HYDERABAD | FRIDAY, 27 JULY 2018 TAKE TWO 3 . < NEWSMAKER/PRAVIN GAIKWAD: COMMUNITY LEADER Facebook controversies The new-age warrior hit company where The man at the centre of the socio-political storm brewing in is a leader to it hurts most watch as the country heads towards elections BLOOMBERG declining,” said Brian Wieser, an analyst at Pivotal ABHISHEK WAGHMARE against the “Hindutva” brand professed by the 26 July Research Group. New Delhi, 26 July likes of B M Purandare, and Manohar Bhide. Facebook said it had 1.47 billion daily active users Brahminism and capitalism are the forces Facebook Inc’s scandals are finally hitting the com- in June, compared with the 1.48 billion average of eriods of heightened political polarisa- that exploit the masses, and the progressive pany where it hurts: growth. analysts’ estimates compiled by Bloomberg. The tion and caste-based social movements force of farmers and workers (dominated by the The social-media goliath’s financial performance company’s user base flatlined in its biggest market, in have two outcomes, say political Maratha community) is the only way to counter had previously seemed immune to fierce criticism of the US and Canada, at 185 million daily users, while Panalysts: regime change and/or the the exploitation, he says. its content policies, its failure to safeguard private declining 1 per cent in Europe to 279 million daily emergence of new political leaders. The sim- A young activist who did not wish to be data, and its changing rules for advertisers. But on users. Overall, average daily users increased 11 per- mering Maratha agitation in Maharashtra has named said Gaikwad has two rare qualities; he Wednesday Facebook reported sales and user growth cent from the period a year earlier. not resulted in the first yet, but Pravin Gaikwad has an unparalleled connect with people from numbers that fell short of analysts’ projections. The Revenue increased 42 per cent to $13.2 billion in is undoubtedly a leader to watch as the country his community and, at the same time, second-quarter results left investors reeling. the quarter. Analysts projected $13.3 billion. The and the state head towards elections. underpins his ideology on a strong analytical And for those hoping for a swift bounce back, social network still holds one of the world’s most Gaikwad, 48, has risen from being a base. His case for Maratha reservation is based the company told Wall Street the valuable sets of data on what peo- member of the Maratha Mahasangh, an on hard numbers, not emotion, his numbers won’t get any better this SLOWING EARNINGS ple are interested in, and makes organisation that champions the cause of the supporters say. year. Chief Financial Officer that audience easily available to disaffected in the Maratha community, to On the political front, his views reflect those David Wehner said revenue Facebook’s revenue grew advertisers. The company running not one, but multiple community of the Maratha supremo and founder- growth rates would decline in the slowest in almost three years remains in a dominant position organisations in the state. So it is no surprise president of the Nationalist Congress Party third and fourth quarters. (%) in mobile advertising alongside that he is at the centre of the socio-political Sharad Pawar. But the community lost Analysts who follow Facebook 60 Alphabet Inc’s Google. storm brewing in Maharashtra. confidence in the were blindsided, asking fre- 50 “As we have written about Earlier this week, he led the agitation — Gaikwad has an Congress-NCP quently on a conference call with 40 extensively, the advertising Maratha Kranti ‘Thok’ Morcha (Maratha unparalleled alliance because, executives for more information 30 industry — and digital advertis- Revolution ‘Aggressive’ Rally) — in the connect with despite having a on exactly how the company’s 20 ing no less — has limits to growth, financial capital of Mumbai. If he was seeking people from his majority of Maratha financial future had changed so 10 which we think is the primary public attention to his cause, he certainly got it community and, at leaders, the combine dramatically. 0 factor constraining Facebook’s Q2 Q3 Q4 Q1 Q2 Q3 Q4 Q1 Q2 as thousands of supporters of the movement the same time, didn’t do much in “I think many investors are revenue opportunity,” Wieser blocked traffic and burned buses in the underpins his terms of job having a hard time reconciling 2016 2017 2018 said in a note after the earnings. metropolis. This rally was different in that it ideology on a reservations for that deceleration,” Brent Thill, an “Deceleration such as manage- Q2 user numbers Vs estimate was violent. The earlier ones were silent strong analytical Marathas. Gaikwad, analyst at Jefferies told Facebook (Bn) ment guided toward suggests „Estimate „Reported marches, or mook morchas. base. His case therefore, offers executives, asking for a little more 2.5 that while the company is still Ever sensitive to religious sentiments, for Maratha Marathas a renewed clarity on the reasoning. “It just 2.0 growing at a fast clip, the days of however, he demanded an apology from Chief reservation is based