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Flexport CEO says India has more ‘useless paperwork’ than all other countries combined
Flexport CEO Ryan Petersen criticized India's bureaucratic challenges, claiming excessive paperwork hampers business operations compared to other countries.
The founder and CEO of Flexport has criticized India's bureaucratic challenges, claiming excessive paperwork hampers ease of doing business compared to other countries. Ryan Petersen claimed he has had to file more “useless paperwork” in India than all other countries combined.
Flexport is an American multinational corporation that focuses on logistics and supply chain management. Headquartered in San Francisco, USA, it operates in more than 89 countries and has offices in Amsterdam, Hong Kong and Shenzhen.
Flexport CEO’s allegations
On July 1, Flexport CEO Ryan Petersen responded to an X post from Prime Minister Narendra Modi hailing GST as a “landmark reform that has reshaped India’s economic landscape.”
PM Modi said that GST has “greatly improved the Ease of Doing Business” for small and medium enterprises by reducing compliance burden.
The CEO of Flexport sought to counter these claims with his personal experience of setting up a business in India.
“I have to file more useless paperwork for our entity in India than all our other countries combined,” wrote Petersen.
How Indians reacted to the post
The post proved predictably polarizing on social media, where some supported the American CEO and others accused him of maligning India’s image.
“I am a citizen and I agree with that, India does have some unreal obsession with paperwork,” wrote one X user in the comments section.
“Indian babucracy is one of the top 10 problems holding humanity back,” another said.
“Ease of doing business in India is a sham. Things would only change if more and more global corporates call this out,” a user added.
“Indians face the same when applying in western countries. Reciprocity is beautiful,” one X user wrote, claiming that the problem is not unique to India.
“Please be more specific about it. What kind of paperwork are you talking about? Have been involved in businesses in India, Dubai and Scotland. Almost all 3 places have similar kind of things that need to be done,” another X user agreed.
