In an outburst on social media platform X, formerly known as Twitter, Ola CEO Bhavish Aggarwal, on May 10 voiced his dissatisfaction with LinkedIn for removing a controversial post he made regarding the use of gender pronouns. Aggarwal’s post, which criticized LinkedIn’s AI for what he perceives as “imposing a political ideology” on Indian users, was swiftly taken down by the platform.
Aggarwal expressed his frustration in a tweet: “Dear @LinkedIn, you deleted my post again! This time you didn’t even notify me or leave a trace since you removed the whole thread. Luckily my team takes screenshots 😉 You can delete this one too but you can’t remove my opinion. Since you’re owned by @Microsoft, I will be sharing my broader thoughts and some actions tomorrow with everyone,” Aggarwal posted on X.
The conflict started earlier this week when LinkedIn’s AI referred to Aggarwal using “they” instead of “he” pronoun, prompting him to question the AI’s neutrality and accusing the platform of pushing a political agenda. Aggarwal’s critique extends beyond personal grievance, highlighting a broader concern about the technological influence exerted by foreign corporations over Indian users.
In a post that quickly went viral, Aggarwal claimed, “Dear LinkedIn, this post of mine was about YOUR AI imposing a political ideology on Indian users that’s unsafe, sinister. Rich of you to call my post unsafe! This is exactly why we need to build our own tech and AI in India. Else we’ll just be pawns in others political objectives.” He also shared a screenshot of LinkedIn’s notification that cited a violation of their “Professional Community Policies” as the reason for the removal.
Aggarwal has been a vocal advocate for developing indigenous technology to ensure India’s autonomy in the digital world. His company, Ola, launched its own AI platform, Krutrim, last year, aiming to rival global tech giants. “We are building our own technology to do energy management to make the most efficient data centers in the world. I am willing to compete with Microsoft, Google, or whoever to say, we will do better than them,” Aggarwal stated, underscoring his commitment to technological independence.
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Published: 11 May 2024, 08:48 AM IST
