Nadiem Makarim’s Journey: From a Simple Call Center to GoTo Achieving First Profit in 2026

Kuala Lumpur – The story of Nadiem Makarim and Gojek is one of Indonesia’s most inspiring startup success tales. Starting from a small call center with only 20 motorcycle taxi drivers in 2010, it has grown into GoTo Group, which finally recorded its first net profit in Q1 2026. This journey was filled with challenges, setbacks, adaptation, and relentless determination.

The Beginning: Frustration That Sparked a Big Idea (2010)

Nadiem Anwar Makarim, a graduate of Brown University and Harvard Business School, returned to Indonesia after working at McKinsey. He saw everyday problems in Jakarta: severe traffic congestion and a disorganized motorcycle taxi industry. Prices were unclear, it was difficult to hail a ride, and drivers struggled to find passengers.

On October 13, 2010, Nadiem founded Gojek together with Kevin Aluwi and Michaelangelo Moran. Initially, it was not a mobile app but a simple call center. Customers would call, and operators would connect them with motorcycle taxi drivers. It started with just 20 drivers and a few dozen orders per day.

Nadiem often said the idea came from his own “laziness” — he didn’t want to wait long in traffic. But behind that was a bigger vision: empowering millions of informal workers in the transportation sector.

Early Challenges: Skepticism, Regulation, and Competition

The first few years were extremely tough:

• Public distrust toward online motorcycle taxis.
• Government regulations that were not yet ready for app-based business models.
• Intense competition with Grab, which entered the market earlier.
• Operational problems: basic technology, frequent driver complaints, and tight cash flow.

In 2014–2015, Gojek officially launched its mobile application. GoRide (motorcycle taxi) and GoSend (courier) became the main services. These were followed by GoFood, GoPay, and dozens of other services. Nadiem and his team had to experiment rapidly, learn from data, and build a strong culture of experimentation.

Funding was crucial. Gojek successfully raised hundreds of millions of dollars from global investors such as Google, Tencent, JD.com, and KKR. In 2016, Gojek became Indonesia’s first unicorn (valuation over US$1 billion). By 2018–2019, its valuation reached approximately US$10 billion.

Peak and Transition: The GoTo Merger (2019–2022)

In October 2019, Nadiem left Gojek to become Indonesia’s Minister of Education, Culture, Research, and Technology under President Jokowi. Leadership of the company was continued by Kevin Aluwi and Andre Soelistyo.

2021 marked a major milestone: Gojek merged with Tokopedia to form GoTo Group. The goal was to create an integrated super app for Indonesia. However, after the merger, the company faced serious challenges:

• High burn rate.
• Fierce competition from Shopee, Grab, and others.
• Post-pandemic economic conditions.
• Pressure from investors to achieve profitability.

GoTo experienced a significant drop in valuation and carried out major efficiency measures (layoffs and cost cutting).

The Turning Point: Path to Profitability (2025–2026)

After years of losses, financial discipline finally paid off. In 2025, GoTo began showing strong improvement with positive Adjusted EBITDA and record performance.

The peak came in Q1 2026: GoTo recorded its first net profit in company history, amounting to Rp171 billion (some reports mentioned Rp257 billion). Revenue grew significantly, driven especially by fintech (GoPay) and on-demand services. Adjusted EBITDA jumped 131% year-on-year.

Patrick Walujo, CEO of GoTo, stated that this achievement was the result of years of transformation focused on financial discipline and product innovation.

Nadiem Makarim’s Legacy

Even though he stepped away from daily operations at Gojek in 2019, Nadiem’s vision remains the foundation of the company. He successfully transformed millions of motorcycle taxi drivers into business partners, created jobs, and democratized access to digital services across Indonesia.

Gojek’s journey offers valuable lessons:

• Start from real problems in society.
• Be brave in experimenting and adapting quickly.
• Maintain long-term focus even through prolonged loss-making periods.
• The importance of efficiency and strong unit economics in the final stage.

In 2026, GoTo is no longer just a story of high valuation — it has become a story of sustainable profitability. From a small call center to Indonesia’s largest technology company that is finally profitable — this is the remarkable journey of Nadiem Makarim and his team.

As Nadiem himself once said: “We must understand what we do not know.” And it is that struggle that brought Gojek to the top.