BYJU's Ex-CEO REVEALING Rise, Fall & Future of the BYJU COMPANY

BYJU's Ex-CEO REVEALING Rise, Fall & Future of the BYJU COMPANY Podcast #byjuCEOhindipodcast #byjus
In today's video, we're talking with Byju's ex-CEO and VC. We discuss all the myths, scams, employee frauds, and overspending on marketing issues related to Byju's.
Arjun Mohan shares how Byju's transformed from offline teaching to becoming a giant in the online ed-tech business. He covers every aspect that's gone viral on social media and provides behind-the-scenes answers.
We'll also reveal the expenses related to celebrities like Messi and Shahrukh Khan and what kind of sales outcomes were expected from these investments. Arjun explains where things started to go wrong and the various challenges Byju's faced to reach its current state.
Byju never hired any external employees for strong decision-making; they only relied on family. Arjun discusses the impact of this approach.
After a 5-year journey as CEO and VC at BYJU’s, Arjun decided to leave. He talks about the situations or conditions that led him to leave his successful teaching career and position.
Many such BYJU’s revelations will be made in the full video. To watch more videos like this, stay connected and get notified by subscribing to our channel.
Time Stamps:
00:00 - Intro
02:13 - College journey of Byju (VC & CEO)
03:05 - How Arjun Mohan met Byju Raveendran?
03:56 - How Byju Raveendran found his early employees?
06:07 - Byju's Started Online in 2010?
08:43 - Time taken to build an online learning platform
09:13 - Byju's first successful investor
09:46 - Job opportunities at Byju's
11:47 - Marketing budget advice
12:13 - Field sales
15:17 - EMI-based courses
16:04 - Byju's TV ads for huge sales
18:23 - Byju's Marketing ideas that led to huge sales
19:16 - Best solutions and marketing from customers
20:28 - Nature of Byju's founder Byju Raveendran
21:17 - Job of a CEO
22:04 - Future of education in India
25:55 - How AI can drive sales without spending
26:28 - Challenges faced by Byju's founder
26:52 - Roles and responsibilities of a CEO
28:03 - Partial CEO role
29:16 - Byju's acquisitions
29:50 - Reason for Byju's acquisitions
30:13 - Education system in India
33:53 - Byju's son helped with the WhiteHat Jr. acquisition
34:45 - How Byju decides on acquisitions
35:38 - Overspending and its failures
37:48 - Byju's biggest spending mistake
38:44 - Time required for global business expansion
41:33 - Risks of poor leadership
42:15 - Why Tata has great leaders
44:00 - Arjun Mohan UpGrad's journey
47:27 - Why Indian parents spend heavily on education
51:10 - Lionel Messi
55:09 - Student scams
58:28 - CEO's bandwidth importance
1:05:26 - Where Byju failed
1:06:30 - Importance of timely decisions
1:07:19 - Governance came post Byju and Paytm failures
1:08:38 - Long-term goals for success
1:09:31 - Why entrepreneurs should delegate
1:12:40 - Hiring only from IIM
1:13:56 - CEO's skill set
1:15:04 - Ad with Shah Rukh Khan
1:15:59 - Brand ambassador SRK
1:16:30 - Impact of SRK's ad on sales
1:17:24 - SRK made Byju’s famous nationwide
1:17:53 - Byju’s offline classes
1:18:50 - Challenges of online education
1:19:28 - EdTech companies going offline
1:20:45 - Byju’s in 21 countries
1:23:48 - Unlimited growth potential
1:25:00 - Byju's comeback
1:27:11 - Hiring journey
1:27:54 - Current liabilities
1:28:16 - CEO's salary
1:28:49 - Indian startup ecosystem
1:29:33 - Starting an EdTech company
1:30:43 - Special insights
1:31:29 - Customer Refund issues
1:32:10 - Balancing fatherhood and being a CEO
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Socials:
Arjun Moha Social's:
Linkedin: / arjunmohans
Arjun's Book link:
www.amazon.in/...
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Abhishek Vyas Social's:
LinkedIn: / abhishek-vyas-myhaulstore
Instagram: / abhishekvyas2020
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#business #startup #idea #entrepreneur #goals #motivation #BYJUS #MessiXBYJUS #BYJUSEducationforall #edtecheducation #educationsystem #LongTermSuccess #byjus #hindibusinesspodcast

