“Kya Chal Raha Hai?”, this new initiative by the CEO of Ola Bhavish Aggarwal has brought him into the headlines. Translating to “What’s going on?” in Hindi, this program mandates Ola employees to submit weekly reports detailing their accomplishments. This move by the CEO is being compared to Elon Musk’s management style where he asked the federal workers to list out their achievements or face termination!
Here, the employees are required to send concise updates to Aggarwal and their managers, listing 3 to 5 bullet points of completed tasks. While the initiative looks similar to Musk’s, it notably lacks the termination threat. This directive has come up at a critical juncture as Ola undergoes restructuring, with its electric vehicle arm, Ola Electric, facing financial challenges and layoffs.
Who is Bhavish Aggarwal?
Bhavish Aggarwal is an entrepreneur and co-founder of Ola, India’s top ride-hailing platform. Aggarwal was born in Ludhiana, Punjab, and graduated from IIT Bombay with a computer science degree. Aggarwal started his entrepreneurial venture in 2010 when he co-founded Ola Cabs with Ankit Bhati, following a personal experience with poor taxi services.
Over the years, Aggarwal has made Ola a household brand, taking its operations to more than 250 cities across India and abroad in markets such as Australia, New Zealand, and the UK. This pioneer’s daredevil and innovative strategy has seen him get recognised as one of Time magazine’s 100 Most Influential People of 2018.
What is his net worth?
According to Forbes, Agarwal has an estimated net worth of $2.6 billion, and Bhavish Aggarwal is among the youngest self-made billionaires in the world. His business empire spans multiple ventures that show his commitment to innovation and sustainability.
What ventures does Bhavish have in his empire?
Bhavish Aggarwal’s business ventures span across multiple platforms including Ola Cabs founded in 2010, which transformed urban mobility in India with its reliable ride-hailing services. It has since diversified into financial services and cloud kitchens under the Ola Consumer brand. In 2017, he also launched Ola Electric, focusing on manufacturing electric scooters, motorcycles, and EV components.
The company went public in August 2024, achieving a valuation of nearly $7 billion, which strengthened its status as a key player in India’s EV market despite recent financial hurdles. Aggarwal’s most recent venture, ‘Krutrim’ which means artificial in Sanskrit, is an AI startup established in 2023 that specialises in large language models, AI cloud services, and Indic language translation.
Within a year, Krutrim became India’s first AI unicorn, reaching a valuation of $1 billion. This venture shows Aggarwal’s commitment to democratising AI innovation while also including India’s unique culture.
