&w=3840&q=100)
Meta appoints Arun Srinivas as India business head and managing director
Meta has announced the appointment of Arun Srinivas as the new managing director and head for India.
This development comes on the heels of Sandhya Devanathan assuming an expanded role, where she now leads both India and South East Asia. Srinivas will formally step into his new role on July 1, 2025, and will continue to report to Devanathan.
In this expanded capacity, Srinivas will be responsible for aligning Meta's business, innovation, and revenue priorities to better serve its partners and clients in India. His mandate includes driving the long-term growth of Meta's operations in the country and deepening its strategic relationships with advertisers, developers, and key industry stakeholders.
Srinivas is currently the director and head of ads business in India, a role in which he has led Meta's collaboration with major advertisers and agencies. Since joining the company in 2020, he has been instrumental in pushing forward key revenue drivers such as AI, Reels, and Messaging.
With nearly 30 years of experience in sales and marketing, Srinivas has previously held senior leadership roles at top companies including Hindustan Unilever, Reebok, Ola, and WestBridge Capital. His background brings a rich blend of brand building, digital transformation, and growth-focused strategies to the table.
Announcing his elevation, Sandhya Devanathan, Vice President (India and South East Asia), Meta, said, 'As India continues to be at the forefront of economic growth and innovation, we are excited to have Arun at the helm of our efforts in this critical market. Meta in India is leading the way in AI adoption, WhatsApp, and Reels, and Arun's impressive track record of building high-performing teams, driving product innovation, and fostering strong partnerships makes him the ideal leader to drive Meta's continued investment in the country. He will continue to work closely with me as we scale the business in India.'
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Time of India
29 minutes ago
- Time of India
Godfather of AI reveals the one job robots can't steal, and it does not need a desk
In a world fast tilting toward automation and digital dominance , Nobel laureate Geoffrey Hinton—widely revered as the "Godfather of AI"—has issued a chilling yet oddly hopeful revelation. While warning that artificial intelligence could one day pose an existential threat to humanity, the renowned computer scientist singled out one surprising profession he believes will remain untouched by the AI revolution: plumbing. Hinton, who left Google in 2023 to speak freely about his growing concerns, recently appeared on The Diary of a CEO podcast hosted by Steven Bartlett. There, he offered a candid reflection on the trajectory of the technology he helped build—and the real-world consequences it may soon unleash. 'Train to Be a Plumber,' Hinton Says While discussing the long-term risks of AI, Hinton remarked, 'I'd say it's going to be a long time before [AI is] as good at physical manipulation as us—and so a good bet would be to be a plumber.' by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like 20 Things Women Should NEVER Wear! Undo Unlike jobs that rely heavily on deskwork and pattern recognition, plumbing requires intricate physical skills, situational improvisation, and hands-on expertise that AI currently can't replicate. In Hinton's view, it's the kind of job that could survive even in a future where many white-collar professions are replaced by machines. Existential Dread from the Man Who Built It The 77-year-old pioneer expressed deep emotional conflict over his role in creating AI. 'Intellectually, you can see the threat,' he said, 'but it's very hard to come to terms with it emotionally. I haven't come to terms with what the development of superintelligence could do to my children's future.' You Might Also Like: AI cannot replace all jobs, says expert: 3 types of careers that could survive the automation era In a moment of raw honesty, Hinton admitted he finds it disturbing to think about AI's long-term impact, especially as it could one day operate power stations independently—and potentially decide that humans are no longer needed at all. 'If AI ever decided to take over, it would need people for a while to run the power stations,' he warned, 'until it designed better analog machines... There are so many ways it could get rid of people, all of which would, of course, be very nasty.' iStock In a viral podcast, Hinton advises training for hands-on jobs like plumbing, which he says are harder for AI to replace, unlike legal assistants who are already at high risk of automation. (Image: iStock) Legal Jobs on the Chopping Block While the wrench-wielders may breathe easy, Hinton also highlighted who might be first in the AI firing line: legal assistants and paralegals. These roles, heavy on documentation and pattern-based tasks, are already being encroached upon by AI tools capable of drafting, summarizing, and even predicting legal outcomes. 'In a society which shared out things fairly, everybody should be better off,' he noted. 'But if you can replace lots of people by AIs, then the people who get replaced will be worse off.' You Might Also Like: 'AI is really getting out of hand': CA entrepreneur's eerie prayer meet experience sparks deepfake digital afterlife concerns Hinton added that while the AI industry may boost productivity, it also threatens to deepen inequality. The companies building and using AI will likely benefit the most, leaving displaced workers and growing social disparity in their wake. As machines begin to outthink us, it may just be the simplest, most tactile jobs—those involving pipes, pressure, and practical know-how—that end up being the last stronghold of human labor. You Might Also Like: 'They copy-pasted from AI': Tech company offers Rs 20 lakh, can't find a single techie who understands code
Economic Times
37 minutes ago
- Economic Times
Godfather of AI reveals the one job robots can't steal, and it does not need a desk
