Bhavish Aggarwal bashes Google for slashing Maps' fee 'too late too little'. Internet isn't impressed

'Don’t need your fake generosity!' Bhavish Aggarwal wrote in a note to Google.

Bhavish Aggarwal has slammed Google for reducing the pricing of Google Maps Platform for developers in India by 70 percent from August 1. The tech giant said it would introduce a new country-specific pricing structure to make it easier to build location-based solutions. This, however, did not sit well with the Ola founder and CEO who has been batting for Ola Maps powered by his AI startup Krutrim.

Addressing a note to Google, Aggarwal wrote on X: "Dear Google, too little too late! Reducing prices for Google Maps, “offering to price in ₹” after #ExitGoogleMaps. Don’t need your fake generosity! Tomorrow, I’ll be writing a blog response and announcing major updates on Ola maps Krutrim. Stay tuned!"

Dear @Google, too little too late!

Reducing prices for @googlemaps, “offering to price in ₹” after #ExitGoogleMaps. Don’t need your fake generosity! Tomorrow, I’ll be writing a blog response and announcing major updates on Ola maps @Krutrim. Stay tuned! pic.twitter.com/XlXfp10J2L — Bhavish Aggarwal (@bhash) July 17, 2024

Social media users, however, were not impressed with Aggarwal's take on the matter.

"Hi Bhavish, I think it's fantastic that you are deciding to be self-reliant and also paving way for other Indian businesses to use the Indian Map service. But Ola Map is bad right now. Top many location/lane errors.

As a daily user, I feel, there is a lot of scope to make it better. Hope you will take this seriously," wrote founder Nikhil Gangil (@Intrinsic_cycle).

"When you reduce the price for the product is fair and alright when they have done it, you call it fake? Doglapan, isn't it?" commented entrepreneur VVikas Kumaarr (@flyingvikas129). Another X user Vimal Gaurav (@vimalgaurav) commented, "You were using Google Maps earlier. Now that you have your own Ola Maps, you started abusing Google. This isn’t the right spirit or very cheap show of professionalism."

Aggarwal's artificial intelligence (AI) startup Krutrim introduced mapping and location-based services for developers via Ola Maps API in May. He had previously stated that one of Krutrim's key differentiators would be providing services to developers on an "India-first" cost structure.

Earlier this month, Aggarwal had said that Ola Cabs had completely exited Google Maps and moved to its in-house Ola Maps. This measure is expected to save the company Rs 100 crore a year, he had said.