Snap’s India turnaround: hiring local lead and localization drives 100M+ MAU

In April 2017, a Variety article alleged Snap’s CEO Evan Spiegel did not want to expand into "poor countries like India and Spain," sparking a #BoycottSnapchat campaign. At the time Snap had fewer than 5 million users in India, its Android app suffered crashes, poor camera quality and delayed updates, and the company focused mainly on the iPhone‑based U.S. market.

In 2019 Snap hired former Facebook executive Durgesh Kaushik as managing director for South Asia. Within a year it rebuilt and launched Android in nine Indian languages, added AR lenses for local festivals (Diwali, Onam, Independence Day), and forged partnerships with Moj, Flipkart, Moonfrog Labs, Sugar Cosmetics, Sony and Zee. Workshops trained over 5,000 Gen Z students in Lens Studio. By 2022 Snap reported over 100 million monthly active users in India, becoming its largest market outside the U.S., and began exporting the India playbook to other South Asian countries.

Grew to 100M+ MAU in India, secured partnerships with Moj, Flipkart, Moonfrog Labs, Sugar Cosmetics, Sony, Zee, and trained 5,000+ Gen Z lens creators.

The #BoycottSnapchat backlash exposed a trust gap that required a local‑focused response.

Hiring Durgesh Kaushik gave Snap deep market insight and authority to rebuild the product for Indian users.

Localizing language, camera quality and AR lenses around Indian festivals made the app culturally relevant and drove adoption.

Strategic partnerships with local platforms (Moj, Flipkart) and media brands expanded Snap’s utility and reach.

Investing in creator workshops built a sustainable ecosystem of AR lens creators, reinforcing network effects.

Localizing product, language and cultural relevance, combined with local leadership and partnerships, can unlock massive growth in emerging markets even after early setbacks.

By 2022 Snap’s India user base exceeded 100 million monthly active users, making it the company’s largest market outside the United States. The success informed Snap’s expansion strategy for other South Asian countries, leveraging the same localization playbook around Bollywood and cricket to build communities in Pakistan, Nepal, Bangladesh and Sri Lanka.