Flexport CEO calls out India’s ‘useless paperwork’, criticises bureaucratic hurdles

Ryan Petersen, CEO of supply chain logistics platform Flexport, has criticised India’s regulatory environment, calling the country’s excessive paperwork a major barrier to ease of doing business.

Petersen’s comment came in response to Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s post on X (formerly Twitter) on July 1, marking eight years of GST. In his post, Modi highlighted how GST has reduced the compliance burden and improved ease of doing business, especially for small and medium enterprises.

Replying directly to the Prime Minister’s post, Petersen wrote that he has to file more “useless paperwork” in India than in all other countries combined.



Headquartered in San Francisco, Flexport operates in more than 89 countries and has offices in Amsterdam, Hong Kong, and Shenzhen.

Petersen’s remarks sparked further debate online. Sankrant Sanu, founder of publishing venture Garuda Prakashan, supported Petersen’s view. “That is undoubtedly true. GST may be a reform but there is much further to do. India is a nightmare of regulation and paperwork,” Sanu wrote.

This is not the first time executives have brought the issue into the spotlight. Last year, ET reported that more German companies cited bureaucratic hurdles as a major challenge to doing business in India. In 2024, 64% of German businesses listed bureaucratic hurdles — including protectionist measures and complex procurement rules — as the biggest drawback to operating in the country, up from 53% in 2023.

On Civil Services Day in April, Prime Minister Modi stressed the need to set new standards for India’s bureaucracy. “On April 21, 1947, Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel called all of you the ‘Steel Frame of India’. He set new limits for the bureaucracy of independent India. A civil servant who considers serving the nation as his best duty, who democratically runs the administration, who is full of honesty, discipline and dedication,” he said.

The Confederation of Indian Industry (CII) has also highlighted similar concerns, stating that while India has focused on improving ease of doing business over the past decade, there is a need to maintain momentum, especially in certain critical areas.