Nadiem Makarim, the co-founder of unicorn Gojek and former Indonesian education minister, has been sentenced to 10 years in prison for corruption. The court found Makarim guilty of manipulating tender specifications for the procurement of over 1 million Google Chromebooks for schools, resulting in $US125 million in state losses, according to prosecutors. The Chromebook Procurement … Read more
Minister of Micro, Small, and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs) Maman Abdurrahman announced on July 8 that motorcycle ride-hailing drivers from Gojek, Grab, and Maxim prefer recognition as micro entrepreneurs over employee status. This shift aims to grant drivers access to government empowerment programs and financing while maintaining the flexibility of the platform economy. Drivers Seek Entrepreneur … Read more
An Australian tourist in her mid-thirties, Katie Williams, experienced unexpected difficulty securing transport in Canggu after a Grab driver refused to meet her at her requested location. Despite Williams explaining that her elderly parents struggled to walk in the heat, the driver responded that it was “too dangerous” to come to her. Following two additional … Read more
Indonesian prosecutors have sought an 18-year prison sentence for Nadiem Anwar Makarim, the co-founder of ride-hailing and payments platform Gojek and former education minister, in a corruption case tied to the procurement of Chromebook laptops for schools during the COVID-19 pandemic. The trial, which began on May 13, 2026, centers on allegations that Makarim manipulated … Read more