India’s leading tech defense group replaces Big Tech leaders following criticism

The Internet and Mobile Association of India, an influential tech industry body, has named Dream Sports co-founder and chief executive Harsh Jain as the association’s new president, reversing the tradition of giving lead roles to Big Tech executives after receiving criticism from many Indian startups.

Rajesh Magow, co-founder and managing director of the MakeMyTrip group, will now serve as vice-president of IAMAI, while Satyan Gajwani of Times Internet has been named treasurer of the industry body. Magow takes over the role previously held by Meta’s Shivnath Thukral, while Jain takes over from Google India director Sanjay Gupta.

The appointments, the result of an internal election, come in the wake of many leading Indian entrepreneurs claiming that IAMAI has lost credibility because of the positions it has taken on regulations and policies being developed. by New Delhi.

Shaadi.com’s Anupam Mittal claimed that IAMAI’s views, which largely echoed those of Big Tech, indicated the influential lobby group had become a “mouthpiece” for US tech giants.

The recent tension is the latest indication of a rift in the relationship between Google, Amazon and other major US companies and Indian companies.

Google, Meta, Amazon and Microsoft have poured tens of billions of dollars into India over the past decade. This investment was aimed at transforming the most populous country in the world into a key international market, especially as user growth has slowed in other parts of the globe.

“IAMAI’s new 24-member Board and Executive Board will take over from the current Boards at the next Annual General Meeting. The election of the IAMAI Board of Directors takes place every two Eighty-three IAMAI members stood for election this year following the end of the previous council’s two-year term,” the IAMAI said in a statement Thursday.