Indian tech billionaire clarifies after wife alleges husband forced her to open marriage amid custody battle

In an explosive interview, NIT graduate-turned-tech-tycoon Prasanna Sankar’s wife, Dhivya Shasidhar, spilled the beans on her estranged husband. In a dramatic tale unfolding across borders and legal systems, the cofounder of Rippling—a San Francisco-based workforce management company valued at $13 billion—has alleged that his wife not only had an affair but also kidnapped their only child.

In a tell-all interview with The San Francisco Standard, Dhivya alleged that her husband subjected her to mental abuse, visited several escorts, and forced her into an open marriage. She also claimed he dragged her and their son from country to country to evade taxes.

She described her marriage to Sankar as the “worst nightmare of my life.”

The tech billionaire clarifies

In tweets, Prasanna S clarified: "Me and my wife, Dhivya, were married for 10 years and we have a 9 year old son. Recently our marriage broke down. After that we were negotiating the terms of how many million dollars I need to pay her, as a part of our divorce. She was unhappy and decided to instead filed a fake police complaint against me saying I hit her. Later, she made further fake complaints. Singapore police have investigated these allegations, found them baseless and have cleared me from all charges. I filed for a divorce in India. She filed for a divorce in the US, to try and make more money from the divorce.

A Promising Beginning

Sashidhar and Sankar first crossed paths in 2007. Two years later, their friendship blossomed into a romantic relationship. At their university in Tiruchirappalli, India, Sashidhar stood out as the top academic performer, while Sankar made a name for himself in the tech world, earning the number one spot in a national programming competition at just 18.

Ambition on Different Continents

Despite the distance, the couple kept their relationship alive. Sankar moved to Silicon Valley to pursue his entrepreneurial dreams, while Sashidhar was awarded a prestigious scholarship to study at the University of Cambridge. During this period, Sankar launched Likealittle, a social platform encouraging anonymous flirting among college students. He raised $7 million in funding, but the venture failed to take off.

Marriage and New Chapters

In 2013, after years of balancing long-distance love and demanding careers, the couple tied the knot. Two years later, Sankar returned to San Francisco to join Zenefits, a fast-rising healthcare software startup founded by Parker Conrad. He was hired as director of engineering.

Who Is Prasanna Sankar?

Prasanna Sankaranarayanan, popularly known as Prasanna Sankar, is a Singapore-based entrepreneur of Indian origin. He hails from Chennai, Tamil Nadu, and pursued his undergraduate studies in computer science at the prestigious National Institute of Technology (NIT) Trichy. It was during his time there that he met his future wife.

Sankar has made a significant mark in the global tech ecosystem as the co-founder of Rippling, a leading workforce management platform. The company, which streamlines HR and IT operations for businesses, has reached an impressive valuation of around $10 billion. Before co-founding Rippling, Sankar held key roles in several tech ventures, building a reputation for innovation and leadership in the startup world.