Gojek founder Nadiem allegedly received $49m in Chromebook case
- ByStartupStory | December 16, 2025
Gojek co-founder and former Indonesian education minister Nadiem Makarim is facing serious corruption charges linked to a multiyear Chromebook procurement programme for schools.
Prosecutors allege that, during his tenure at the education ministry, Nadiem abused his authority in the design and execution of large laptop and software tenders intended to support digital learning across Indonesia. The Chromebook project, worth several trillion rupiah in total, was meant to equip schools with affordable devices but is now alleged to have been marred by manipulation of technical specifications, steering of contracts toward preferred vendors, and disregard for research warning that the chosen devices were ill-suited for low-connectivity regions.
The state’s audit estimates losses in the order of tens of millions of dollars, and local reporting has suggested that individuals involved in the scheme may have personally benefited from tens of millions as part of illicit gains routed through mark-ups and related arrangements. These figures remain part of the prosecution’s case and have not yet been tested through a final court verdict.
Nadiem has denied wrongdoing, insisting that the digitalisation push, including Chromebooks, substantially improved access to learning technology nationwide and that procurement processes followed applicable rules. The case has become a major political and reputational test, both for Indonesia’s anti-corruption drive and for one of Southeast Asia’s most prominent tech founders-turned-ministers, and will hinge on the court’s assessment of whether procurement decisions crossed the line from policy discretion into criminal graft.
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