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Ola CEO Bhavish Aggarwal introduced a new reporting system, “Kya Chai Raha Hai?”, for weekly updates. Ola Electric is laying off over 1,000 employees to cut losses.
Bhavish Aggarwal’s, Ola Group CEO, new dictum.
Ola Group CEO Bhavish Aggarwal has implemented a new reporting system reminiscent of Elon Musk’s management style. Aggarwal, echoing Musk’s directive to US Federal employees, now requires all Ola employees to submit weekly updates detailing their accomplishments.
Kya Chai Raha Hai? – A New Era of Accountability
According to a report of CNBC TV18, the initiative, aptly named “Kya Chai Raha Hai?” (What’s going on?), mandates that employees send a concise weekly email outlining 3-5 bullet points of their completed tasks. These reports must be submitted to both their direct managers and a dedicated company email address: Kyachalrahahai@olagroup.in.
No Exceptions, Tight Deadlines
The report stated that Aggarwal’s directive allows for no exceptions, with the first deadline set for the end of the day following the announcement. Future reports are due every Sunday.
Ola Layoffs
Ola Electric Mobility Ltd is laying off more than 1,000 employees and contract workers in an effort to cut losses, according to Bloomberg report citing people familiar with the matter. The departments to be affected by the layoffs are charging infrastructure, customer relations, procurement, and fulfillment, among others.
This is the second round of layoffs at Ola in under four months after November 2024, when the EV maker sacked nearly 500 employees. The Bhavish Aggarwal-led company posed a 50% increase in losses for the latest December 2024 quarter. The company was listed last August.
The current round of layoffs amount to over a quarter of Ola’s 4,000 employee size as of end-March 2024, but includes contract workers that aren’t counted in the company’s public disclosures, according to the Bloomberg report.