Google is preparing to hire Sreenivasa Reddy, a former Apple executive and current senior engineering executive at Microsoft, as its top government affairs executive in India.
This move aims to address legal challenges and expand hardware assembly in the country.
Reddy has worked with Apple’s India regulatory team and led government relations at Ericsson AB’s local unit, where he significantly promoted domestic manufacturing.
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Google’s interest in Reddy lies in his ability to assist the company in finding partners in India to assemble its Pixel smartphones.
By diversifying its manufacturing beyond China, Google hopes to facilitate the production of other hardware products like speakers within India.
His expertise will aid the company in navigating regulatory hurdles, particularly as Google currently faces antitrust charges in India, accused of leveraging its dominant position in mobile operating systems.
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While Google and Reddy have not officially commented on the matter, the appointment signifies Google’s commitment to the Indian market.
The company recognizes India as a crucial growth market and is actively working to expand its services and make its Android smartphones more affordable to appeal to the country’s vast population.
Additionally, Google plans to establish a global financial-technology center in Gujarat International Finance Tech-City (GIFT City), also known as GIFT City, in the home state of Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
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Alphabet CEO Sundar Pichai made this announcement during Prime Minister Modi’s recent visit to the US.
Like other global tech firms, Google sees India as a vital growth market.
It is expanding services to include more local languages and finding ways to make its Android smartphones more affordable.
This strategy is driven by Google’s desire to gain a larger user base in the world’s most populous country.
