The “storm” that Byju Raveendran survived in 2022 is described in his writings

Byju Raveendran, the creator of Byju, summarized 2022 using a passage from Haruki Murakami’s Kafka on the Shore.

Byju Raveendran used a line from Haruki Murakami’s 2002 book Kafka on the Shore to summarize his thoughts on the year 2022.

“Once the storm has passed, you won’t recall how you survived or made it through. You won’t even be certain that the storm has truly passed. However, one thing is for sure. You won’t be the same person you entered the storm as when you emerge. This storm is all about it.

The creator of Byju Indian multinational educational tech co emailed his team towards the end of the year. According to conventional wisdom, he argued, the edtech startup ought to have taken a break and awaited an improvement in the market condition. However, the company set new benchmarks for ambition and execution, building India’s largest physical distribution networks for K–12 and test-prep educational products and services.

According to Raveendran, the third phase was supposed to commence in 2025, but the company had to start this year’s path to profitability due to macroeconomic changes in 2022. The corporation began “better investing and more rigorous prioritizing” as it embraced the motto of “development with efficiency.”

Raveendran stated in the internal email that he was forced to make “the most painful decision” of his life by firing part of the staff. Due to the current macroeconomic environment and the integration of the company’s acquired operations, this was essential.

According to the email, whereas Byju’s achieved steady growth for the first six years, the edtech business then witnessed exponential growth from 2017 to 2021. The company has grown in terms of both products and services. Both naturally and artificially, Byju’s has grown in India and other nations.

Raveendran addressed the contentious choice to name Lionel Messi the global brand ambassador of its Education For All social impact arm. Due to the fact that it was made after some of its employees had been let go, the decision was called into question. To become the first Indian company to sponsor a FIFA world cup, Byju’s invested close to $30–$40 million.

In the end, according to Raveendran, it turned out nicely for Messi, who led Argentina to its first world championship in 36 years. “The not-so-secret to his success is a little bit of faith at each step and a lifetime of learning. We are fortunate to be able to learn from him, and there is plenty for us to do so “He composed.