The Bhavish-Kamra Saga: A Tweet That Cost Ola Chief & the Company INR 3500 Crore

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Apoorva Bajj

Rishi Mundra, Apoorva Bajj

— 8 min read
The Bhavish-Kamra Saga: A Tweet That Cost Ola Chief & the Company INR 3500 Crore
The Bhavish-Kamra Saga

In the times of social media skirmishes, few battles get as heated — and as public as the recent spat between Ola CEO Bhavish Aggarwal and comedian Kunal Kamra. Over the weekend, this unlikely duo locked horns in a now-viral exchange that quickly spiraled into a full-blown public relations disaster for Ola Electric, costing the company dearly — not just in market value but also in customer trust.

How It All Started: Kamra’s Call to Action

It all kicked off with a simple tweet from Kunal Kamra, who, in true comic fashion, used his platform to bring attention to Ola Electric’s service issues. Sharing a photo of an Ola showroom, Kamra raised a rather critical question: "Do Indian consumers have a voice? Do they deserve this?" His tweet highlighted how daily wage workers — many of whom rely on two-wheelers like those Ola manufacturers — were left in the lurch by the company’s poor after-sales service. Kamra tagged government officials, including Minister of Road Transport Nitin Gadkari, to amplify the issue.

Kamra’s concerns were not entirely unfounded. Ola Electric’s customer service has long been a point of contention, with many users complaining about subpar service centers, delayed responses, and a lack of resolution for faulty electric vehicles (EVs). But instead of addressing these criticisms head-on, Bhavish Aggarwal decided to take a different route.

Bhavish’s Response: Sarcasm over Solutions

Aggarwal’s response came swiftly — and sharply. Rather than engaging with the substance of Kamra’s tweet, Aggarwal chose to dismiss it as a "paid post," insinuating that Kamra had been compensated to criticize Ola. "Find some real work," he wrote, taking a jab at Kamra’s career, adding that if Kamra was so concerned about Ola’s services, he could work for the company instead. Aggarwal’s sarcasm reached new heights when he further mocked Kamra, saying, "Chot lagi? Dard hua? Aaja service center. I will pay better than your flop shows pay you."

While one might argue that sarcasm has its place in social media banter, this wasn’t one of those moments. The fact that Aggarwal, the CEO of a billion-dollar company, chose to mock a comedian rather than address legitimate customer concerns sent ripples through the internet — and not the good kind.

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Kamra Claps Back: Enter 'Olan Musk'

Of course, Kamra, known for his acerbic wit, wasn’t about to let Aggarwal off the hook. In his response, the comedian took another swing, this time labeling Aggarwal as "Olan Musk" — an obvious jab at Aggarwal’s perceived likeness to Elon Musk, who is equally famous for his confrontational social media presence. Kamra doubled down on his criticisms, calling out Ola’s lack of accessible service centers and inadequate customer support, further stoking the fire of customer frustration.

While Kamra’s retort had the internet in splits, the real losers in this spat were Ola Electric’s customers. As Kamra pointed out, many of them have faced long-standing issues with refunds, repairs, and basic service. Instead of offering a roadmap to fix these problems, Aggarwal’s reaction only seemed to confirm that customer grievances were not a priority for the company.

On October 17, 2024, Kunal Kamra once again took a dig at Ola Electric, this time going after their mysterious silence on customer complaints and refunds. Kamra, always ready with a sharp one-liner, pointed out the glaring absence of any concrete plan from Ola to resolve the ongoing grievances. Taking to X (formerly Twitter), Kamra quipped, “Ola Electric hasn’t disclosed any plan to issue refunds or put an end date to current customer complaints. We don’t even know if there is a plan…”

But he didn’t stop there. Kamra added another punchline directed straight at Ola's CEO Bhavish Aggarwal, humorously urging him to step up his game with a little less Kunal involvement. “All I can do is let @bhash know that he has to put out a public plan that doesn’t include employing me,” he joked, keeping the banter alive.

It seems Kamra’s light-hearted yet biting commentary is here to stay in this saga. Whether or not Bhavish takes him up on that job offer, one thing's for sure: the comedian’s trolling game isn’t going electric anytime soon.

