 "Ola CEO faces backlash after heated social media exchange with Kunal Kamra")
Ola Electric CEO Bhavish Aggarwal is under fire for a heated exchange with comedian Kunal Kamra, sparking a debate on professionalism and handling customer grievances. Words like "arrogant," "crass," and "vulgar" have been used to describe the CEO's language after the spat, which began when Kamra tweeted a criticism about the condition of Ola Electric scooters.
The exchange started when Kamra posted a picture of Ola Electric scooters gathering dust outside a dealership, apparently awaiting service. Aggarwal responded by accusing Kamra of taking money to criticise the company, tweeting, "Since you care so much Kunal Kamra, come and help us out! I’ll even pay more than you earned for this paid tweet or from your failed comedy career."
Kamra hit back, calling the CEO arrogant to which Aggarwal replied, "Chot lagi? Dard hua? Aaja service center. Bahut kaam hai. I will pay better than your flop shows pay you," challenging the comedian to work at Ola’s service centre.
Rising criticism and unanswered complaints
As the exchange escalated, Aggarwal continued his online attacks, sidestepping the increasing customer complaints about Ola Electric scooters. The company, which reportedly receives nearly 80,000 complaints monthly, has faced criticism for service delays and unresolved issues, which Aggarwal did not address in his interactions with Kamra.
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Many on social media criticised the CEO’s behaviour, labelling his tone as inappropriate for someone in his position.
While some users acknowledged points raised by both Aggarwal and Kamra, most expressed disappointment over the CEO’s approach. Activist Deepika Narayan Bhardwaj criticised his dismissive attitude, tweeting, "Money can't buy customer satisfaction @bhash. Maybe focus on that. Absolutely crass tweets. Invest more in helping clients than your EGO."
Civil servant Sanjay Kumar also weighed in, stating, "This is definitely not a way to respond to genuine grievances of customers. If you are not able to handle the quality of services, then leave the job."
An X user remarked, "This can't be a statement of a company CEO. Terrible, many OLA users have been seeking help for months, and this guy is playing with his smartphone." Another user made a harsher comparison, saying Aggarwal talks "like a thug from Trilokpuri," while adding that Kamra’s "last funny joke was ages ago."
Aggarwal’s social media spat has reignited discussions on how CEOs should engage with the public, particularly in the face of criticism. With customer complaints piling up and the backlash growing, many wonder whether the CEO’s online persona is damaging Ola’s reputation more than helping it.
Ola stock Decline amid CEO controversy
Amid the growing controversy, shares of Ola Electric Mobility, the two-wheeler electric vehicle (EV) manufacturer, dropped by 8 per cent on Monday in early trade. This marks the third consecutive day of declines for the company, which has now lost ground in five of the last six trading sessions.
Since its market debut in August, the stock has faced challenges, with its value falling over 20 per cent in the past month alone. Ola Electric’s initial public offering (IPO) saw the company list at Rs 76 per share. Shortly after, the stock surged, reaching a post-listing high of Rs 157.4, more than double its issue price. However, it has since dropped 43 per cent from those peak levels, currently trading at Rs 91.94 by late morning on Monday, with a 7.18 per cent decline for the day.