Before the courtroom: How Nadiem Makarim built Gojek from a small startup into a super app

SHAH ALAM - He once symbolised the promise of a new Indonesia, a young technocrat who could turn traffic-clogged chaos into a digital economy powerhouse with nothing more than a phone line and a few motorcycles.

Long before courtrooms and indictments, Nadiem Makarim built his reputation in a very different environment — Jakarta’s roads.

Born in Singapore in 1984, he studied in Jakarta before attending United World College of Southeast Asia, followed by Brown University in the United States (US), where he studied international relations.

He later earned a Master's in Business Administration (MBA) qualification from Harvard Business School.

After returning to Indonesia in 2006, he joined McKinsey & Company as a consultant before stepping into entrepreneurship.

He co-founded online fashion platform Zalora and later became chief innovation officer at payment firm Kartuku.

But in 2010, he began building what would define his career: Gojek.

The origin story: A phone line and 20 drivers

Gojek began not as a “super app”, but as a basic call centre connecting riders and passengers.

The idea emerged from Nadiem’s daily experience using motorcycle taxis or ‘ojek’ in Jakarta’s heavy traffic.

He noticed inefficiencies on both sides; drivers waiting for customers who never came and commuters struggling to find transport.

The early system was simple: customers called a dispatch number and operators matched them with nearby drivers.

There was no app, no algorithm, just coordination through a phone line and a small team working with around 20 drivers.

By 2012, Nadiem left other ventures to focus entirely on Gojek, which then had just 15 employees and 450 drivers.

The rise of a “super app”

The turning point came in 2015, when Gojek launched its mobile application. What began as ride-hailing quickly expanded into food delivery, logistics, payments and a wide ecosystem of services.

Growth accelerated rapidly.

In 2018, Gojek raised US$1.3 billion from investors including Alphabet, JD.com and Tencent, becoming Indonesia’s first unicorn.

By 2019, its valuation reached up to US$10 billion and it offered more than 20 services through its platform and GoPay digital wallet.

The company became a regional case study in digital disruption.

It appeared in Fortune’s “Top 50 Companies That Changed the World” twice, in 2017 (ranked 17th globally) and again in 2019.

Bloomberg also listed Nadiem among its 50 innovators in 2018, crediting Gojek with transforming everyday life in Indonesia at unprecedented speed.

From CEO to Cabinet Minister

In October 2019, Nadiem left Gojek after being appointed as Education Minister by then President Joko Widodo.

At the time, he became the youngest member of Indonesia’s Cabinet.

His departure marked a symbolic shift, from private-sector disruption to public-sector reform.

He introduced a digitalisation push in education and launched a national teacher training programme.

However, it is this same digitalisation agenda that now forms the basis of the corruption allegations against him.

Now, Nadiem sits at the centre of one of the country’s most closely watched corruption trials, facing a potential 18-year prison sentence.

On May 13, prosecutors in Jakarta’s Corruption Court read a 1,597-page indictment alleging corruption in a government laptop procurement programme tied to his time as Education Minister.

The case has sent shockwaves through Southeast Asia’s tech and political communities, not only because of the severity of the charges, but because of who is standing in the dock.

A $125 million allegation and an 18-year sentence request

Prosecutors alleged that Nadiem was involved in a procurement scheme during 2020–2022, particularly involving laptops used in schools that led to US$125.64 million in state losses.

They are seeking an 18-year prison sentence, alongside a one billion rupiah fine, asset seizures and the recovery of 809 billion rupiah in alleged programme-linked funds and 4.8 trillion rupiah in unexplained wealth.

At the Central Jakarta District Court, prosecutors stated that he had been “legally and convincingly proven guilty” of corruption linked to the procurement process.

They further alleged that tender specifications were structured in a way that effectively limited eligibility to systems using Google’s Chrome OS, concentrating control of Indonesia’s education digital ecosystem.

Prosecutors also claimed he pressured Google to invest in PT Aplikasi Karya Anak Bangsa, Gojek’s parent company, which later became part of GoTo Group.

If upheld, the proposed sentence would rank among the most severe handed down to a former Indonesian minister in recent years.

The prosecution’s case: Procurement and influence

The prosecution alleged that specifications were tailored to favour a specific operating system, effectively centralising control within a single technology ecosystem.

They also claim he used his position to influence corporate investment decisions involving Google and Gojek-linked entities.

Three former Google executives testified as defence witnesses via video link from Singapore, challenging parts of the prosecution’s narrative.

Meanwhile, several ministry officials connected to the procurement programme have already been convicted, with sentences of up to four and a half years.

The defence

Nadiem has denied all wrongdoings. His legal team argued that procurement decisions were made by technical officials and not directed by him personally.

His lawyers also maintain that he had divested from Gojek’s parent company upon entering government and that his personal wealth declined during his time in office.

It was reported that his lawyer, Ari Yusuf Amir, said his client was “disappointed with the sentence demand”, arguing that prosecutors had overlooked new evidence presented during trial proceedings.

Nadiem himself reportedly questioned the severity of the charges, asking: “Why is it heavier than a murderer?”

The court is expected to deliver a verdict in June.