Netflix’s Akash Iyer joins OpenAI as social lead for India

OpenAI, the parent of ChatGPT, has brought on Akash Iyer as its social lead for India. He moves from Netflix, where he managed marketing for films and series.

“It’s an incredible opportunity. But more than that, it’s a deep responsibility to be able to contribute to the mission of building AGI for the benefit of humanity,” Iyer wrote on LinkedIn as he announced the move.

Iyer has spent more than a decade in media and marketing, with previous roles at SportsKeeda, The Glitch, Buzzfeed and RR Donnelley.

His arrival highlights OpenAI’s growing focus on India. The company will open its first office in Delhi later this year. "It's ChatGPT’s second largest market by users, after the US," noted Jake Wilczynski, OpenAI’s Asia Pacific communications head, underscoring India’s importance to the company.

Earlier this month, OpenAI launched an India only ChatGPT plan priced at Rs 399 per month, a move aimed at making the service more accessible in a country where students use ChatGPT more in India than anywhere else in the world.