[@creatingrevolution]

Arjun, You are exactly right on many points. Baiju failed to see it as a long-term goal the way it was supposed to be. That is why he failed to stop you from growing more than you deserve. You should share the responsibility for his ‘current’ failure. Although it’s his mistake that he relied so much on you, here are the mistakes ‘you’ contributed to the failure. First of all, you could never follow what he was up to. That is why, as you said, “You didn’t step completely into Baiju’s till it became a successful model.” And look where your mindset is NOW. You are the CEO of Baiju’s ‘only’ when Baiju’s has had a successful journey. Secondly, If Baiju relied on you, who did you rely on? Why didn’t you forecast and build leadership under you? Why do you want Baiju to focus on customers when he has this many people working for him? He gave an absolutely awesome product that can easily cater to the needs of people for the next decade. You are the one supposed to develop the right hierarchy and ensure customers receive everything Baiju envisioned. Thirdly, you never realise that Baiju has an ‘epic run’ that can’t be related to any theory. Look at Facebook, Google, Amazon They all survive. When you talk about the flaws of Baiju on the theoretical side. You were the one supposed to implement it. It’s easy to talk and laugh. Did you at least accept any responsibility for this failure? I’m commenting here for all the entrepreneurs- the biggest knowledge from this interview lies not in what he pointed out but in his attitude itself. “If you plan for a long run, ensure you have a strong base; if you rely on one or two persons to hold your base “ENSURE THEY UNDERSTAND WHAT YOU ARE TRYING TO BUILD HERE”

[@user-tq3ch8yh4e]

It's al Chelsea Foundation Capital looking forward

[@user-tp7ns5lp4w]

❤❤

[@krishnapillalamarri1343]

Yg5😢

[@abdulraufpatel8458]

​@@user-tq3ch8yh4eaaEE 1:26:34

[@LouDFrog15]

@creatingrevolution waaw. Control control 😊

[@trp.Prashaanth]

What a leach:) no wonder the Byju's ship sank. Zero conscience and sub zero accountability and this guy is an insider who was very much a part of the toxic culture and depravity

[@YashSharma-mv5ee]

Believe me when you are in Administratioin, your well wishers will always say "everything is great".

[@KodaSumi]

You are right , people with conscious will say so .

[@Rajds333]

He pressured us to the core instead of failing to take feedback from the ground level, they made us resign by giving so much pressure i literally went to depression.

[@BangaloreIT]

Now lets put pressure on the company?

[@Rajds333]

@@BangaloreIT They failed to understand Employees challenges instead commanding was more, no need these kind of toxic work culture which effects mental health.

[@TheUnrulyMonster]

He is an ambitious person as he says... meaning he wouldn't hesitate to trample those who are on his way

[@PatilBhau17]

Correct, he must aware what he was doing... Now he become millionaire.

[@akshaykamble3092]

😊​@@Rajds333

[@adilmajeed6852]

I have a question, if he was head of sales. And bad sales culture killed the business. Then who’s to blame?

[@MandarKarekar]

When Business Succeeds Founders & CEO gets the Credit , but when Sales target are not met , Sales people are to be Blamed & Fired

[@MrAnoopkumarpr]

He is explaining as if he has saved a sinking ship.. 😄.. He can never run out from the part he has played in the downfall of Byjus..

[@changemakers1402]

Arjun himself was heading sales. He was smart but was overly pressure giving. The biggest issue was they didn't take feedback from the bottom

[@yoabout]

6😮😮I think 😮😅😅😮😅😅I 😅😮the 😅😮😮I 😅😅😊in 😮😅😅but 😮😅😅😅and 😮😅have 😮8😮and chad 6😅67 27:34 😅😅😊

[@sureshkumar-jk6ve]

very bad sales approach. Too Aggressive and irritating. Now, companies are affraid to hire ex-byju staff due to the negative image

[@zaheemkhader7110]

​@@sureshkumar-jk6vepp0p

[@vinkolandinVK]

​@@sureshkumar-jk6ve😢n😢 mam 😮h😮😅😅j

[@mahipalsolanki8289]

Yyt​@@sureshkumar-jk6vet yyyy

[@sunilkful]

