What Is Dhivya Sashidhar’s Story

In a case that straddles continents and reveals the darker side of Silicon Valley’s startup success, Dhivya Sashidhar—former Microsoft program manager and wife of billionaire tech founder Prasanna Sankar—has broken her silence. She alleges emotional and physical abuse, surveillance, and financial manipulation at the hands of her husband, the cofounder of Rippling, a workforce management platform valued at $13 billion.

While Sankar took to social media to portray himself as a wronged father, accusing Sashidhar of child abduction and infidelity, hundreds of pages of court records, personal emails, and interviews with The San Francisco Standard paint a different picture. The story that emerges is not merely a marital breakdown—it’s a harrowing account of a woman trapped in a high-control relationship, used as a pawn in international tax manoeuvring, and subjected to deeply invasive surveillance.

From Promising Futures to a Fractured Marriage

Dhivya Sashidhar met Prasanna Sankar in 2007 during university in Tiruchirappalli, India. Both were academically exceptional—Sashidhar the top-ranking student, and Sankar a programming prodigy. Their long-distance relationship stretched across continents as Sankar headed to Silicon Valley and Sashidhar to Cambridge on a prestigious scholarship.

Prasanna and Dhivya with ChatGPT’s Sam Altman

Despite early doubts—her father questioned Sankar’s maturity—the couple married in 2013 after Sankar made emotional appeals to her family. They relocated to the U.S., where Sankar’s startup Rippling would eventually transform him into a billionaire.

By contrast, Sashidhar’s professional life took a back seat. She gave birth to their son in 2016 and began to feel neglected, both emotionally and physically. Her court testimony reveals a marriage that became coercive and transactional. She alleged that Sankar pressured her into painful sex soon after childbirth, ignored her emotional needs, and repeatedly threatened to seek intimacy outside the marriage if she didn’t comply.

From Open Marriage to Voyeurism

In 2019, Sankar suggested an open marriage and admitted to contacting escorts. Though he later expressed regret in writing, it marked a clear deterioration in their relationship. He also confessed to installing hidden cameras in their home, including a bathroom used by their son. Sankar told the court the surveillance was meant to monitor Sashidhar’s fidelity and gather evidence for potential legal disputes.

The marriage continued to unravel as Sankar’s wealth grew. After stepping down from Rippling in 2020, he began relocating the family across countries—from California to Washington, then to Singapore—decisions which, Sashidhar claims, were motivated by tax avoidance.

Tax Havens and Forced Relocations

Sashidhar says she was frequently coerced into moves she didn’t want, including a relocation to Washington state aimed at dodging California taxes, and later to Singapore for similar financial motives. Each move distanced her further from a stable life and meaningful employment.

In Singapore, she lost her job at Microsoft and was dependent on a spousal visa. Sankar, meanwhile, was working on a crypto startup registered in the Cayman Islands. He allegedly made it clear that his wealth was his alone, despite previous assurances of shared marital assets.

Prasanna and Dhivya

Court documents reveal that Sankar had transferred Rippling shares to his brother’s name and moved assets to locations like American Samoa and Saint Kitts and Nevis. Sashidhar testified that he was determined to avoid the U.S. exit tax and protect his fortune from any potential divorce settlement.

Abuse, Escape, and Legal Battles

In August 2024, a confrontation turned physical. Sashidhar alleges Sankar punched her in the chest and had limited her access to bank accounts. She reported him to Singaporean authorities for abuse and voyeurism, citing the hidden cameras. Sankar soon fled to India and later Kazakhstan, taking their son’s U.S. passport with him.

Sashidhar secured an emergency passport and returned to the U.S. with their son, filing for a domestic violence restraining order in Washington state. But Sankar obtained a stop order from Singapore to prevent the boy’s removal—sparking a custody battle governed by the Hague Convention on international child abduction.

Although the U.S. judge acknowledged credible evidence of intimate partner violence, he ruled that the child’s habitual residence was Singapore, compelling his return.

A Billionaire’s Control and a Mother’s Fight

Since then, Sashidhar has received threats after Sankar posted her email and WhatsApp number in a viral thread on X (formerly Twitter), alleging infidelity and parental alienation. He even posted messages allegedly exchanged between Sashidhar and another man—messages she insists were fabricated.

Back in Singapore, Sankar was cited for voyeurism. But the couple had already moved again—to India. According to Sashidhar, this relocation was another tactic to shield his wealth, as Indian courts are less likely than those in the U.S. or Singapore to divide marital assets.

Sashidhar says her life has become a nightmare. What began as a promising partnership between two gifted minds turned into a tale of surveillance, coercion, and emotional terror.

What Lies Ahead

Now embroiled in international legal proceedings, Dhivya Sashidhar is fighting not just for custody of her son, but for her dignity, safety, and financial rights. Her story is more than a marital dispute—it is a troubling portrait of what happens when immense power, secrecy, and global wealth collide in a private relationship.

While Sankar paints himself as the betrayed party, court records and Sashidhar’s testimony raise urgent questions about abuse, surveillance, and the exploitation of legal systems across countries. As the courts deliberate, one thing remains clear: the truth is far more complicated than a social media thread.

Key Details:

– Dhivya Sashidhar, a Cambridge graduate and ex-Microsoft manager, accuses husband Prasanna Sankar, billionaire cofounder of Rippling, of abuse, coercion, and illegal surveillance.

– Sashidhar claims she was pressured into painful sex, unwanted open marriage, and multiple relocations for tax avoidance.

– Hidden cameras were allegedly placed by Sankar in their Singapore home, including a bathroom used by their child.

– Sankar accused Sashidhar of child abduction and infidelity on X, sharing personal contact details and private messages.

– The couple’s custody dispute invoked the Hague Convention, with a U.S. judge ruling that the child must return to Singapore.

– Authorities in Singapore cited Sankar for voyeurism. He has since moved to India.

– Sashidhar claims these relocations are strategic attempts to evade asset division laws in Singapore and the U.S.

– She is now battling for custody and financial recognition amid threats and public scrutiny.