Google’s head of public policy for India has resigned just five months after taking the job, at a potentially critical time for the US tech giant as it awaits the outcome of at least two antitrust cases in the country.
There was some confusion on Archana Gulati’s resignation’s motivating factors.
Gulati, a former employee of the government think tank run by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, declined to comment. A Google representative from Alphabet Inc. also declined to comment.
Google is dealing with several antitrust cases in India as well as tougher rules for the internet industry.
The competition watchdog in India is investigating Google’s business practises in the market for smart TVs, as well as its Android operating system and in-app payment system.
According to those acquainted with the procedure, the watchdog is almost ready to make its judgement in at least two antitrust investigations against Google.
Gulati oversaw a group of public policy professionals at Google that investigated the potential effects of various regulations on the firm in India, one of its main emerging markets.
She served as a joint secretary for digital communications at Modi’s federal think tank, Niti Aayog, which is essential to the creation of government policy in all areas, from March 2021 till she left the government of India.
According to her LinkedIn page, she had previously worked as a senior employee in the Mergers & Acquisitions branch of the Competition Commission of India between 2014 and 2016.
A number of Indian government officials have been hired by Big Tech companies as they face tighter data and privacy regulation, as well as competition law scrutiny, under Modi’s federal government.
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