Ola Group to Migrate from Microsoft Azure to Krutrim Cloud After LinkedIn Post Removal

In a significant move, the Ola Group, encompassing ride-hailing giant Ola Cabs and electric vehicle (EV) manufacturer Ola Electric, is severing ties with Microsoft Azure cloud services. Here's a breakdown of the key factors and potential implications:

Reason for Migration:

• Bhavish Aggarwal, Ola founder, reacted strongly to a LinkedIn post removal regarding pronoun usage.
• LinkedIn, owned by Microsoft, took down the post for violating its community guidelines.
• This action prompted Aggarwal to announce the migration of all Ola Group operations to Krutrim Cloud, the cloud service offered by his sister company, Krutrim AI.

Krutrim Cloud and Public Infrastructure Push:

• This move showcases Aggarwal's support for Krutrim AI, a recently launched AI unicorn offering cloud infrastructure and services.
• Krutrim Cloud's features include GPU-as-a-service for AI development, catering to enterprises and developers.
• Aggarwal advocates for a "digital public infrastructure (DPI)" for social media, similar to India's Unified Payment Interface (UPI). This aims to counter alleged monopolies and promote data ownership for content creators.

Industry Context and Regulations:

• The Indian government is actively considering legislative measures to enhance accountability of social media platforms regarding content moderation.
• Aggarwal's stance has garnered support from industry peers, highlighting potential concerns over content moderation practices.
• Microsoft Azure faces increased competition in India's growing cloud service market, with rivals like Amazon Web Services and Google Cloud vying for market share.

Ola Group's Financial Landscape:

• This decision comes amidst Ola Cabs' restructuring and international market pullbacks in pursuit of profitability before a potential IPO.
• Ola Electric, awaiting regulatory approval for its IPO, is another major player within the Ola Group.