Talk:Ajit Mohan#Request to expand on tenure at Meta India

{{AFC comment|1=On behalf of Ajit Mohan, I am submitting a draft article as part of my work at Beutler Ink. Given my conflict of interest, which I've also disclosed on the Talk page, I will not publish the article to the main space and ask independent editors to review for accuracy, neutrality, and verifiability. For this project, Mr. Mohan provided feedback to ensure accuracy of the entry, which is based on reputable secondary coverage. I am more than happy to address any questions or concerns that may arise during the review process. Thanks in advance for your consideration and help. Inkian Jason (talk) 18:16, 28 June 2022 (UTC)}}

I have copied the above comment verbatim rom the Draft: page, believing it to be a useful part of the talk page history 🇺🇦 Fiddle^Timtrent Faddle^Talk to me 🇺🇦 00:34, 11 October 2022 (UTC)

On behalf of Ajit Mohan, I'd like to propose some updates to this biography. More specifically, I propose expanding on his tenures at Hotstar and Meta India, relocating content from the Board service and recognition section to the Career section, and adding subsection headings for organizational purposes. I've published an updated entry here for editor review.

I'd like to outline the changes I'm proposing:

• In the Career section, I've proposed two text additions related to Hotstar, per Bloomberg News and TechCrunch sources
• I've also added more detail about the subject's tenure at Meta India and move to Snap Inc., per Bloomberg News, The Ken, The Economic Times, and TechCrunch sources
• In order to improve flow, I propose moving some of the claims from the Board service and recognition section. More specifically, I suggest relocating content about Hotstar to this part of the Career section.
• I've proposed adding the subsection headings Star Network and Hotstar, Facebook India and Meta India, and Snap Inc. to the Career section for organizational purposes.

You can view text additions in {{Font color|green|green}} and text relocations in {{Font color|orange|orange}}.

I'd like to think these are fairly non-controversial changes ([https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=User%3AInkian_Jason%2FAjit_Mohan&diff=1152729270&oldid=1152728238 diff]), but I welcome your feedback. Again, my goal is to expand on his tenures in the Career section and improve readability by grouping related text. To be clear, I am only proposing changes to the Career and Board service and recognition sections, not the Early life and education, Personal life, or other sections.

{{Ping|Timtrent}} Back in October 2022, you accepted a draft I had submitted via Articles for Creation in June. Would you be willing to take a look at the proposed additions and text relocations, and copy over the updated entry on my behalf? If you prefer, I can use :Template:Request edit to propose specific updates, but I figured I'd start with you given your previous assistance.

Timtrent, If you are comfortable with these updates, you can copy over markup at User:Inkian Jason/Ajit Mohan from the "short description" to "Authority control". You'll just want to remove the "Font color" templates. Again, if you are not interested in reviewing, I can submit a series of edit requests. Thanks for your consideration, Inkian Jason (talk) 15:12, 2 May 2023 (UTC)

:@Inkian Jason I have no interest in this. I do not return to drafts I have accepted very often and see no reason to make an exception. Please use the relevant template to request your edit. 🇺🇦 Fiddle^Timtrent Faddle^Talk to me 🇺🇦 15:28, 2 May 2023 (UTC)

::{{Ping|Timtrent}} That's no problem at all! Thanks for confirming so quickly. Inkian Jason (talk) 16:08, 2 May 2023 (UTC)

{{edit COI|D}}

Above, I've provided an overview of changes I've proposed to update the Ajit Mohan entry, which I'm submitting on his behalf as part of my work at Beutler Ink. In case the suggested changes are too much for editors to review at once, I'm submitting an edit request seeking to add detail about the subject's tenure at Meta India, which has come to an end. Currently, the article's Career section says:

