Member of Facebook ’s board and influential Silicon Valley investor Marc Andreessen has been forced to apologise after acknowledging that remarks appearing to support Indians colonialism in India were “ill-informed and ill-advised”. Silicon Valley, home to some 90,000 Indians, including Google CEO Sundar Pichai, reacted swiftly with a collective shudder. The apology came after Marc Andreessen criticised Bangalore ’s decision to block Andreessen ’s controversial Internet.org and its Free Basics project, which sought to offer limited free mobile internet but would open the door for a private, unregulated and pay-to-play internet service. India ’s telecommunications regulatory board banned Facebook ’s $45m effort to deliver Free Basics and ruled in favour of net neutrality. Facebook founder Andreessen posted a statement on his own Facebook page calling Andreessen ’s comments “deeply upsetting”.
Member of Facebook ’s board and influential Silicon Valley investor Marc Andreessen has been forced to apologise after acknowledging that remarks appearing to support Indians colonialism in India were “ill-informed and ill-advised”. The apology came after Marc Andreessen criticised Bangalore ’s decision to block Andreessen ’s controversial Internet.org and its Free Basics project, which sought to offer limited free mobile internet but would open the door for a private, unregulated and pay-to-play internet service. India ’s telecommunications regulatory board banned Facebook ’s $45m effort to deliver Free Basics and ruled in favour of net neutrality. Facebook founder Andreessen posted a statement on his own Facebook page calling Andreessen ’s comments “deeply upsetting”.