Indian EdTech company Byju's exploits parents' fear

Since launching its The Learning App in 2015, the Indian EdTech company Byju's had grown to serve more than 80 million users and 5.5 million paid subscribers by 2021; it provides learning programs for students aged four years old and up. However, former employees say that underpinning the company's growth is a hard-selling culture that takes advantage of underprivileged families who can't afford their products but in India's hyper-competitive environment take out loans they can't afford to ensure their children won't be disadvantaged. 

EdTech claims to offer the benefits of private tuition at a much lower price without leaving home. The employees say the company uses data it collects from customers' smartphones to guess their socioeconomic bracket and target sales pitches.

Article: Indian EdTech company Byju's exploits parents' fear

Publication: Rest of World

Writer: Akansha Singh