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Following Facebook Inc.'s rebrand in 2021, Mohan worked at the same role at Meta India.{{cite news |last1=Mandavia |first1=Megha |title=Nagpur to New York dream possible because of new features: Meta India's Ajit Mohan |url=https://economictimes.indiatimes.com/tech/technology/nagpur-to-new-york-dream-possible-because-of-new-features-meta-indias-ajit-mohan/articleshow/88774055.cms |access-date=9 May 2022 |work=The Economic Times |publisher=The Times Group |date=9 January 2022 |issn=0013-0389 |oclc=61311680 |archive-date=25 January 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220125050905/https://economictimes.indiatimes.com/tech/technology/nagpur-to-new-york-dream-possible-because-of-new-features-meta-indias-ajit-mohan/articleshow/88774055.cms |url-status=live }}{{cite news |last1=Sarkar |first1=Gargi |title=Ajit Mohan defines Meta India's key focus in 2022; and why is it an important market |url=https://www.financialexpress.com/brandwagon/ajit-mohan-defines-meta-indias-key-focus-in-2022-and-why-is-it-an-important-market/2440619/ |access-date=9 May 2022 |work=The Financial Express |publisher=Indian Express Limited |date=22 February 2022 |oclc=30000665 |archive-date=28 June 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220628181729/https://www.financialexpress.com/brandwagon/ajit-mohan-defines-meta-indias-key-focus-in-2022-and-why-is-it-an-important-market/2440619/ |url-status=live }}{{cite news |title=After rebranding of Facebook, Ajit Mohan will be MD of Meta India |url=https://www.thehindubusinessline.com/info-tech/after-rebranding-of-facebook-ajit-mohan-will-be-md-of-meta-india/article37279896.ece |access-date=9 May 2022 |work=Business Line |publisher=The Hindu Group |date=1 November 2021 |issn=0971-7528 |oclc=456162874 |archive-date=28 June 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220628181729/https://www.thehindubusinessline.com/info-tech/after-rebranding-of-facebook-ajit-mohan-will-be-md-of-meta-india/article37279896.ece |url-status=live }} He stepped down from his role as vice president and managing director of Facebook India Online Services Pvt Ltd, the Indian subsidiary of Meta Platforms in November 2022 to join rival Snap Inc. From January 2023, he will be succeeded in the role by Sandhya Devanathan (current vice president and managing director of Meta India).{{Cite web |date=2022-11-18 |title=Joined Meta in 2016, now heading its India unit: Meet Sandhya Devanathan, new Meta India chief |url=https://www.timesnownews.com/business-economy/joined-meta-in-2016-now-heading-its-india-unit-meet-sandhya-devanathan-new-meta-india-chief-article-95600891 |access-date=2023-04-07 |website=Times Now |language=en}}

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The current text says essentially nothing about his time at Meta India. I recommend keeping the first sentence, but rewording the overly detailed second sentence about his move to Snap Inc. In between, I propose expanding the text to describe his role and credit him for specific accomplishments as explicitly stated in reputable publications (Bloomberg News, The Economic Times, The Ken, and TechCrunch).

Request: I propose replacing this paragraph with the following, which expands on his Meta tenure and mentions his move to Snap in a more neutral manner:

{{Collapse top|Proposed text}}

Following Facebook Inc.'s rebrand in 2021, Mohan worked at the same role at Meta India.{{cite news |last1=Mandavia |first1=Megha |title=Nagpur to New York dream possible because of new features: Meta India's Ajit Mohan |url=https://economictimes.indiatimes.com/tech/technology/nagpur-to-new-york-dream-possible-because-of-new-features-meta-indias-ajit-mohan/articleshow/88774055.cms |access-date=9 May 2022 |work=The Economic Times |publisher=The Times Group |date=9 January 2022 |issn=0013-0389 |oclc=61311680 |archive-date=25 January 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220125050905/https://economictimes.indiatimes.com/tech/technology/nagpur-to-new-york-dream-possible-because-of-new-features-meta-indias-ajit-mohan/articleshow/88774055.cms |url-status=live }}{{cite news |last1=Sarkar |first1=Gargi |title=Ajit Mohan defines Meta India's key focus in 2022; and why is it an important market |url=https://www.financialexpress.com/brandwagon/ajit-mohan-defines-meta-indias-key-focus-in-2022-and-why-is-it-an-important-market/2440619/ |access-date=9 May 2022 |work=The Financial Express |publisher=Indian Express Limited |date=22 February 2022 |oclc=30000665 |archive-date=28 June 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220628181729/https://www.financialexpress.com/brandwagon/ajit-mohan-defines-meta-indias-key-focus-in-2022-and-why-is-it-an-important-market/2440619/ |url-status=live }}{{cite news |title=After rebranding of Facebook, Ajit Mohan will be MD of Meta India |url=https://www.thehindubusinessline.com/info-tech/after-rebranding-of-facebook-ajit-mohan-will-be-md-of-meta-india/article37279896.ece |access-date=9 May 2022 |work=Business Line |publisher=The Hindu Group |date=1 November 2021 |issn=0971-7528 |oclc=456162874 |archive-date=28 June 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220628181729/https://www.thehindubusinessline.com/info-tech/after-rebranding-of-facebook-ajit-mohan-will-be-md-of-meta-india/article37279896.ece |url-status=live }} Meta's restructure "allowed Mohan to oversee key functions like sales, marketing, and government affairs, all of which had earlier reported to the Asia Pacific leadership or to the global headquarters", according to The Ken.{{cite news |last1=Jain |first1=Anushka |title=How Ajit Mohan walked a tightrope between Meta’s business wins and regulatory troubles |url=https://the-ken.com/story/how-ajit-mohan-walked-a-tightrope-between-metas-business-wins-and-regulatory-troubles/? |access-date=April 20, 2023 |work=The Ken |date=November 24, 2022}} In this role, he oversaw the growth of Meta's products, Facebook, Instagram, and WhatsApp.{{cite news |last1=Mukul |first1=Pranav |title=Ajit Mohan to lead Snap's efforts in Asia-Pacific markets: CEO Evan Spiegel in staff memo |url=https://economictimes.indiatimes.com/tech/technology/ajit-mohan-to-lead-snaps-efforts-in-asia-pacific-markets-ceo-evan-spiegel-in-staff-memo/articleshow/95284258.cms?from=mdr |access-date=April 17, 2023 |work=The Economic Times |date=November 3, 2022}}

