Facebook’s India head, Kirthiga Reddy, said she is stepping down and plans to return to US where she has begun her journey to explore new opportunites at Facebook back at Menlo Park in California.
Krithiga Reddy has made an announcement on Facebook at the weekend which began with a huge setback to the social network giant with India banning internet providers from charging different rates from different users. The decision means that Facebook’s free internet program, Free Basics, has been rejected here.
Being the first employee of Facebook employee in India, said her family’s intent was always to return to the US and her children’s schooling makes this the right time to head back. She added it will be “business as-usual over the next 6-12 months” and she will help find a successor over the period.
Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg had championed Free Basics which he said would deliver internet services to lakhs of rural Indians. The scheme offered pared-down internet access to Facebook messaging services and content from Facebook’s partners at no charge.
As the campaign for net neutrality surged, Facebook ran an elaborate media campaign with hoardings and front-page ads which was slammed by telecom regulator TRAI.
