WE'RE TESTING A REELS-FIRST HOME SCREEN IN INDIA

Quite unlike the platform buzzing with nonstop Reels and viral dashboards, Arun Srinivas comes across as warm and easygoing.

- BY TANU KAPOOR

As managing director and country head of Meta India, Arun has spent years observing how millions of people use their phones to share small pieces of their lives. When he opens Instagram, he laughs at how familiar it feels. “It's mostly travel, fitness and lately a lot of festive shopping,” he says. “The joy is in discovery—finding something you weren’t looking for but instantly connect with.”

That simple joy, he adds, captures India’s digital rhythm today: curious, expressive and endlessly inventive. And nowhere is that spirit more visible than in the creator economy. With one of the largest creator communities in the world, India is helping shape how short video, language diversity and AI are redefining expression online.

In an exclusive interview with THE WEEK, Arun talks about India’s growing digital confidence, evolution of creators and why India often gets early access to features. Excerpts:

How do you see India's role evolving within Meta's global vision, both as a growth market and a hub for innovation?

India is at the heart of [the] journey [forward], not only because of its scale but because it represents one of the world's fastest-growing and most creative digital communities. It's where new ideas and innovation are shaping how people connect and express themselves online.

AI has been part of Meta's evolution for a long time. When Facebook first introduced the News Feed, it marked the beginning of algorithm-driven personalisation. Over the years, that has evolved into advanced AI technology that powers almost every part of the experience.