Bloomberg News credited Mohan for leading Instagram's "expansion into short-form video, helping the platform win close to 500 million users after the government banned TikTok in 2020".{{cite news |last1=Phartiyal |first1=Sankalp |last2=Barinka |first2=Alex |title=Meta's India Chief Quits to Become Snap’s Asia-Pacific President |url=https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2022-11-03/meta-s-india-chief-is-leaving-social-media-giant-for-new-gig?leadSource=uverify%20wall |access-date=April 17, 2023 |publisher=Bloomberg News |date=November 3, 2022}} The Ken's Anushka Jain said Mohan's tenure "was defined by striking a balance between helping Meta stand its ground and keeping the government happy", and wrote, "while Meta will remember Mohan for successfully playing dodgeball with the regulatory authorities, his legacy will also include growing the company's India business significantly". Jain credited Mohan for "re-engineering" Meta India's operations, for "playing a pivotal role" in Meta's investment in Jio Platforms, for "[ensuring] that Facebook was on good terms with the central government", and for overseeing the launch of a WhatsApp feature which limited message forwarding in an attempt to combat misinformation.

In November 2022, Mohan stepped down from his role at Meta India to become president of Snap Inc.'s Asia-Pacific business,{{cite news |last1=Singh |first1=Manish |last2=Singh |first2=Jagmeet |title=Meta India head Ajit Mohan departs to join Snap |url=https://techcrunch.com/2022/11/03/meta-india-head-ajit-mohan-departs-to-join-snap/?guccounter=1 |access-date=April 17, 2023 |work=TechCrunch |date=November 3, 2022}} effective February 2023.

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These changes can be seen highlighted in {{Font color|green|green}} at this draft page.

I'm happy to address any concerns here. I'm also willing to provide extended quotes from the Ken article, which is a very lengthy and detailed but paywalled source. Please let me know if you're willing to address any of the other changes I've proposed above, otherwise I'll continue this series of edit requests.

Thanks! Inkian Jason (talk) 16:47, 2 May 2023 (UTC)

{{edit COI|D}}

Above, I've provided an overview of changes I've proposed to update the Ajit Mohan entry, which I'm submitting on his behalf as part of my work at Beutler Ink. In case the suggested changes are too much for editors to review at once, I'm submitting an edit request seeking to add detail about Hotstar.

Currently, the article's Career section says:

{{Collapse top|Current text}}

In April 2012, Mohan joined the Star Network, where he held various roles including senior vice president and executive vice president. He became the head of its digital business in 2013, from where he launched the live sports platform Starsports.com and Star India's streaming media platform Hotstar in 2015,{{cite news |last1=Sharma |first1=Sanjukta |title=Ajit Mohan: Streaming success |url=https://www.livemint.com/Companies/iTXbK0eIlm4tNKzZGk84tK/Ajit-Mohan-Streaming-success.html |access-date=10 May 2022 |work=Mint |publisher=HT Media |date=27 July 2018 |archive-date=28 June 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220628181729/https://www.livemint.com/Companies/iTXbK0eIlm4tNKzZGk84tK/Ajit-Mohan-Streaming-success.html |url-status=live }} and was later named chief executive officer (CEO) in April 2016.{{cite news |title=Hotstar CEO Ajit Mohan Named New Facebook India Managing Director |url=https://www.thequint.com/tech-and-auto/tech-news/hotstar-ceo-ajit-mohan-join-facebook-india-managing-director |access-date=9 May 2022 |work=The Quint |date=24 September 2018 |archive-date=28 June 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220628181646/https://www.thequint.com/tech-and-auto/tech-news/hotstar-ceo-ajit-mohan-join-facebook-india-managing-director |url-status=live }} According to Fortune India, Mohan "played an important role in Star India's foray into video streaming when Star Sports started to live stream the ICC World Twenty20 cricket tournament in 2014".{{cite journal |journal=Fortune India |date=25 September 2018 |url=https://www.fortuneindia.com/enterprise/ajit-mohan-to-head-facebook-in-india/102499 |access-date=9 May 2022 |title=Ajit Mohan to head Facebook in India |archive-date=5 July 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220705152643/https://www.fortuneindia.com/enterprise/ajit-mohan-to-head-facebook-in-india/102499 |url-status=live }}

