'Isko Discount...': Ather Energy CEO Playfully Hits Back At Nikhil Kamath's 'Bad Marketing' Comment

This exchange follows Kamath's recent strategic move to diversify his investment portfolio, highlighted by his acquisition of a significant stake in Ather Energy from Flipkart co-founder Sachin Bansal

Nikhil Kamath, co-founder of Zerodha, recently took to social media to playfully critique the marketing strategies of Ather Energy, a Bengaluru-based electric scooter manufacturer. Kamath humorously mentioned purchasing an Ather scooter at full price without any discount despite acknowledging Ather's perceived weaknesses in marketing. Nevertheless, he commended the product's high quality.

Kamath’s social media post humorously stated, “Will pick great products with terrible marketing every time, sales I hope can be solved for easier than product. Every company has its strengths and weaknesses. Ather may have questionable marketing, but their product is top-notch (sorry Tarun). PS: I bought this scooter at full price, Tarun (Mehta) didn’t even give me a discount.”

In response, Ather Energy’s CEO Tarun Mehta took to X, formerly known as Twitter, with a humorous comeback. He posted a well-known meme featuring Pakistani cricket fan Sarim Akhtar, humorously implying the marketing team’s reaction to Kamath’s comment. Mehta wrote, “Marketing team be like ‘isko discount hi de dena chahiye tha’ (we should’ve given him a discount).”

This exchange follows Kamath's recent strategic move to diversify his investment portfolio, highlighted by his acquisition of a significant stake in Ather Energy from Flipkart co-founder Sachin Bansal, as reported by the Economic Times in April.

At 37, Kamath experienced a remarkable surge in his net worth, which escalated from $1.1 billion in 2023 to $3.1 billion in 2024, according to the Forbes Billionaires List. Recognised for his endorsement of Prime Minister Narendra Modi's Make in India initiative, Kamath has actively promoted the preference for Indian brands over foreign counterparts across diverse sectors.

In a recent social media post, Kamath reiterated his stance, urging Indians to prioritise local brands in "enough of the foreign franchise is ‘better’, clothes, jewellery, food, auto, content, shoes, and just about everything else," underscoring his support for indigenous products and industries.