Recover Ola's revenue during a nationwide lockdown and judge a new business bet

India's government has just announced a nationwide lockdown. You are a product manager at Ola, the ride-hailing company, and its sales have dropped sharply as a result. How would you increase Ola's revenue? And would you take Ola into a new business, and why or why not? ### Clarifying Questions - How long is the lockdown expected to last, and is it equally strict everywhere or stricter in some cities? - Which movement and services stay permitted: essential trips such as hospital visits, travel by essential workers, deliveries of groceries and medicines? - Should the plan optimize only for revenue during the lockdown, or also for how well Ola recovers afterward, for example by keeping driver-partners earning? - How much budget and time are available, given the fall in sales? ### Part 1 — Grow revenue during the lockdown Explain where Ola's revenue has gone, which sources of revenue are still possible under the restrictions, and what you would do first to grow them. ```hint Start from what is still allowed Break revenue into its drivers, then ask which trips, customers and assets still have value when most people cannot travel. ``` #### What This Part Should Cover - A breakdown of the lost revenue and of the demand that remains under the restrictions. - Concrete initiatives that reuse Ola's fleet, driver network and technology, prioritized by impact, speed and cost. - Metrics for revenue recovery with guardrails on the safety of drivers and riders. ### Part 2 — Decide on a new business Decide whether Ola should enter a new line of business now. Name the options you considered and the criteria you used, then give your recommendation and its reasons, including the case against it. ```hint Will it outlive the lockdown? Judge each option by how well it uses what Ola already has, how fast it can launch, and whether it still makes sense once people can travel again. ``` #### What This Part Should Cover - Explicit criteria for judging a new business. - At least two options compared, with a clear choice. - The arguments for and against diversifying, and when you would scale or stop. ### What a Strong Answer Covers - Clarifying the scope and length of the lockdown before proposing ideas, and adapting the plan to the answers. - The needs of both riders and driver-partners, since supply must survive for the recovery. - Ideas grounded in Ola's existing assets rather than generic diversification. - Prioritization with metrics and guardrails. - Risks around health and safety, regulation and brand. ### Follow-up Questions - The lockdown ends much sooner than expected. Which of your initiatives do you keep, and which do you shut down? - A large grocery delivery company offers to use Ola's two-wheeler drivers for its deliveries in exchange for a share of each delivery fee. How would you evaluate the deal? - Trip volume stays near zero for months. How do you keep driver-partners from leaving the platform for good?