for Facebook, Instagram, and WhatsApp in India. 

Bose is expected to take up another role. He said in a LinkedIn post, published on Tuesday, that he is “really excited” about his next gig. “After a small break, I plan to rejoin the entrepreneurial world; you’ll see announcements on that shortly!” said Bose. 

“After four amazing years at WhatsApp, I have taken the call to move on from Meta. This decision has not been an easy one for me. WhatsApp is one of the most special products in the world, and being a small part of it has been a unique experience and privilege of a lifetime for me,” Bose added. 

Bose said that this was planned for a while, but the announcement was held due to last week’s events.  “We wanted to hold this back so we could focus on supporting those impacted last week,” he added. 

Meta announced its biggest layoff to date last week after CEO Mark Zuckerberg trimmed 13% of its global workforce and let go over 11,000 people. However, the social media company said in a statement that the reshuffle in Indian leadership is unrelated to the recent news cycles. 

Will Cathcart, head of WhatsApp, thanked Bose for his contributions as the first head of WhatsApp 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,” added Cathcart. 

“Agarwal has decided to step down to pursue another opportunity,” said Manish Chopra, Director, Partnerships, India, Meta. “He has also been leading proactive engagement with critical policy and regulatory stakeholders. We are grateful for his contributions and wish him the very best for the future,” added Chopra. 

Further, Chopra said that Thukral in his new role will define and lead important policy development initiatives for 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,” added Chopra.