OpenAI Appoints Former Uber India Leader Prabhjeet Singh as India Managing Director

OpenAI has appointed Prabhjeet Singh, former President of Uber India and South Asia, as its Managing Director for India, marking the artificial intelligence company’s most significant leadership appointment in the country to date.

Singh, who spent nearly 11 years at Uber, will join OpenAI in September and report to Kiran Mani, Managing Director for Asia Pacific. As the company’s senior-most executive in India, he will lead consumer growth, enterprise adoption, strategic partnerships, public policy engagement, and overall business operations.

The appointment highlights India’s growing importance in OpenAI’s global expansion strategy as the company accelerates the adoption of ChatGPT, enterprise AI solutions, and developer platforms across one of the world’s largest digital economies.

India Emerges as a Strategic AI Market

OpenAI described India as one of ChatGPT’s largest markets by weekly active users and among its top five markets globally for API usage.

The company’s expanding presence reflects the country’s rapidly growing AI ecosystem, supported by:

• A large developer community
• Rapid enterprise AI adoption
• Expanding startup ecosystem
• Strong digital infrastructure
• Growing demand for AI-powered business solutions

Industry analysts believe India is expected to play a pivotal role in the next phase of global AI innovation and commercialisation.

Expanding Beyond Consumer AI

As Managing Director, Singh will oversee OpenAI’s engagement across multiple sectors.

His responsibilities include:

• Consumer growth initiatives
• Enterprise AI adoption
• Strategic partnerships
• Startup collaborations
• Public sector engagement
• Regulatory and public policy initiatives

The company also plans to deepen relationships with enterprises, educational institutions, developers, and government organisations as AI adoption accelerates across industries.

Leadership Experience Across Technology and Mobility

Before joining OpenAI, Singh led Uber’s operations across India, Bangladesh, and Sri Lanka as President of India and South Asia.

During his tenure, Uber expanded its mobility portfolio through initiatives such as:

• Uber Auto
• Uber Moto
• Uber Shuttle
• Electric mobility programmes
• Integration with India’s Open Network for Digital Commerce (ONDC)

Earlier in his career, Singh worked at McKinsey & Company, where he advised organisations on growth strategy and digital transformation. He is an alumnus of IIT Kharagpur and IIM Ahmedabad.

AI Adoption Continues to Accelerate

India is witnessing increasing investment in artificial intelligence across both public and private sectors.

Key growth areas include:

• Generative AI applications
• Enterprise productivity tools
• Customer service automation
• Software development
• Education and research

Industry experts believe strong local leadership will become increasingly important as AI companies expand commercial operations while engaging with policymakers on emerging regulations.

Strengthening OpenAI’s Regional Presence

Singh’s appointment forms part of OpenAI’s broader strategy to strengthen its commercial and policy footprint across Asia.

The company continues to invest in:

• Enterprise partnerships
• Developer ecosystems
• AI education initiatives
• Government engagement
• Responsible AI deployment

Industry observers believe leadership appointments in key markets will play an important role in supporting OpenAI’s long-term global growth ambitions.

The Bigger Industry Shift

The appointment reflects several major trends shaping the global AI industry:

• Rapid enterprise adoption of generative AI
• Increased investment in regional leadership
• Growing importance of AI regulation
• Expansion of developer ecosystems
• Rising competition among global AI companies

As artificial intelligence becomes increasingly integrated into businesses and everyday life, companies are strengthening local operations to better serve customers, partners, and governments.

The Bottom Line

Prabhjeet Singh’s appointment as OpenAI’s Managing Director for India represents a significant milestone in the company’s expansion strategy and underscores India’s growing influence in the global AI landscape.

With leadership spanning consumer growth, enterprise adoption, partnerships, and policy engagement, Singh is expected to play a key role in driving OpenAI’s next phase of growth as the company deepens its presence across one of the world’s most important technology markets.