Meta, led by Sandhya Devanathan, has reported significant growth in India, utilizing the country as a testing ground for global products such as Reels and WhatsApp Payments. Devanathan emphasized India's pivotal role in product development and the enthusiastic adoption of new technologies, notably Meta's Llama AI platform.
During her nearly two-year tenure in India, Devanathan has overseen the expansion of Meta's business and increased consumer engagement across its platforms, including Facebook, Instagram, and WhatsApp. However, the company has also faced regulatory challenges, including a recent penalty from the Competition Commission of India (CCI) for allegedly sharing user data between WhatsApp and Instagram for targeted advertising. Meta is currently contesting this decision.
In an interview, Devanathan highlighted India's importance as a market, noting it as one of the largest user bases for Meta globally. She stated, "India continues to remain a super important market for Meta globally."
She pointed out that India was the first country to test Instagram Reels in 2020, which has since become a leading product worldwide. Additionally, India was the inaugural market for launching Payments on WhatsApp Business and is a top three market for the adoption of Meta's open-source AI model, Llama.
Devanathan also mentioned ongoing tests in India, such as a pilot program for small business calling on WhatsApp, which allows users to transition from chat to voice calls seamlessly. This feature is expected to be announced globally following its success in India.
With over 400 million downloads, Llama's growth is significantly attributed to Indian developers who are creating various solutions on the platform. Devanathan expressed confidence in India's critical role in the future of AI development and usage.
Regarding regulations, she stated, "We welcome regulation, especially if it's progressive," citing the Digital Personal Data Protection Act as an example of effective regulation.