One Cook, Too Many Broths: Bhavish Aggarwal's Ola, Krutrim Businesses Suffer

As Ola’s listed and unlisted businesses grapple with market share erosion, leadership churn and investor unease, governance concerns have moved to the forefront. Our Founder & MD, Mr. Shriram Subramanian, shared his expert opinion on NDTV Profit, highlighting how the issue goes beyond promoter stake sales. At the heart of the debate lies the question of execution capacity and leadership focus across multiple capital-intensive ventures.

Mr. Shriram Subramanian notes that “selling stake in the listed entity to fund other ventures is not a major concern in itself.” He also emphasizes that “the larger issue is the promoter’s stretched management bandwidth across multiple businesses.” He points out that continuing as CMD of the listed entity while simultaneously building other ventures raises governance and execution risks, especially when compounded by the exit of several senior executives across Ola Electric, Ola Cabs, and Krutrim.

Drawing a parallel with Paytm’s past challenges, he highlights that course correction is possible only when promoters sharply focus on the listed entity and de-emphasise other businesses, adding that “the promoter should move to a non-executive role and appoint a full-time CEO for Ola Electric.”

Read full article: https://www.ndtvprofit.com/business/ola-electric-cabs-krutrim-ai-bhavish-aggarwal-share-price-decline