• Ola CEO Bhavish Aggarwal and comedian Kunal Kamra engaged in a heated Twitter spat over customer complaints about Ola Electric, sparking viral reactions.
  • Amid the clash, revelations surfaced about Ola’s paid influencer marketing tactics, as well as an 8.5% drop in stock price due to ongoing customer complaints.

The internet exploded yesterday with mentions of Ola, Bhavish Aggarwal, and Kunal Kamra. At first glance, the notifications seemed trivial. But dig deeper, and you'll find a story that demands attention.

So what's the real scoop?

Ola CEO Bhavish Aggarwal and comedian Kunal Kamra got into a fiery spat over the weekend. Their clash lit up social media, with netizens piling on to share their takes.

It all kicked off when Kamra called out Indian consumers to speak up about problems with Ola Electric. He posted a photo of an Ola showroom on X (formerly Twitter) and fired off: "Do Indian consumers have a voice? Do they deserve this? Two-wheelers are many daily wage workers lifeline…@nitin_gadkari is this how Indians will get to using EV's? @jagograhakjago any word? Anyone who has an issue with OLA electric leave your story below tagging all…"

Aggarwal fired back at Kamra, suggesting he was paid to bash Ola. He tweeted, "Hey Kunal, if you care so much, come help us out! I'll pay you more than you got for this tweet or your failed comedy gigs."

Kamra didn't back down. He called Aggarwal arrogant.

Aggarwal then taunted in Hindi, "Did that hurt? Feeling pain? Come to our service center. We've got lots of work." He dared Kamra to work at Ola, saying he'd pay better than Kamra's "flop shows."

But it didn't end there. The argument heated up even more. Aggarwal kept pushing the idea of Kamra working at Ola's service center. Kamra shot back by telling Aggarwal how to handle refunds.

Amid all this, the debate heated up when Aditya Shah, a social media influencer, dropped a bombshell. He revealed that Ola Electric had recently asked him to promote their brand on Twitter - for a price.

Shah didn't just talk; he showed proof. He posted a screenshot of Ola's request and said, "While the Ola Electric CEO rants about someone else's paid tweet, they asked me and other influencers to do paid tweets for them just last month."

Shah didn't stop there. He called for regulators to step in, arguing that companies shouldn't use these tricks to polish their public image.

This revelation added a new layer to the controversy, raising questions about Ola's marketing tactics and the authenticity of online discussions about the company.

Furthermore, Ola Electric saw its stock drop by 8.5% on Monday, hitting Rs 90.26, following a wave of customer complaints about its flagship electric scooters. Once peaking at Rs 157.40, the stock has now declined by around 42-43%, driven by ongoing hardware and software issues and poor service center conditions. 

In September, Ola’s market share in India’s EV sector fell to 27%, with sales dropping to 24,665 e-scooters from 27,587 in August.

Compounding the problem, rival companies have launched competitively priced models, while Ola's S1 series continues to face complaints about malfunctioning hardware and software. 

Customers have also reported long delays in obtaining spare parts, fueling frustration. Reports indicate that Ola Electric receives around 80,000 complaints monthly, and tensions boiled over last month when a customer set fire to an Ola showroom in Karnataka.

Trade analysts point out that despite high valuations, the company remains loss-making, with customer dissatisfaction and increased competition continuing to challenge its market position.

Edited by Harshajit Sarmah

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NewzchainHarshajit Sarmah