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None of this text is problematic, but I propose expanding the text in three ways:

1. Relocate the following text from the Board service and recognition section: {{font color|orange|Writers for Fortune India have credited Mohan for leading Hotstar "to great success".{{cite journal |last1=Thakur |first1=Arnika |last2=Sen |first2=Abhik |title=What's in the stars for Facebook? |journal=Fortune India |date=1 April 2020 |url=https://www.fortuneindia.com/enterprise/whats-in-the-stars-for-facebook/104345 |access-date=9 May 2022 |archive-date=28 June 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220628181646/https://www.fortuneindia.com/enterprise/whats-in-the-stars-for-facebook/104345 |url-status=live }} Liz Shackleton of Screen Daily credited him for helping to build the platform into "India's biggest online video service".{{cite news |last1=Shackleton |first1=Liz |title=Facebook India hires former Hotstar chief Ajit Mohan |url=https://www.screendaily.com/news/facebook-india-hires-former-hotstar-chief-ajit-mohan/5132909.article |access-date=9 May 2022 |work=Screen Daily |date=24 September 2018 |archive-date=24 September 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180924213129/https://www.screendaily.com/news/facebook-india-hires-former-hotstar-chief-ajit-mohan/5132909.article |url-status=live }}}}
2. Add the following, per Bloomberg News: {{Font color|green|In 2022, Bloomberg News credited Mohan for making Hotstar the "leading streaming platform" in India.{{cite news |last1=Phartiyal |first1=Sankalp |last2=Barinka |first2=Alex |title=Meta's India Chief Quits to Become Snap’s Asia-Pacific President |url=https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2022-11-03/meta-s-india-chief-is-leaving-social-media-giant-for-new-gig?leadSource=uverify%20wall |access-date=April 17, 2023 |publisher=Bloomberg News |date=November 3, 2022}}}}
3. Add the following, per TechCrunch: {{Font color|green|In 2023, TechCrunch's Manish Singh called Mohan and Uday Shankar's "strategic investment" in cricket streaming "a move that proved transformative" and "catapulted Hotstar to prominence as a household name".{{cite web |last1=Singh |first1=Manish |title=Ambani bats for cricket glory as Disney scales back in India |url=https://techcrunch.com/2023/03/31/ambani-bats-for-cricket-glory-as-disney-scales-back/ |website=TechCrunch |access-date=April 17, 2023 |ref=March 31, 2023}}}}

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Request: As seen here, I propose replacing this paragraph with the following, which expands on his work at Star Network and Hotstar, grouping related text in the process:

{{Collapse top|Proposed text}}

In April 2012, Mohan joined the Star Network, where he held various roles including senior vice president and executive vice president. He became the head of its digital business in 2013, from where he launched the live sports platform Starsports.com and Star India's streaming media platform Hotstar in 2015,{{cite news |last1=Sharma |first1=Sanjukta |title=Ajit Mohan: Streaming success |url=https://www.livemint.com/Companies/iTXbK0eIlm4tNKzZGk84tK/Ajit-Mohan-Streaming-success.html |access-date=10 May 2022 |work=Mint |publisher=HT Media |date=27 July 2018 |archive-date=28 June 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220628181729/https://www.livemint.com/Companies/iTXbK0eIlm4tNKzZGk84tK/Ajit-Mohan-Streaming-success.html |url-status=live }} and was later named chief executive officer (CEO) in April 2016.{{cite news |title=Hotstar CEO Ajit Mohan Named New Facebook India Managing Director |url=https://www.thequint.com/tech-and-auto/tech-news/hotstar-ceo-ajit-mohan-join-facebook-india-managing-director |access-date=9 May 2022 |work=The Quint |date=24 September 2018 |archive-date=28 June 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220628181646/https://www.thequint.com/tech-and-auto/tech-news/hotstar-ceo-ajit-mohan-join-facebook-india-managing-director |url-status=live }}

