OpenAI elevates Pragya Misra to lead India strategy as the AI firm deepens its focus on India

OpenAI has elevated Pragya Misra to Head of Strategy & Global Affairs, India, highlighting the company’s growing ambitions in one of its most dynamic markets. Misra, who joined OpenAI 18 months ago to lead Global Affairs for India, will now drive a unified, long-term India strategy across product, policy, partnerships and ecosystem development.

“I believed deeply that India would shape the global AI landscape,” Misra said, announcing her expanded role. “We are deepening our focus from supporting the IndiaAI mission to making our frontier models accessible and affordable, and building partnerships that drive inclusion, learning and innovation.”

OpenAI’s India pivot

India has quickly emerged as a priority market for the U.S. AI firm. India is OpenAI’s second-largest market by user base, with adoption of its conversational AI tools growing more than three-fold year-over-year. The company has also registered a local entity and is preparing to open its first India office in New Delhi by year-end.

OpenAI’s move reflects a broader recalibration of its international strategy. The company is in talks with Indian partners on AI infrastructure development as part of its global “OpenAI for Countries” initiative, aimed at embedding foundational AI capacity into national markets.

Building an India-first ecosystem

In June 2025, OpenAI deepened its collaboration with the Indian government’s IndiaAI Mission under the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology, launching the OpenAI Academy India. The program—OpenAI’s first global education initiative—offers AI skills training in English and Hindi, with plans to expand into regional languages. It also provides API credits worth $100,000 for selected Indian startups and fellows.

Commercially, OpenAI is tailoring products for India’s vast, price-sensitive market. In October 2025, the company launched ChatGPT Go, a low-cost subscription plan priced at ₹399 per month, and offered a year of free access to spur adoption.

Why this matters

India offers both scale and complexity—home to one of the world’s largest developer bases, a vast digital-consumer population, and a government pushing to build domestic AI capacity under the IndiaAI Mission. For OpenAI, the market represents not just a user opportunity but a strategic test of localization—across languages, affordability, and regulation.

Misra’s expanded remit signals that OpenAI intends to move beyond simply exporting U.S. technology. The company aims to co-develop with India’s ecosystem, aligning with local ambitions while navigating an evolving regulatory landscape and a rising wave of home-grown AI startups.

“India’s success is central to OpenAI’s mission,” Misra wrote, adding that she was “energized to continue building with our team and partners.”

As OpenAI strengthens its India footprint—opening its office, scaling the Academy, and building partnerships across government and industry—Misra’s elevation places her at the heart of the company’s next growth chapter in one of its most critical markets.