Rajesh Yabaji, co-founder and chief executive officer of BlackBuck, announced that the logistics technology company would be moving its headquarters out of Bengaluru’s Bellandur area, citing prolonged commuting times and deteriorating road conditions as key reasons for the decision.
In a post shared on X, Yabaji wrote: “ORR (Bellandur) has been our ‘office + home’ for the last 9 years. But it’s now very-very hard to continue here. We have decided to move out.”
He elaborated that the decision had not been taken lightly but had become necessary due to the impact on employees’ quality of life. “Average commute for my colleagues shot up to 1.5+ hrs (one way). Roads full of potholes & dust, coupled with lowest intent to get them rectified. Didn’t see any of this changing in the next 5 years,” Yabaji stated.
Founded in 2015, BlackBuck is one of India’s largest digital freight platforms and has operated from its Bellandur base for close to a decade.
Yabaji’s announcement prompted responses from several high-profile figures. Former Infosys chief financial officer Mohandas Pai described the situation as a “big failure of governance in Bengaluru.” Biocon founder Kiran Mazumdar-Shaw added: “This is serious. Emergency measures needed to fix these issues.”
On social media, many praised Yabaji for prioritising the welfare of employees, while others criticised elected representatives for not addressing long-standing infrastructure concerns.
A wider discussion followed online, reflecting the frustration of Bengaluru residents. Yogesh (@Spartacus_Tweet) argued that property values in Bellandur were “massively overvalued,” likening developers’ rates to “Chicago and Dubai for the infrastructure of Somalia.”
Another user, Aniruddha (@aNr1857), asked why companies continued to remain in the area despite chronic congestion. He wrote: “It’s absurd that Prestige and Sattva are building new tech parks right at the core of the jam.”
Some suggested unconventional fixes. “Ropeway is the only solution,” one post read. Others drew attention to political factors. A user under the handle @PanditRamJoshi commented: “You have to adjust for 4 years and demand BJP govt to fix it after 4 years. BJP also won’t fix. But if u demand they will fix. Cong will not fix even if u demand.”
For many, the debate also took on a personal dimension. Rajath DM (@rajathdm) said Bellandur was “really bad for work/commute/living” and asked others where they intended to move. In response, Deepak Baid (@idk_idontkare) wrote that he had considered relocating but was unable to do so because his sister’s commute to her workplace would become more difficult.
Rajesh Yabaji has led BlackBuck for over a decade as its co-founder and chief executive officer. His LinkedIn profile shows that he earned a dual degree from the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Kharagpur.
Before establishing BlackBuck, he spent nearly five years at ITC Limited, where he worked in supply chain management and category development. His early career also included international experience through internships at Schindler India, Rio Tinto Alcan in Germany, and the University of Nebraska-Lincoln in the United States.
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