This charlie is blaming Byju his mentor and projecting himself as "doodh ka dhula" when he is equally responsible as a co- founder and Sales & Marketing head for the lousy marketing /lack of processes etc. Amir Khan in TITAN, SRK / mohanlal/ mahesh babu in Byjus, and Amitabh in Upgrade, and the common thread in all the companies is this dude, it may well be his idea copied from TITAN And after failing miserably is also now Consulting Startups - how weird. Best of luck to the companies he is consulting

[@pradeepanck8213]

Ultimately its boss. No means No. Yes boss 😊. I quit

[@BangaloreIT]

I wonder why such such questions are not asked by the interviewer? Is it because he took 80K INR and made this a paid interview? @ThePowerfulHumans|Abhishek Vyas

[@kevinalex4444]

Yes

[@migarsormr7010]

@@BangaloreIT sounds like a paid interview

[@hrnair66]

It's all part of journey, we can't win always, but learning from failure makes a man perfect

[@absoluteashish]

Being a founder of a growth stage start-up, I can say from my experience that most of the marketing guys present the basic standard marketing things as out of the box ideas. Besides one must be very careful with people with very nice articulation. With their abilities, they all the time present things as if its been done for the first time in human history and they are the torch bearer of something revolutionary. They rule over others who have clearer view of things but are not articulate enough. And at the end the board room is filled with these so called articulate people who are very much out of touch with the real things.

[@user-yf2oy1ef8i]

When you want a solution and that person is offering a solution then how do you deal with it when you don't know if that person is articulating or adding real value?

[@Sneako-d3l]

Yeah another scammer

[@Krishnanjan_Sil]

I purchased byjus, all ( 99%) teachers were good but this Sir failed to teach us Mathematics 😅

[@prasadbag2467]

His approach is casual. He talked process needs to be in place, but he was CEO, right?

[@hrnair66]

To cut the long story short, you need business in blood to run successful business!

[@BangaloreIT]

28:56 Why aren't tough questions asked on the decision that Arjun as a CEO took? Qs like: 1. Who brewed the sales culture? 2. Why was SRK signed and he was made to apologize? 3. Senior level exists from the company? 4. Why did he exit? 5. Why were abusive langauge used on the office floor? etc

[@rajeshr4470]

It's paid promotion

[@BangaloreIT]

@@rajeshr4470 Who paid whom? Did Abhi get paid to do this interview. If so, how much?

[@rajeshr4470]

@@BangaloreIT I'm working n abhi's team.. it's 80 k

[@sbnerji12555]

​@@rajeshr4470 but why 😅

[@leonidusarcon5678]

You think he would have showed up if these questions were in the discussion 😂

[@satheeshk6997]

I was suspecting Byju was behind all the sales pressures. Now got it it was Arjun 😂

[@AnkitG12]

What a time worthy conversation.So many lessons to learn.Thank you.

[@ThePowerfulHumansOfficial]

Glad you enjoyed it!

[@sumbulkhan-99]

Arjun Sir...I learnt Data interpretation from him via Byjus Course😃

[@drvarunmurthy]

Byju Raveendran started as an amazing teacher - created the company to deliver value - got investment - transitioned from the value game to the valuation game - got played in and went on a slide of no return.

[@MixedRealityworld]

Byju failed because of these guys who are not serious about their jobs. If they knew things are not in place, they should have taken proper action.

[@sabybasu]

I like smiling faces, but sometimes, especially when he is talking about creating a business by manipulating kids, his smiles and looks were creepy and devilish. Whatever people may say, but I feel there was a criminal element in Byju’s rise which should be punished. Same thing happened with WeWork in US.

[@JaskiranKaur-pt9dj]

😊😊

[@LVasvani]

His face, his eyes, this guy is not straight. Maybe Raveendran made a mistake taking him on.

[@AIMovieReviev]

FACT CHECK: BYJU*S was NOT an EdTech Company. IT Was A MARKETING Company ✅✅

[@documentin9171]

Arjun is a wise and observant guy. He understands how the Indian market operates. This podcast was an enriching experience. Gave a reality check about today's edtech ecosystem.

[@clapokchannel]

So sad, he completely passed the buck on to the founders.. 😂 In deed, these people are collectively responsible for its downfall. Had been the CEO, disowning the failures and sounding like you were not responsible.