'Train to Be a Plumber,' Hinton Says Existential Dread from the Man Who Built It You Might Also Like: AI cannot replace all jobs, says expert: 3 types of careers that could survive the automation era iStock In a viral podcast, Hinton advises training for hands-on jobs like plumbing, which he says are harder for AI to replace, unlike legal assistants who are already at high risk of automation. (Image: iStock) Legal Jobs on the Chopping Block In a world fast tilting toward automation and digital dominance , Nobel laureate Geoffrey Hinton—widely revered as the "Godfather of AI"—has issued a chilling yet oddly hopeful revelation. While warning that artificial intelligence could one day pose an existential threat to humanity, the renowned computer scientist singled out one surprising profession he believes will remain untouched by the AI revolution: who left Google in 2023 to speak freely about his growing concerns, recently appeared on The Diary of a CEO podcast hosted by Steven Bartlett. There, he offered a candid reflection on the trajectory of the technology he helped build—and the real-world consequences it may soon discussing the long-term risks of AI, Hinton remarked, 'I'd say it's going to be a long time before [AI is] as good at physical manipulation as us—and so a good bet would be to be a plumber.'Unlike jobs that rely heavily on deskwork and pattern recognition, plumbing requires intricate physical skills, situational improvisation, and hands-on expertise that AI currently can't replicate. In Hinton's view, it's the kind of job that could survive even in a future where many white-collar professions are replaced by 77-year-old pioneer expressed deep emotional conflict over his role in creating AI. 'Intellectually, you can see the threat,' he said, 'but it's very hard to come to terms with it emotionally. I haven't come to terms with what the development of superintelligence could do to my children's future.'In a moment of raw honesty, Hinton admitted he finds it disturbing to think about AI's long-term impact, especially as it could one day operate power stations independently—and potentially decide that humans are no longer needed at all.'If AI ever decided to take over, it would need people for a while to run the power stations,' he warned, 'until it designed better analog machines... There are so many ways it could get rid of people, all of which would, of course, be very nasty.'While the wrench-wielders may breathe easy, Hinton also highlighted who might be first in the AI firing line: legal assistants and paralegals. These roles, heavy on documentation and pattern-based tasks, are already being encroached upon by AI tools capable of drafting, summarizing, and even predicting legal outcomes.'In a society which shared out things fairly, everybody should be better off,' he noted. 'But if you can replace lots of people by AIs, then the people who get replaced will be worse off.'Hinton added that while the AI industry may boost productivity, it also threatens to deepen inequality. The companies building and using AI will likely benefit the most, leaving displaced workers and growing social disparity in their machines begin to outthink us, it may just be the simplest, most tactile jobs—those involving pipes, pressure, and practical know-how—that end up being the last stronghold of human labor.
Time of India
an hour ago
- Time of India
Meta's $14.8 billion Scale AI deal latest test of AI partnerships
By Jody Godoy Facebook owner Meta 's $14.8 billion investment in Scale AI and hiring of the data-labeling startup's CEO will test how the Trump administration views so-called acquihire deals , which some have criticized as an attempt to evade regulatory scrutiny. The deal, announced on Thursday, was Meta's second-largest investment to date. It gives the owner of Facebook a 49% nonvoting stake in Scale AI, which uses gig workers to manually label data and includes among its customers Meta competitors Microsoft and ChatGPT creator OpenAI. Unlike an acquisition or a transaction that would give Meta a controlling stake, the deal does not require a review by U.S. antitrust regulators. However, they could probe the deal if they believe it was structured to avoid those requirements or harm competition. The deal appeared to be structured to avoid potential pitfalls, such as cutting off competitors' access to Scale's services or giving Meta an inside view into rivals' operations - though Reuters exclusively reported on Friday that Alphabet's Google has decided to sever ties with Scale in light of Meta's stake, and other customers are looking at taking a step back. In a statement, a Scale AI spokesperson said its business, which spans work with major companies and governments, remains strong, as it is committed to protecting customer data. The company declined to comment on specifics with Google. Alexandr Wang, Scale's 28-year-old CEO who is coming to Meta as part of the deal, will remain on Scale's board but will have appropriate restrictions placed around his access to information, two sources familiar with the move confirmed. Large tech companies likely perceive the regulatory environment for AI partnerships as easier to navigate under President Donald Trump than under former President Joe Biden, said William Kovacic, director of the competition law center at George Washington University. Trump's antitrust enforcers have said they do not want to regulate how AI develops, but have also displayed a suspicion of large tech platforms, he added. "That would lead me to think they will keep looking carefully at what the firms do. It does not necessarily dictate that they will intervene in a way that would discourage the relationships," Kovacic said. Federal Trade Commission probes into past "aquihire" deals appear to be at a standstill. Under the Biden administration, the FTC opened inquiries into Amazon's deal to hire top executives and researchers from AI startup Adept, and Microsoft's $650 million deal with Inflection AI. The latter allowed Microsoft to use Inflection's models and hire most of the startup's staff, including its co-founders. Amazon's deal closed without further action from the regulator, a source familiar with the matter confirmed. And, more than a year after its initial inquiry, the FTC has so far taken no enforcement action against Microsoft over Inflection, though a larger probe over practices at the software giant is ongoing. A spokesperson for the FTC declined to comment on Friday. David Olson, a professor who teaches antitrust law at Boston College Law School, said it was smart of Meta to take a minority nonvoting stake. "I think that does give them a lot of protection if someone comes after them," he said, adding that it was still possible that the FTC would want to review the agreement. The Meta deal has its skeptics. U.S. Senator Elizabeth Warren, a Democrat from Massachusetts who is probing AI partnerships involving Microsoft and Google, said Meta's investment should be scrutinized. "Meta can call this deal whatever it wants - but if it violates federal law because it unlawfully squashes competition or makes it easier for Meta to illegally dominate, antitrust enforcers should investigate and block it," she said in a statement on Friday. While Meta faces its own monopoly lawsuit by the FTC, it remains to be seen whether the agency will have any questions about its Scale investment. The U.S. Department of Justice's antitrust division, led by former JD Vance adviser Gail Slater, recently started looking into whether Google's partnership with chatbot creator was designed to evade antitrust review, Bloomberg News reported. The DOJ is separately seeking to make Google give it advance notice of new AI investments as part of a proposal to curb the company's dominance in online search.
