'We will not leave Bengaluru': BlackBuck CEO Rajesh Yabaji issues clarification after ORR exit

CEO Rajesh Yabaji emphasized the company's commitment to Bengaluru while highlighting ongoing infrastructure challenges affecting operations.

Logistics unicorn BlackBuck has clarified that it is not moving out of Bengaluru but only relocating its office from the Bellandur–Outer Ring Road (ORR) area to another location within the city.

Rajesh Yabaji is the co-founder and CEO of BlackBuck. (LinkedIn/Rajesh Yabaji)

The clarification from co-founder and CEO Rajesh Yabaji came after his earlier remarks about quitting the ORR due to worsening road conditions and long commute times triggered reports that the company was leaving Bengaluru altogether.

His post on X last week had sparked outrage, with many industry voices echoing concerns about the poor state of infrastructure on the city’s IT corridor.

On September 16, Yabaji had written that it had become “very, very hard” for BlackBuck to continue operations on the ORR, describing the roads as “death traps” due to potholes, dust and congestion. He noted that the average commute for employees had stretched to over 90 minutes one way, and said there was little hope of conditions improving over the next five years.

The post immediately gained traction, with several IT leaders calling it a wake-up call for city planners. The backlash also saw Andhra Pradesh IT minister Nara Lokesh publicly inviting BlackBuck to shift base to Visakhapatnam.

Amid the debate, Yabaji issued a detailed statement on Thursday stressing that Bengaluru remains BlackBuck’s home. The company, he said, is only shifting to a new office within city limits while continuing to maintain operations around the ORR.

Here is his full statement:

“BlackBuck started its operations in the year 2015 from Bengaluru, beginning from a small office near the Sony Signal at Koramangala. As we expanded our operations and teams, we moved to the Bellandur, Outer Ring Road (ORR) in 2016 for larger office spaces and better suited facilities. The ORR, the city of Bengaluru and the State of Karnataka has enabled the company with the needed resources, infrastructure, talent density and opportunities to grow into a large company, making a meaningful impact across the trucking ecosystem in India.

As one of the biggest beneficiaries of the Karnataka tech-ecosystem over the last decade, we fully understand what the city of Bengaluru has helped us achieve and how it will be playing a major role in unlocking our potential ahead. Hence, we unilaterally refute the claims made by some media outlets that we are considering moving out of the city. We are only relocating within the city to a different location, which will facilitate an easy commute for our employees. As we do this, we want to reiterate that a large part of operations would still continue to happen on the ORR, and hence we will continue to seek help from the concerned authorities to enable infrastructure improvements to facilitate smooth business operations.

We will not only continue to remain in the city of Bengaluru, but will also expand our footprint here. Bengaluru is home for us and as always, we continue to remain committed to relay our needs and issues to the relevant government authorities and seek support to get them resolved.”

BlackBuck’s clarification comes at a time when Bengaluru’s ORR, the city’s most critical IT and startup hub, is under fire for choked traffic, crumbling roads, and frequent flooding. Industry leaders have repeatedly warned that the corridor’s failing infrastructure could push companies to look elsewhere.