{{font color|orange|Writers for Fortune India have credited Mohan for leading Hotstar "to great success".{{cite journal |last1=Thakur |first1=Arnika |last2=Sen |first2=Abhik |title=What's in the stars for Facebook? |journal=Fortune India |date=1 April 2020 |url=https://www.fortuneindia.com/enterprise/whats-in-the-stars-for-facebook/104345 |access-date=9 May 2022 |archive-date=28 June 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220628181646/https://www.fortuneindia.com/enterprise/whats-in-the-stars-for-facebook/104345 |url-status=live }} Liz Shackleton of Screen Daily credited him for helping to build the platform into "India's biggest online video service".{{cite news |last1=Shackleton |first1=Liz |title=Facebook India hires former Hotstar chief Ajit Mohan |url=https://www.screendaily.com/news/facebook-india-hires-former-hotstar-chief-ajit-mohan/5132909.article |access-date=9 May 2022 |work=Screen Daily |date=24 September 2018 |archive-date=24 September 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180924213129/https://www.screendaily.com/news/facebook-india-hires-former-hotstar-chief-ajit-mohan/5132909.article |url-status=live }}}} {{Font color|green|In 2022, Bloomberg News credited Mohan for making Hotstar the "leading streaming platform" in India.{{cite news |last1=Phartiyal |first1=Sankalp |last2=Barinka |first2=Alex |title=Meta's India Chief Quits to Become Snap’s Asia-Pacific President |url=https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2022-11-03/meta-s-india-chief-is-leaving-social-media-giant-for-new-gig?leadSource=uverify%20wall |access-date=April 17, 2023 |publisher=Bloomberg News |date=November 3, 2022}}}} According to Fortune India, Mohan "played an important role in Star India's foray into video streaming when Star Sports started to live stream the ICC World Twenty20 cricket tournament in 2014".{{cite journal |journal=Fortune India |date=25 September 2018 |url=https://www.fortuneindia.com/enterprise/ajit-mohan-to-head-facebook-in-india/102499 |access-date=9 May 2022 |title=Ajit Mohan to head Facebook in India |archive-date=5 July 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220705152643/https://www.fortuneindia.com/enterprise/ajit-mohan-to-head-facebook-in-india/102499 |url-status=live }} {{Font color|green|In 2023, TechCrunch's Manish Singh called Mohan and Uday Shankar's "strategic investment" in cricket streaming "a move that proved transformative" and "catapulted Hotstar to prominence as a household name".{{cite web |last1=Singh |first1=Manish |title=Ambani bats for cricket glory as Disney scales back in India |url=https://techcrunch.com/2023/03/31/ambani-bats-for-cricket-glory-as-disney-scales-back/ |website=TechCrunch |access-date=April 17, 2023 |ref=March 31, 2023}}}}

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These changes can be seen highlighted in {{Font color|green|green}} (new text) and {{Font color|orange|orange}} (relocated text) at this draft page. You'll also notice I've proposed adding the subsection headings Star Network and Hotstar, Facebook India and Meta India, and Snap Inc., for organizational purposes.

I'm happy to address any concerns here. Thanks! Inkian Jason (talk) 17:02, 8 May 2023 (UTC)

I've looked over the requested changes for the two sections. My concern is that the expansion of information brought here covers the authors evaluations of the article's subject ('authors' being the authors of the references provided).

1. In the first request, The Ken's Anushka Jain, for example, stating that the subject was " striking a balance between helping Meta stand its ground and keeping the government happy". Jain also states the subject "play(ed)ing a pivotal role" in Meta's investment in Jio Platforms, for [ensuring] that Facebook was on good terms with the central government"
2. In the second request, the Bloomberg claim that the subject was "making Hotstar the 'leading streaming platform' in India", as well as TechCrunch's calling the subject's "strategic investment" in cricket streaming "a move that proved transformative".

In the examples above, the impetus in requesting them is to impart these broad, favorable conclusions about the subject's work upon the subject's Wikipedia article, in essence, creating a "review" section where the subject's work is not just given a rote delineation (i.e., the subject worked here for so many years, then here for so many years) but, instead, is given subjective acclaim to accompany those descriptions (arguably from industry 'journalists' who, while being experts in their field, are still making evaluations open to debate).

Too much of this and the article's quality can diminish, especially when ambiguous phraseology such as "playing a pivotal role" or calling moves "transformative" while highlighting the subject's helping Meta to "stand its ground" are suggested to be added. Even though these claims would be properly presented as coming from the sources' authors (and not using Wikipedia's voice) they still skirt WP:AWW. Perhaps if these claims were grounded in something more tangible (e.g., how was his work pivotal, how did his work make Hotstar a leading platform; in what way was it transformative, etc.) I look forward to your feedback.  Spintendo  23:50, 27 June 2023 (UTC)