The Consumer Outcry: Ola Electric’s Reputation Takes a Hit

The aftermath of the exchange wasn’t just limited to witty one-liners on Twitter. In fact, Kamra’s tweets opened the floodgates for other disgruntled customers to voice their frustrations. Many shared their own experiences with Ola’s lackluster customer service, turning the online spat into a digital referendum on Ola Electric’s ability to provide reliable post-purchase support.

Netizens pointed out that for many Indians, especially those who rely on two-wheelers for their livelihoods, a malfunctioning scooter is no small inconvenience. For daily wage workers, an unreliable EV can mean lost income and missed opportunities, making the stakes far higher than just the inconvenience of waiting for repairs.

Amid the outcry, one Twitter user, Aditya Shah, added fuel to the fire by sharing screenshots that purportedly showed Ola Electric’s involvement in a paid influencer campaign. Shah claimed that multiple influencers had been approached to post positive tweets about Ola Electric’s products just a month earlier, making Aggarwal’s accusation of Kamra being a “paid critic” seem especially hypocritical.

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The Financial Fallout: INR 3500 Crore Problem

If this were just another social media spat, it might have blown over with little impact. But for Ola Electric, the consequences were far more tangible. The company’s stock took a nosedive in the days following the exchange, dropping by 8% on Monday (October 7, 2024) after Kamra’s viral tweets. This marked the company’s third consecutive day of losses, bringing the total market value loss to INR 3500 crore — a staggering amount for any company, let alone one still trying to cement its place in the highly competitive EV market.

Ola Electric's Financial Fallout
Ola Electric's Financial Fallout

Investor sentiment, already shaky due to broader market conditions and the ongoing Israel-Iran war, took a further hit. The public perception of Ola Electric, already marred by service complaints — was now compounded by the CEO’s inability to handle criticism constructively.

As many finfluencers pointed out on LinkedIn, Bhavish Aggarwal’s decision to engage in a public feud instead of focusing on improving his company’s services only exacerbated the damage to Ola Electric’s reputation. Investors, it seems, are losing confidence in the company’s leadership — and for good reason.

The Bigger Picture: Can Bhavish Handle the Heat?

Bhavish Aggarwal’s response to Kamra’s criticism raises a larger question: can he handle constructive criticism? In the startup scenes, where customer feedback is king, a CEO’s ability to listen, adapt, and improve is crucial to long-term success. Aggarwal’s decision to dismiss Kamra’s legitimate concerns — and by extension, the concerns of thousands of Ola Electric customers suggests a troubling lack of humility.

For a company like Ola Electric, which is positioning itself as a leader in the EV revolution, customer trust is everything. With increasing competition from players like Ather Energy, Bajaj Auto, and Hero Electric, Ola can’t afford to alienate its customers — especially not with a public spat that reinforces the perception of poor service.

What’s Next for Ola Electric?

Ola Electric is now under even greater scrutiny, not just from customers but from regulatory authorities as well. The Central Consumer Protection Authority (CCPA) has already issued a show-cause notice to the company for violating provisions of the Consumer Protection Act, 2019. With allegations of service deficiencies, misleading advertisements, and unfair trade practices, the company faces the possibility of legal action if it fails to provide an adequate response.

Meanwhile, Bhavish Aggarwal might want to rethink his approach to social media. While Elon Musk has turned his Twitter antics into a personal brand, Bhavish’s attempts at mimicry have backfired, costing his company both financially and reputationally.

As the Bhavish-Kamra saga continues to unfold, one thing is clear: when it comes to customer feedback, the last thing a CEO should do is mock the messenger. After all, in the age of social media, every tweet counts — sometimes to the tune of INR 3500 crore.

FAQs

Who is the CEO of OLA Electric?

Bhavish Aggarwal is the CEO of OLA Electric.

What is the price of OLA Electric shares?

The shares of OLA Electric fell 8.31% to close at INR 90.82 on the BSE. This decline came a day after founder and CEO Bhavish Aggarwal had a public disagreement with stand-up comedian Kunal Kamra regarding widespread service issues impacting many Ola electric scooter owners.

What are the challenges faced by Bhavish Aggarwal after his dispute with comedian Kunal Kamra on Twitter?

Aggarwal is now under scrutiny following his dispute with Kamra, which has ignited a broader conversation about professionalism and the appropriate handling of customer complaints.


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