Karan Bajaj, founder and CEO of coding upstart WhiteHat Jr has quit the Byju's-owned company, according to an internal email Byju Raveendran sent to employees announcing the departure.
Here is the full text of the mail:
Dear Team,
I’m a bit overwhelmed to write these words since WhiteHat Jr and now, BYJU’S FutureSchool have meant much more to me than just a company we started. It’s been a mission, a consuming passion, my life, my family and home—basically, everything to me for the last 3 years! And while I set off on a new path, I want to both thank you deeply and share my thoughts on why our single-minded mission of kids expressing their natural destiny as builders and creators enabled by thousands of women returning back to the workforce will continue stronger than ever.
Firstly, a great team on a great mission. Only three years ago, WhiteHat Jr was just an idea. Now, we’re a team of 17,000+ employees and teachers in multiple countries around the world from India, Australia and UK to US and Latin America, all deeply united by our mission and values.
Whether it’s 10x ideas like enabling every kid in the world to create, not consume, with access to Coding, Music and a creative form of Math to the daily, continuous improvement rigor, you’re an exceptional team who’ve held strong through extreme highs and lows together.
I’ve always felt that you can take our brand, systems and operations away but if you just left this team, we would re-build from scratch within months. Our mission is greater than us and I know this will endure and continue to get stronger after I go.Second, Byju’s vision.
Byju is a unique leader, a true visionary with a boundary-less view of the world, who’s never going to stop until he’s changed the face of education to active, creative learning for kids all over the world. I’ve gotten to deeply respect his one-of-a-kind commitment to education in the last year and feel indebted to him for both his incredible support for our model and the independence he allowed me to run the organization to the very last day.
With a leader like him, I know WhiteHat Jr/BYJU’S FutureSchool will reach more students in more countries while solving all barriers of access and affordability.
Finally, Trupti’s presence, supported by a very strong leadership team. Trupti is a leader I’ve admired for almost two decades since our time at IIM together as she’s accomplished milestone after milestone and I know her incredible competent, compassionate leadership will keep making our learning experience better while also enabling thousands of more women to enter into the mainstream economy.
Supported by our strong leadership in each market and vertical, we’re well positioned to continue to take our mission all over the world.
All in all, I’m truly very excited for your path ahead and deeply grateful for allowing me to be a part of your lives for this intense, challenging but deeply satisfying period we experienced together.
I will be fully present in transition for the immediate period, then intend to carve out a career in public service next. I'll define the exact contours it’ll take in a few months while pursuing my interests in writing etc.—so I have all the time in the world if you reach out anytime :-)
Thank You and my best wishes always,Karan