What Google got right in India, and how Facebook's plan went awry

Google keeps making mega announcements in the country, while Facebook stumbles, reports Tech in Asia

That Google loves India has been obvious over and over in the past few years. If love is too strong a word, the company certainly sees the world’s fastest growing economy as a huge investment opportunity.

The latest Mary Meeker’s Internet Trends report says the number of internet users in India grew 40 percent in 2015 to 277 million. It is the only country where the growth rate of internet users in 2015 was higher than that in the previous year. 

Those stats make it is easy to see why every major tech company in the world, including the other giant, Facebook, is focusing on the country.

But, while Google keeps making mega announcements in the country to rave reviews, Facebook tripped up and fell flat on its face.

On Wednesday, Google CEO Sundar Pichai told media in New Delhi that Google would train 51 million small businesses to go digital. He then walked the attendees through Primer – a free mobile app designed to teach digital marketing skills. 

Facebook has wooed small Indian businesses too. But, Facebook also tried to get people online via a cheap mobile plan that would let users connect to certain websites and apps for free, and the message for that was fraught with problems.

Free Basics was blocked in February by India’s telecom regulator, in a personal setback for Mark Zuckerberg.

Both Facebook’s Mark Zuckerberg and Google’s Pichai keep indulging India and met Prime Minister Narendra Modi to discuss their plans.

But while Google presents its case as a partner of the government and as an enabler, Facebook made the mistake of being condescending, even if well meaning. This is an excerpt from Tech in Asia. You can read the full article here