The India Director for Starlink, Sanjay Bhargava, has stepped down from his position in a sudden and dramatic high-profile exit.
The announcement came on Bhargava’s personal LinkedIn account.
Bhargava first announced his departure with a simple message yesterday, noting he stepped down. As per the post, his last working day was December 31, 2021.
He then posted a longer post with a poem. As per Bhargava, the reason he stepped down is in the poem.
Finally, this morning, he noted that he retired and is considering writing a whitepaper.
Losing the India Director for Starlink comes as the company faces increasing pressure from the Indian government.
The government demanded Starlink cease selling pre-orders and follow Indian regulations in late 2021. Yesterday, Starlink sent out an email to those who pre-ordered the service, noting that they could get a full refund anytime and that the timeline was not clear for the service.
In reporting, Starlink confirmed they are working on their licence application, and they hope to put through a pilot program before releasing the broader service to the country. The pilot program would be in 10 rural Lok Sabha constituencies.
Neither Starlink nor SpaceX provided a comment on the situation in India or on Bhargava’s stepping down.
