Ola, the Indian ride-hailing giant, has been making significant strides in the field of artificial intelligence (AI) with its dedicated AI arm, Krutrim.
However, the ambitious venture has recently encountered a major setback in the form of a human resources (HR) glitch.
Over the past year, Krutrim has witnessed the departure of several key executives and employees, raising concerns about the stability and future of Ola’s AI initiatives.
Leadership Turnover at Krutrim and Reasons Behind the Exits
Krutrim, Ola’s AI division, has experienced significant leadership turnover in the past year.
At least half a dozen executives in leadership roles and over a dozen other employees have left the firm.
Notable departures include Vipul Shah (Vice President, Products), Gautam Bhargava (Vice President, Head of AI Engineering), Samrat Saha (Director, Machine Learning), Achal Kumar Mall (Director of Product Management), Mikhil Raj (Senior Director of Product Management), and Ashok Jagannathan (Vice President).
Most of these exits occurred between March and November 2024, with some employees quitting within a year of joining the firm.
The reasons behind these exits vary, but several factors have been identified.
Some employees cited dissatisfaction with the company’s work culture and management practices.
Others left due to better opportunities elsewhere or personal reasons.
The departure of Ravi Jain, who was brought in from Ola Electric in May 2023 as the business head, further exacerbated the situation.
Ravi Jain’s LinkedIn profile shows he quit in November 2024.
Impact on Krutrim’s Operations and Ambitions of Ola AI
The high turnover rate has had a significant impact on Krutrim’s operations.
The loss of experienced leaders and skilled employees has disrupted ongoing projects and slowed down the development of new AI initiatives.
The company has had to invest time and resources in recruiting and training new talent, which has further strained its operations.
The departure of key personnel has also raised concerns about the stability and continuity of Krutrim’s projects.
Despite the HR challenges, Ola remains committed to its AI ambitions.
The company has been doubling down on its AI initiatives, with founder Bhavish Aggarwal announcing several new projects and investments.
In December 2023, Aggarwal launched Krutrim’s large language model (LLM) that supports 10 Indian languages.
Ola launched the Krutrim chatbot in February 2024 and introduced Krutrim Cloud in May 2024.
Ola has also moved all its workload from Microsoft Azure to Krutrim Cloud.
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