"Foolish for people to think" - Byju Raveendran responds to criticism about appointing Argentina superstar Lionel Messi as brand ambassador after firing 2500 employees

Lionel Messi became the global brand ambassador for ed-tech firm BYJU, following the firm's decision to fire 2,500 employees. This saw founders Byju Raveendran and Divya Gokulnath receive criticism and backlash, and the duo have had to make clarifications about their decisions.

Raveendran explained to BYJU employees that the sackings had come in order to "reduce redundancies" and "avoid role duplication". The founder also stated that the decision to sign Lionel Messi was for social impact (via MoneyControl):

“The deal with Messi is not a typical sponsorship deal. It is a partnership to create social impact. It was something that we signed six months back. It is foolish for people to think that we will pay money for Messi after letting people go."

Raveendran apologized for the mistakes that had been made, but noted that they could not be complacent:

“There's no scope for short-term optics. Just like anyone else when you grow this fast, we've made our fair share of mistakes and we're sorry about it. When you're privileged enough to make such a big impact, it's criminal to be complacent."

According to Forbes, Lionel Messi will feature in three short films that will be shared on BYJU's social media channels and website. The Argentine forward also explained his decision to partner with the ed-tech firm, stating that BJYU's mission "perfectly aligns with his values".

---

Lionel Messi could win the World Cup with Argentina, according to EA Sports

FIFA 23 simulations have crowned Argentina champions of the looming FIFA World Cup, with Lionel Messi set to clinch the coveted trophy which has eluded him for years. However, as it is with simulations, these are merely computerized predictions from one of the most popular football games in the world.

According to ESPN, EA Sports played all 64 matches of the World Cup, all the way to the final, where La Albiceleste were on hand to secure the impressive win. Lionel Messi also impressively won the Golden Boot and Golden Ball, racking up both awards as the top goalscorer and best player in the tournament.

EA Sports has gotten their predictions on point since the 2010 World Cup, where they predicted a win for Spain. The Argentines will be hoping they can make this prediction come true, as the start of the World Cup looms in Qatar.