MAM
Wondrlab ropes in Bhavesh Kosambia as content lead
Mumbai: Wondrlab, one of India’s leading platform-first Martech networks, has appointed Bhavesh Kosambia as its content lead. As a part of strengthening its creative leadership team, Kosambia will report to co-founder & chief creative officer Amit Akali and lead a set of key accounts and talent.
Kosambia has been around in the advertising industry for more than two decades, most recently as group creative director at Grey. He’s handled and built national and international brands like Audi, Coke, Ferrero, Gillette, Eureka Forbes, Reliance, Zee TV, Parle, Paras, Marico, and ITC. He has won various national and international awards, such as those from Cannes, One Show, the New York Festival, Adfest, and Spikes Asia. He’s even served on numerous juries, including the grand jury for the New York Festival.
The last few years, he’s been focusing on his skills as an ad filmmaker and director. His films Tanishq “Raksha Bandhan” and Gillette “Soldier” have been among the top popular ones in the last couple of years.
At Wondrlab, he will use his skills as a creative leader, thinker, and ad film director. Akali explained, “I’ve been lucky to work with Kosambia in the past, both as a creative person and as a filmmaker. He’s done some of our best work as a director, and I’ve seen him work his magic as a creative team leader. He’s one of those rare people who is constantly learning and evolving. And I’m sure he’ll quickly get down to doing cutting-edge, platform-first, tech-led work.”
He further goes on to say, “We are also clear that in-house talent is going to get all possible opportunities, especially with our in-house production set up—Kosambia has already directed a few films for us, including the recent “Karva Chauth” film for Bharat Matrimony. Most importantly, he’s someone our clients can depend on as a partner and support system to build their brands.”
Kosambia adds, “I have always believed that any place is made by the people who work there, and my association with Wonderlab and What’s Your Problem for the last couple of years has just proved me right again. The energy, dedication, and quest for doing something different exhibited by Amit Akali, Rakesh Hinduja, and Saurabh Varma can only be experienced if you work with them. The place is currently buzzing with talented and hungry people looking for good work, as well as equally hungry clients looking for good work. Honestly speaking, I feel like an extended family that has come to feast at a table where everyone is already enjoying whatever they are supposed to do. And I am sure I too will be able to join the party.”
MAM
Three senior OpenAI infrastructure executives join Meta
Key members of Stargate project move to rival amid aggressive AI spending race.
MUMBAI: Three key architects of OpenAI’s ambitious data centre plans have switched sides and joined Meta Platforms, according to people familiar with the matter. Peter Hoeschele, who played a central role in OpenAI’s high-profile Stargate initiative, is among the new hires. He is joined by Shamez Hemani, who focused on computing strategy and business development, and Anuj Saharan, another leader in the computing organisation. The Information first reported their departure from OpenAI on Thursday.
The moves come as Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg has pledged to spend aggressively on AI infrastructure. The company is projecting capital expenditure of up to $135 billion this year alone, with hundreds of billions more expected before the end of the decade to support its Meta Superintelligence Labs and new models such as Muse Spark.
OpenAI, which is pushing ahead with massive data centre expansion, had described its early lead in securing computing power as a competitive advantage. Stargate, originally announced last year as a $500 billion venture involving OpenAI, Oracle, and SoftBank, has since become an umbrella term for the company’s broader data centre ambitions. However, the project has seen recent adjustments, including a pause on its UK plans and the decision not to expand the Abilene, Texas site.
A spokesperson for Meta declined to comment, while Hoeschele, Hemani, and Saharan also declined to comment. OpenAI said it was grateful for the contributions of the three employees and remains focused on hiring talent for its infrastructure plans. The company recently brought in former Intel executive Sachin Katti to lead its industrial compute efforts.
In the high-stakes race to build the future of artificial intelligence, talent is proving to be as valuable as computing power itself. Meta’s latest hires suggest the competition for top infrastructure minds is intensifying, even as OpenAI continues to scale its own ambitious projects. The move highlights how quickly the AI talent war is heating up across Silicon Valley.
