Prabhjeet Singh of Uber India resigns, set to join ChatGPT maker OpenAI

ChatGPT maker OpenAI said on Friday that outgoing Uber India CEO Prabhjeet Singh will join the company’s India operations in September as the managing director for the cou­ntry. Singh will report to Kiran Mani, who OpenAI appointed as managing director for Asia Pacific in March this year.

“Prabhjeet will be OpenAI’s most senior leader in India, with responsibility for our performance across consumer growth, enterprise adoption and partnerships, regulatory engagement, and operations. His focus will include building partnerships and supporting India’s wider AI ecosystem, while helping more consumers, businesses, institutions and government bodies benefit from AI,” the company said in a statement.

Singh, an Indian Institute of Technology, Kanpur, and the Indian Institute of Management, Ahmedabad, served as the president of Uber’s India and South Asia business until Friday. His departure from Uber India marks an end of a decade-long stint in which he oversaw Uber’s growth and expansion across India.

Speaking on the development, a spokesperson for Uber said that India is one of Uber’s most important markets globally, and is an important driver of innovation and long-term growth. “The strength of our business today reflects the incredible team and foundation built over the years. We thank Prabhjeet for his leadership and lasting contributions in his decade-long journey with Uber — we remain deeply committed to our next phase of growth in India,” the spokesperson added.

While Uber has not yet announced a successor for the role, it is expected to outline its leadership transition plans in the coming weeks.

Singh’s departure comes at a time when Uber is facing inc­r­eased competition in India from homegrown players like Rapido as well as newer mobility platforms such as the cooperative ride-hailing app Bharat Taxi.

Singh had joined Uber in August 2015 as the general manager, head of strategy. He then went on to lead the company’s India and South Asia business. In June 2020, he became the president, overseeing the company’s business in the region. Prior to Uber, Singh was an associate partner at McKinsey & Company.

During Singh’s tenure, Uber has made several efforts to strengthen its play in India. The company has deepened its presence in Tier-II cities and other non-metro markets. It has also been expanding its portfolio through services such as Uber Moto, Uber Auto, intercity travel, and partnerships in adjacent categories. In addition, the company has deepened partnerships with drivers and fleet operators such as Everest Fleet.

Uber has also integrated various services like metro ticket booking on its application. The metro ticketing service on Uber is currently live across five cities and, so far, more than 10 million metro rides have been booked through the Uber app via the government-backed ecommerce platform, the Open Network for Digital Commerce (ONDC). Last month, Uber had announced a strategic investment of ₹60 crore in ONDC.