The true story behind the Paytm-Google spat

Why read this story?

Editor's note: On Friday, 18 September, Google took down Paytm from the Play Store for a few hours.  Not to put too fine a point on it, but Google deciding to take down an app which has over 39 million daily active users is sort of a big deal. The same morning, without specifically referring to any errant company, Google put out a blog saying, “We don’t allow online casinos or support any unregulated gambling apps that facilitate sports betting. This includes if an app leads consumers to an external website that allows them to participate in paid tournaments to win real money or cash prizes, it is a violation of our policies.”  Needless to say, all hell broke loose as news of Paytm’s removal spread. Paytm founder Vijay Shekhar Sharma blew hot and cold on social media and subsequently in television appearances, where he invoked Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s rallying cry for India to be self-sufficient, “Atmanirbhar Bharat”. Sharma accused Google of high-handedness, and exhorted anyone who’d care to listen in the tech startup ecosystem on the need to check the …