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For employees, it’s only natural to seek out greener pastures. The brutal reality is that all of us have bills to pay and aspirations to achieve, so when new opportunities come knocking on our doors – offering better salaries or career progression – it often makes sense to welcome them with open arms.
That was perhaps the case for several former employees of Capital A (formerly known as AirAsia) and MyTukar. A fair number of ex-staff from the two companies are now employed by Malaysian used-car platform Carsome, an occurrence that some say was not a coincidence.
Today we look at:
- The key executives that Capital A and MyTukar lost to Carsome in 2021
- What fresh funds will do for this ex-Gojek exec’s new startup
- Other newsy highlights such as Alibaba’s profits taking a hit and more money going into NFTs
Premium summary
To another pasture
Image credit: Timmy Loen
AirAsia rebranded itself earlier this year as Capital A and is bolstering its super-app ambitions. Meanwhile, MyTukar, the Malaysian unit of Singaporean automotive marketplace Carro, underwent a reorganization and is looking to grow its market share soon. This has led to a change in leadership and some employees jumping ship at the two firms. A notable number of their ex-staff have joined Carsome, Malaysia’s first unicorn.
- From the numbers: Tech in Asia has found that about 13 junior and senior executives from AirAsia’s marketing and tech divisions, as well as 12 junior and senior staff from MyTukar’s business development division, left to join Carsome in 2021.
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Not a coincidence: A former AirAsia employee with knowledge of the matter says these movements were unique, as many who left the airline claimed to have been poached by Carsome, which wanted to beef up its digital marketing and tech units. Insiders familiar with the matter also tell Tech in Asia that they knew that Carsome had made offers to a number of MyTukar staff across different divisions.
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But not on purpose?: Carsome has denied targeting talent “from any company,” with a spokesperson telling Tech in Asia that “there is no attempt as alleged.”
Read more: Capital A, MyTukar lost key execs to Carsome in 2021
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