Meta Platforms Inc. (NASDAQ:META) is losing a top regional leader after Sandhya Devanathan decided to leave the company for OpenAI, a move disclosed Friday that comes as Meta faces heightened attention from Indian officials over safety and moderation issues.
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Devanathan will work out of Singapore, reporting to Kiran Mani, and will be responsible for growth, enterprise uptake, partnerships, policy engagement, and day-to-day execution across Southeast Asia and Australia, TechCrunch reported.
Devanathan is departing after more than 10 years at Meta, where a person familiar with the matter said she participated in internal decision-making tied to India.
OpenAI’s hire follows another leadership addition in the country, with former Uber Technologies India and South Asia President Prabhjeet Singh joining as India head next month. He will report to Asia Pacific Managing Director Kiran Mani and will “oversee consumer growth, enterprise adoption, partnerships, regulatory engagement and operations, and will lead efforts to expand partnerships and support the country’s artificial intelligence ecosystem.”
OpenAI has also been building out its footprint across Asia-Pacific, with offices opened over the past two years in cities including Singapore, Tokyo, Seoul, Sydney, Delhi and Tokyo.
Inside Meta, the reporting line for India is changing after Devanathan’s exit, with Arun Srinivas set to report to Benjamin Joe, Meta’s Asia-Pacific vice president, a person familiar with the matter told TechCrunch.
Devanathan joined Meta in 2016 and cycled through multiple leadership posts, including running its Asia-Pacific gaming business, before taking the India and Southeast Asia vice president role in June of last year.
Meanwhile, OpenAI has seen more than a dozen executive exits in 2026, with Business Insider putting the count at 13 and several departures clustered in the past month.
Earlier this week, former Data Center Chief Chris Malone exited after a short stint at the artificial intelligence company.
Two weeks ago, OpenAI replaced Chief Revenue Officer Denise Dresser, who was in the role for about eight months. Dali Rajic was named in her place, with the company framing the hire as preparing for a new wave of models it expects to reshape how organizations operate.
Two days before Dresser’s departure was announced, OpenAI also lost longtime executive Brad Lightcap, who had served as chief operating officer. Lightcap said he would be “starting something new,” without sharing details.
About a month earlier, OpenAI Product and Business Chief Fidji Simo stepped down to address a “chronic illness,” although she continues to advise the company.
OpenAI may be pushing back its public debut as it weighs whether market conditions can support its reported goal of a $1 trillion valuation. The company confidentially filed draft IPO paperwork with U.S. regulators last month, but subsequent reports suggest it could wait until 2027 before going public.
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