Who Is Arun Srinivas? Meta India Head Under Fire Over AI Content Controversy Targeting PM Modi
· Free Press Journal
Arun Srinivas, the Managing Director and Head of Meta in India, has found himself at the centre of a legal storm after Hyderabad Cyber Crime Police registered cases against him and several social media accounts over the alleged circulation of AI-generated and morphed content targeting Prime Minister Narendra Modi. The controversy has thrust the otherwise low-profile executive into the national spotlight barely a year into his current role.
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The cases stem from two separate complaints filed with Hyderabad Cyber Crime Police, one by businessman S. Aravind Reddy and another by Telangana BJP activist T. Saikiran Goud. Both complainants alleged that manipulated and AI-generated videos and images of the Prime Minister, some appearing alongside former education minister Dharmendra Pradhan and US President Donald Trump, were circulating on Facebook and Instagram in an obscene, derogatory, and misleading manner. The content reportedly surfaced during the Cockroach Janta Party-led protests over the NEET paper leak issue. Police have registered cases under relevant sections of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita and the IT Act, naming Srinivas as Meta India's chief alongside the operators of the accounts that shared the content, though the investigation remains at a preliminary stage as authorities work to identify who ran those accounts.
The episode follows closely on the heels of another controversy involving Meta and the Prime Minister's office. A selfie video posted by Modi addressing Gen Z during the same protests was briefly restricted on Facebook before being restored within hours, an incident Meta later apologised for, attributing it to a technical error.
Who is Arun Srinivas? Early career and education
Srinivas completed his schooling at Bhavan's Rajaji Vidyashram in Chennai before going on to earn a Bachelor of Science degree in Physics from the University of Madras. He later pursued a postgraduate diploma in Marketing from the Indian Institute of Management, Calcutta, completing it in 1996, and subsequently attended an executive education programme in Strategic Customer Management at the Kellogg School of Management, Northwestern University.
His professional career began in 1996 at Reebok, where he spent close to five years in product management, regional sales, and marketing roles across South India, work that gave him an early grounding in brand building and market execution.
Who is Arun Srinivas? Rise through FMCG, private equity, and mobility
In 2001, Srinivas moved to Hindustan Unilever, where he spent more than fifteen years steering major categories including skin care, beverages, and foods across India and South Asia, eventually taking on India, South Asia, and global leadership roles within the company. After leaving HUL, he joined WestBridge Capital Partners as an Operating Advisor between 2017 and 2019, working with consumer brands such as Vini Cosmetics and Enrich Salons.
In 2019, Srinivas took on the role of Chief Operating Officer and Global Chief Marketing Officer at Ola, where he oversaw the ride hailing company's India business across marketing, revenue, and mobility categories, and was credited with helping launch Ola's London operations, which reportedly became the city's second largest ride hailing service within four weeks of launch.
Who is Arun Srinivas? Joining Meta and the road to India head
Srinivas joined Meta in September 2020 as head of the company's Global Business Group in India, overseeing advertising revenue from large brands and agencies. By 2022, he had been promoted to Director and Head of Meta India's Advertising Business, a role in which he worked closely with the country's largest advertisers and agency partners on priorities including artificial intelligence, Reels, and messaging. In June 2025, Meta announced his elevation to Managing Director and Head of Meta India, effective July 1, 2025, a move that followed the departure of Shivnath Thukral, the company's former vice president of public policy in India. Srinivas continues to report to Sandhya Devanathan, who oversees Meta's operations across both India and South East Asia.