Narayana Murthy’s job application was turned down by Premji, led to the birth of Infosys. More details here.
Narayana Murthy's job application was turned down by Premji, led to the birth of Infosys. Learn to read more.
In India’s entrepreneurial history, NR Narayana Murthy, co-founder of Infosys, and Azim Premji, founder of Wipro, stand out as two of the most successful figures. Surprisingly, Murthy was once denied a job by Premji, a decision the Wipro founder later admitted to being one of his biggest mistakes.
Infosys might not have been Murthy’s initial foray into entrepreneurship, as he had earlier started Softronics, which unfortunately failed. Subsequently, he joined Patni Computer Systems in Pune. Had circumstances been different, there might have been no competition between Premji and Wipro.
Often hailed as the father of India’s IT sector, Murthy played a pivotal role in its development, founding Infosys in 1981 with six friends.
Born on August 20, 1946, in Karnataka, Murthy earned his bachelor’s in electrical engineering in 1967 and a master’s from the Indian Institute of Technology, Kanpur. His journey began as a research associate at IIM Ahmedabad, followed by groundbreaking work on India’s first time-sharing computer system at the Electronics Corporation of India Ltd.
Sudha Murti, Murthy’s wife, played a pivotal role by providing seed capital and urging him to focus on export markets.
While Sudha supported him financially, Murthy initially resisted her joining Infosys despite her engineering background. Murthy served as Infosys’ CEO for 21 years, from 1981 to 2002, later becoming chairman of the board (2002-2006) and chief mentor. He retired in 2011, returning briefly in an executive role during a challenging period.
Despite starting from scratch, Premji inherited a vegetable oil business at 21, diversifying it into an IT services and software solutions provider. In 2019, he passed the leadership to his son, Rishad.
Unlike Premji, Murthy did not pass on leadership to his son, showcasing differing views on family involvement in business. Infosys went public on February 8, 1995, while Wipro followed suit eight months later.
As of January 12, 2024, Infosys boasts a market capitalization of ₹6.65 lakh crore, while Wipro stands at ₹2.43 lakh crore. Their stories encapsulate the dynamic landscape of Indian entrepreneurship.