[@rajeevbhatnagar6495]

Outstanding interview, filled with many many insights. Keep it up. Thanks

[@premppk3]

Very nice interview so much to learn and practice, especially governance.

[@satishbirajdar8526]

Excellent podcast. Very nice questions. Kudos to Arjun for answering it so frankly and honestly. Great insights to run business successfully.

[@BangaloreIT]

1:09:37 - Love this guy here. Amazing. Truth reveals a man.

[@nirmalendubarman6327]

You are full of 100 comments man. Are you high

[@shakirahmad517]

In short he himself failed when given the opportunity I worked for byjus for 3 years he was more focused writing books rather than managing There was Zero concept of cost cutting,Lean practice in his management

[@documentin9171]

Abbey jobless fellow, don't worry Byju Ravendran will give you some chawanni. You take it and go to Saudi.

[@BangaloreIT]

I'm at the same. What do you think of this interview - was he articulate enough?

[@salehakhan638]

One of the best podcast i have seen and listen i cannot stop myself to see this soo informative and reveals the truth behind the curtains how we are living acc to the their wishes best of best podcast

[@akshayp9822]

Isnt he the reason for byjus fall??

[@LakhiHalwai]

This should be the top/pinned comment 😂😂😂

[@avinashshaw1003]

😂😂😂😂

[@RAY-Money]

Byjus himself was the biggest delusional. They were about the law of attraction, affirmation, positive thinking ,

[@SKS-a2324d]

Lets be real, he joined Byjus as CEO because he wanted to have the CEO tag for his next career move. Thats it!

[@shivamrana6868]

@the power of humans Bhai Arjun mohan also put lot pressure on sales people he pretend to be oversmart here I met him byjus Delhi (Noida) office . He told people to do anything for sales. He is also responsible for everything.

[@bro2912]

I’ll thank Arjun to be honest and letting the logic talk here, kudos from an ex-colleague 👏👏

[@RaghuNayak]

He is part of culture.

[@adnansait7143]

His face says it all Scammer

[@kcvinodkumar5122]

Very Meaningful Video. It was a good learning !! Thanks for the sharing !

[@akshaychandrasekar4534]

Guys this guys is part of the problem not a messiah. He was in Byjus, left it and rejoined only to leave again. One can also say he was a cause of the problem along with Byju and his wife.

[@BangaloreIT]

rejoined it, only to be kicked out again*

[@arjunsungh8078]

He is the problem

[@drvarunmurthy]

Arjun Mohan got positions much bigger than his competence as was the case with many of the core team members of Byju. All these guys made loads of money by piggybacking on Byju and now talking like outsiders while they had been pretty much a part of the reasons for failure.

[@robinsingh648]

जो भी बोलो जब तक ये ceo नहीं था byjus चल रहा था जैसे ये ceo बना ले डूबा और आज बंद होने के कगार पे है

[@hrnair66]

I feel like business should have some basic ethics which Byjus lack fully

[@sethukrishnakumar9914]

Great insight and Learnings.. Thanks

[@painter1050]

good one. many points worth noting down, but he gives impressiion that he was watching from side and involved in growth process.. thinking twice, very possible he was a part of problems / decision making.. some of wrong and nonsense praticises

[@aroundtheglobewithranjan451]

💯

[@churabhok2869]

Unserious, casual, irresponsible, reckless

[@factomachine]

Great podcast

[@rnnnn834]

Looks like cunning...

[@ramajeesingh4276]

This man was rqually responsible for downfall of BYJUS. He innovated fraud system of psychologically blackmailing of parents, cheated them by giving them loan without even informing them and this result was inevitable.

[@ujjwalsachan8959]

Bro plz add time lines also in your video it will help viewers

[@ThePowerfulHumansOfficial]

Already added, please check the description box

[@ujjwalsachan8959]

Excellent podcast ❤❤

[@nsofficial5930]

Dont know why but i stronly feel that this man's intentions were not good..no wonder why byjus failed badly

[@gamingshortzzzz4480]

Thank you for expodimg him😊

[@rrajeshgajmalh]

Thanks

[@rrajeshgajmalh]

Thank you

[@mathewjais]

The problem with BYJUs was to take people like him with zero experience and place them as CEOs so that they can speak about what Byjus failed to bring to his startup. A seasoned CEO would have given Byjus a clearer direction from the beginning and would have stopped the bleeding of resources from the start...now we blame Byju for this debacle...whoever has failed to do their jobs...are in the shadows.

