United States-based digital real estate marketplace Opendoor has announced the complete closure of its India operations, resulting in the layoff of all 250 employees in the country. The sudden corporate exit was confirmed early Thursday by Chief Executive Officer Kaz Nejatian in a social media post on X, citing a strategic pivot toward advanced artificial intelligence and localized US operations.
The decision marks a swift reversal of the company’s global expansion strategy, coming just two years after Opendoor established institutional offices in the premier Indian technology hubs of Hyderabad and Bengaluru. Founded in 2014, the e-commerce platform allows consumers to buy and sell residential properties entirely online. CEO Nejatian explained that for years, Opendoor relied on a large workforce in India to manually manage workflows across fragmented internal systems. However, recent technological advancements have allowed the company to completely unify these operations.
By shifting to small, AI-native, customer-facing teams based directly in the United States, Opendoor aims to execute its critical operational work in person and in closer proximity to its core consumer base. Industry analysts note that this development highlights growing global anxieties regarding automation, specifically how rapid advancements in artificial intelligence are beginning to displace traditional back-office, data management, and entry-level tech roles in offshore markets. The restructuring also aligns with escalating pressure from American policymakers urging corporations to onshore tech operations and prioritize domestic job creation.
