Meet Pragya Misra, OpenAI’s first India hire, who will head public policy and partnerships
The 39-year-old Pragya has earlier worked in India as Director of Public Affairs with Truecaller and with Meta Platforms as Communications Manager for WhatsApp
Pragya Misra is a multi-faceted personality with interests in podcasting and golf. Photo courtesy: X | @pragyamisra
OpenAI, the Microsoft-backed company that developed ChatGPT, has hired Pragya Misra as its first employee in India, according to a Bloomberg report. The company recruited Pragya to lead public policy affairs and partnerships in India. In this role, she will head government relations for OpenAI and is expected to play an important role in enabling the company to work with the government in shaping the artificial intelligence regulations in the country.
Pragya’s professional journey
The 39-year-old Pragya Misra, in her previous job, was the Director of Public Affairs at Truecaller, a communications platform, since July 2021. During her stint with Truecaller, she worked closely with investors, government departments, media companies, and civil society, helping the company position itself as an important player in the digital landscape.
Before joining Truecaller, she was employed with Meta Platforms Inc, the parent company of Facebook. She served with the company for three years as the Communications Manager for WhatsApp, and was in the forefront of its efforts to fight misinformation in 2018.
Pragya also worked with Ernst & Young and the Royal Danish Embassy in New Delhi.
Her academic background
A commerce graduate from Delhi University, Pragya completed an MBA from the International Management Institute in Delhi. She strengthened her negotiation skills with a Diploma in Bargaining and Negotiations from the London School of Economics and Political Science.
Multi-faceted
Pragya is also an Instagram influencer and a podcaster on YouTube. She hosts the Pragyaan Podcast (@pragyaan_podcast) that deals with topics like holistic well-being, meditation, and consciousness. In her profile on X, she calls herself “impact oriented, passionate problem solver and a heartfulness trainer”.
She is also an accomplished golfer, and has represented India in several tournaments abroad.
OpenAI’s appointment of Pragya Misra reflects its strategic focus on the huge market opportunity that India presents and its keenness to engage with the government in formulating a favourable regulatory environment for rapidly-developing technologies like artificial intelligence.