[@chetanrawatji]

Interesting Podcast ❤

[@sajanphilip8221]

The problem with Byjus was there Sales Team.

[@BangaloreIT]

36:13 - byju and divya were not from business family- hence budget style of thinking towards business was not done and they failed. Amazing point, Arjun sir.

[@SKS-a2324d]

Byju should have hired an experienced vice president for sales. A guy with zero experience and just out of college could at most be a sales associate. This guy doesnt even own up to the mess he created and throws Byju under the bus.

[@SKS-a2324d]

15:44 EMI scheme was brilliant 😂😂 Sales people scammed parents into EMI and parents would cry after finding out what they have enrolled in.

[@Rebelkid_3]

Insightful

[@siddhu75]

Everything is fine but there is no excuse for lack of ethics. The way Byju's sales process was, it can only be called fraudulent, same is true of Whitehat Jr ads. You spend your money and your investors, and suffer ...it can all be called business decisions. But running a con game isn't a business decision

[@BangaloreIT]

bingo. agreed sir. I befit the interviewer here as well, for not asking the right questions and taking the tone of the conversation in a jovial direction - and not focusing on the pain it caused customers, employees and also investors.

[@sudhakarnote]

what this person contributed to the company. It will be useful for viewers

[@abinashmohapatra305]

The price that they charging against the content was not justifiable. The claim that they were making was false and especially the way they spent lots of money for advertising the brand like Khans, BCCI and Messi was the major downfall reasons.

[@SKS-a2324d]

White hat jr was the biggest scam. When Byjus bought it, it was clear that Bujus also runs the same way and eventually both would sink

[@ViralVideoStreams]

In Short - The top guys made tonnes of money and they do not care what happens to their investors, Employees etc..they have made generational wealth and will let the company get into bankruptcy..they do not lose anything

[@Indiawins99]

Very nice interview 👍

[@LVasvani]

What was he doing as CEO? Shouldn't he have focused on his the customer if he felt Raveendran was not doing it? Easy to say things in hindsight.

[@muthukumaran7456]

Pls use English subtitles.Arjun sir concern other state peoples also watching

[@shalomgjm]

Wonderful podcast.. Really enjoyed the clarity of thought with which Mr Arjun Mohan answered all the questions . Hid in-depth analysis of business and Indian market. And to go back to Byju’s takes some guts and his bravery to resolve the problem

[@sudhakarnote]

If the company bounces back to success again, then these people will change their versions

[@VivekSingh-bv3fl]

Irrelevant questions asked, the core questions were not asked why??

[@BangaloreIT]

The interviewer can get better. I could see Arjun Mohan answering such irrelevant line of thought.

[@RR_NN]

Even though I knew he was CEO, for first few mins I literally forgot about it, was appreciating his analysis on what went wrong, then suddenly I realised he himself was CEO, then why did he not correct those mistakes, why he couldn't foresee one day COVID would end then why didn't he build sustainable model?? OR it looks like Baiju and his family didn't give CEO any chance of giving opinion and didn't allow him to drive his ideas. In a way, he must have been reduced to rubber stamp CEO.

[@BangaloreIT]

1:18:48 - Love this point on Online Vs Offline

[@debadutta124]

What you are saying is counter intuitive.. Before Jio Days, downloading an app and streaming service on phone was super expensive.. The kid couldnt just download Byju's app as you described on his own...

[@avinashkksd767]

Nicely enjoyed investors money waste product

[@josephsavio2300]

Honestly i can't stand the way he explains things. They picked the wrong guy. The way he talks so casually and laughs . Damnn

[@BangaloreIT]

@thepowerfulhumans - I'll keep re-watching this multiple times and then comment each sentence that CEO Arjun and the Interviewer Abhi has displayed. This company has played a huge role in my life, as a career shaping company. Expect more comments on the nuances involved in this interview.

[@bijuennasseril3238]

Listening is good.

