Troubled edtech startup Byju’s has removed its app from the Google Play Store owing to payment issues, Moneycontrol reported.
Users who had previously downloaded the app are now unable to access premium subscriptions or video content, while most of the website’s SEO-optimised pages have also gone offline.
The disruption reportedly stems from overdue payments to Amazon Web Services (AWS), which hosts the company’s cloud infrastructure.
However, other apps from the edtech firm, such as Byju’s Exam Prep which helps students prepare for competitive exams and the Think & Learn Premium app, remain available on the platform, according to The Economic Times.
While the iOS version of Byju’s app remains available on the App Store, backend issues have disrupted core features across all platforms.
Byju’s Troubles
The edtech company, once valued at $22 billion, is currently undergoing insolvency proceedings initiated last year after the BCCI filed a petition with the NCLT to recover ₹158 crore owed under a sponsorship agreement.
Founder Byju Raveendran, who has been publicly addressing the company’s financial troubles and legal disputes on social media, recently announced the next phase of Byju 3.0.
Divya Gokulnath, co-founder of Byju’s and wife of Raveendran, has alleged that a targeted campaign of intimidation and pressure tactics is being carried out to isolate her husband by threatening those close to him, including family members, colleagues, and legal counsel.
In a podcast with news agency ANI, Gokulnath claimed that several individuals associated with the company including legal teams and senior management have faced intimidation, with unidentified persons visiting executives’ homes.
“The strategy, as we now understand it, is to weaken Byju by blaming and isolating everyone around him who supports him. Even our lawyers have been threatened. They’ve been told their licenses will be revoked. I won’t name them, but this is the extent of the intimidation—they’ve even sent people to our homes,” Gokulnath alleged.
