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In focus
- Terence Lee on what OpenAI’s India expansion means
- The latest on how tech giants are promoting online gambling in the Phillippines
- A gloomy week in Indonesia
Hello reader,
If your business is expanding into a new country, who do you hire there first? It’s often a country manager or sales lead.
But companies in sensitive industries including AI don’t think this way. OpenAI’s first employee in India is a public policy lead, Pragya Misra. Another AI firm, ElevenLabs, pulled a similar move earlier, my colleague Samreen writes.
For these companies, the goal is clear: Placate the government of the day, secure a partnership, and hope that doors open. For even our soon-to-be AI overlords are at their mercy.
It’s a hard-won lesson. Some companies like Uber and TikTok have adopted a more combative approach to lobbying, but this can backfire.
Politicians, it turns out, like a personal touch. It’s why a founder of a tech giant once told me that he made trips to Indonesia to meet officials rather than delegate the task.
The work doesn’t stop even after favor is curried. Regimes change, and along with it, the fortunes of many.
As recent arrests in Indonesia show, today’s insider could be tomorrow’s persona non grata – sometimes in handcuffs.
Terence Lee, editor-in-chief
Editor’s picks
1️⃣ OpenAI’s India expansion may threaten homegrown AI dreams
Image credit: Timmy Loen
Beyond OpenAI’s political savvy, we unpack the reasons behind its expansion into India.
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