[@riturajupadhyay3548]

To all those people who are praising this man on clearity and making wise decisions let me make one thing very clear to you People like him don’t talk like this in close rooms,investors ask for rerurn they ask for business their management ask for revenue from managers and associate hence tortured and threaten on their job to practise unethical sales. I am happy to leave such toxic culture where i have not been paid for last 3 months. Business is a part of life dude,don’t make it a weapon to threaten other’s life.

[@BangaloreIT]

all those comments which says Arjun is speaking with clarity are PAID/ Bot users. Own social media warrior accounts.

[@meenakshi-mx3ew]

Bro, video was very long. I had to fast forward to find what were the key points. I wish he spoked so much when he was there in the company during his meetings.

[@nileshkowadkar]

We need interview of a BYJUs customer sir! That will give us the actual aspect why the product didn't do well

[@Abhishekramanuja]

A lot of customers I know, aren't unhappy, infact at that time they liked the idea. There are multiple factors here

[@PatilBhau17]

You Looted common people like anything using that EMI scheme.

[@chillPJs]

Basically he just manipulated people for sake of his sales. We all know what kind of ads were shown by whitehatjunior. He doesn't feel ashamed of it too.

[@gopinathnambiar9707]

Worth a salute, Arjun.

[@archisnaturevideos9693]

How to collect the fees paid in advance ....no response from support team....refund our money back...

[@JourneywithSweksha]

This guy is impossible. Laughing as if he didn’t have any hand in creating such toxic environment. He has played a bigger hand in creating toxic environment and failing as a leader himself.

[@tnc760]

❤ मलौणवाला

[@SKS-a2324d]

Crash course on 'How to bring down a company singlehandedly'😂

[@tisatito74]

The bottomline is....WHATEVER U DO...U DO IT AS A CUSTOMER CENTRIC !!!

[@BangaloreIT]

1:02:52 Amount of PR run by Divya? We see it everywhere on Linkedin, KZbin and Quora. Even look at the comment section - some comments by the PR team?

[@theconfusedsiblings2137]

Ceo like Arjun will definitely burn the company, how casually he blame byju, I agree byju had made mistake but bro you were the CEO what you have done to save the company. God help the company he is consulting now.

[@naruto5437]

moral of the story ....sales imp but at the end, u need product that works as advertised and u need to create a trust with customer for good mouth publicity . buju only focussed on sales and going globally very fast he took the example of tata but could not do what tata did for 100years .....which is logo ko chutiya nahi banana

[@anuragdhyani1712]

1:01:51

[@SKS-a2324d]

1:12:40 Hiring from only IIM is such a BS

[@chaddog7]

Company heavily loss hone ke baad gyan chodne ka koi matlab hi nahi banta ki hame ye karna chahiye tha hamne ye nahi kiya iski wajeh se ye hua. Playing the victim card.Lol😂

[@pacpacchannel1038]

Top management pressurize junior employees. Keep this in mind.

[@middleclasstwowheeleronpot3780]

It's good to see fraudster confession without shamelessly

[@ankurwagadre8669]

Uski jgh tu hota to tu bhi whi krta paise chapne ka

[@sathishannira]

. Bijus is a uniquely positioned company where in company name is founder name. Even raveendran wished to get out of bijus, biju won't allow him😂it is a vicious cycle..

[@BabygirlDhani]

I thinks whit hat jr was the biggest mistake byjus made! Parents of 10th-12th class never come out & spoke against anyone becoz they thought struggling phase of anyone student in India.. But white hat jr is targeting younger/ kids parents become vocal about arrogant salesperson becoz very young age giving pressure on education doesnt work in india.. Anyone else agree me on this? Im very contrary becoz host is favoring white hat jr!! Collapse of byjuse becoz of white hat jr

[@karnamniranjanprasad735]

Companies which work around the well established systems survive for longest period, than those companies which work around the people.

[@toozoo22]

this guy has thrown everyone under the bus, what was he doing in downfall.

[@koustavrana99]

Please Pin 📌 " You are are one responsible for the downfall of BYJU'S as you are the head of Sales. You unable to implement good strategy"

[@PastEventsTV]

He is saying why the company failed..Then whats the role of CEO😅

[@user-tq3ch8yh4e]

Joooottt in 2006 we have discussed