voice. seems like the magnitude is 1.5 30 per cent-plus growth are Minister Devendra Fadnavis for alleging earlier on hard numbers, Gaikwad’s beyond anything we’ve seen, 1.0 numbered.” that the agitation could derail the annual not emotion, his organisation regards especially across a number of the Wehner gave three different 0.5 pilgrimage to Pandharpur. Threatened by supporters say the current regime led tech (companies) we cover.” reasons why the company’s rev- 0.0 Gaikwad’s supporters, Fadnavis decided to by the Bharatiya For Facebook, financial stum- enue growth would decline: cur- Monthly active users Daily active users skip his trip to the resting place of Lord Vitthal ILLUSTRATION: AJAY MOHANTY Janata Party (BJP) as ideologically bles are rare. The last time the rency headwinds, greater invest- — who is held in wide regard by the Marathi other backward classes—under the fold of the incompatible with its cause. This is significant. company missed revenue esti- Source: Thomson Reuters Eikon, ments in new kinds of populace, especially the farming community progressive movement. A slew of Maratha leaders from the combine mates was the first quarter of company filings content-sharing, like disappear- — on the final day of the pilgrimage. Caste-based movements have been in joined the BJP, riding the Modi wave. Among 2015. But the results followed a ing videos, and greater user con- The last two decades have spawned myriad vogue for the past couple of years: the Marathas them was , NCP leader period in which data-privacy issues came under trol over privacy — a direct response to criticism the community organisations in the state to in Maharashtra, Jats in Haryana and Patels in and a descendant of , who worked harsh scrutiny, with Chief Executive Officer Mark company has fielded. After the General Data represent the interests of the Marathas, who Gujarat have used the caste card to lobby for shoulder to shoulder with Gaikwad in Zuckerberg testifying before US Congress for hours Protection Regulation went into effect in Europe, account for about a third of the population in high quality and dignified jobs for youngsters organising rallies and exhibitions not just in on the company’s missteps. The quarter was also Facebook started asking people to check their priva- the state. Some of them are decidedly action- of these former dominant-caste farming Maharashtra but in major state capitals too. In marked by Europe’s implementation of strict new cy settings and make sure they wanted to share cer- oriented in extreme ways. Gaikwad joined the communities. But Maratha Mahasangh 2016, Chhatrapati accepted a Rajya Sabha data laws, which Facebook said led to fewer daily vis- tain kinds of data. Facebook is rolling out a version of Sambhaji Brigade — an offspring of the members aver that their agitation differs from nomination with BJP support. itors in that region. The company was bombarded by those protections to the rest of the world. Maratha Seva Sangha in late 2000s —a few the other two because it is: (a) non-violent Gaikwad, however, has remained apolitical public criticism over its content policies, especially in If users choose to share less data with Facebook, years after it ransacked the Bhandarkar (though this was scarcely the case this week); and grounded in community work, say his countries such as Myanmar and Sri Lanka where that could hamper the company’s ad-targeting abil- Oriental Research Institute in , and has and (b) rural in its roots and growing. The main followers, and has amply filled the gap left by misinformation has led to violence. And it continued ities, making it less attractive to marketers. risen through the ranks to become its secretary. reason for this, they say, is Gaikwad. other Maratha political leaders. He runs his to suffer fallout from investigations into Russian Reuters reported Facebook had cautioned Thereafter, his colleagues say, he has taken Indeed, Gaikwad consciously positions own construction business in Pune, and manipulation of the platform during the 2016 US investors to expect a big jump in second-quarter on responsibility for channelling the energies himself as the face of the “progressive” brand of helps Maratha youth with their presidential election. costs because of efforts to address concerns about of all the Maratha representative Maratha politics, in line with the thought of entrepreneurial ventures. All of those problems are hitting amid a harsh poor handling of users’ privacy and to better moni- organisations, offering a modicum of political leaders such as Rajarshi Shahu, Jotirao In other words, don’t be surprised if we see truth for the company: Facebook, the social net- tor what users post. Total expenses in the second coherence and focus and bringing the Phule and B R Ambedkar, and of social new faces in Maharashtra’s legislative work with 2.23 billion active monthly users, can’t quarter surged to $7.4 billion, up 50 per cent com- bahujan—the scheduled castes, tribes and the observers such as writer A H Salunkhe, as Assembly in 2019. grow forever. “The core Facebook platform is pared with a year ago.

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