Having found its first IT service and financial roots in the Y2K gold rush, even with the passage of a quarter of a century, we remain fixated on the IT services model. It would be rather accurate to say that the Y2K crisis played a significant role in the growth of the Indian IT industry. Indian IT companies with their large pool of skilled and cost effective programmers, well positioned to provide these services. So we are sufficiently clear about the genealogy of the Indian IT industry. Money and fame came their way, to the extent of the pioneers being treated as the billionaire brand ambassadors of IT.
Twenty five years later, with the Indian IT flagship companies, TCS, Infosys and Wipro, having a combined market capitalization of around $350 billion have stuck to their roots and history. Call center, back office, tech body shopping, managed services or IT enabled services, whatever you want to call them or a combination of these, have remained wedded to it. This became their DNA across generations. With cash registers ringing and billionaires being created, the thought process did not change. Funds and by everyone’s admission, talent and expertise were also available, still they did not spend a moment to think of going the product way.
The future being on the product mode, research and development and endless innovation had a clear cut tech trajectory, still they kept away from it, as companies and also as individuals, having made fortune out of this industry. All their personal investment went outside of IT research, innovation and product development. Now China has made a foundational AI model by name DeepSeek R1 and has forced the world to acknowledge it. The Government of India wants to make similar products, which is not possible with their current nature of focus, resources and lack of long term never say never die approach.
It was a moment of enlightenment and wisdom for a famed software industry, which barely makes software. Most of the grandiose supposedly policy announcements seem to be off hand in public appearances. In one of such appearances post DeepSeek Sputnik Moment, he spoke of a clear vision that in 12 months or so, our own foundational AI models would be in place. No one knows the roadmap, we have no history or demonstrated capability of making something audacious. Recently in a Digital Leadership Conclave, he has called out companies like TCS, Infosys and Wipro to make India a product driven nation. He has asked the companies to take the challenge of developing a specific mobile operating system. These tech and products will help place India among top 5 technology nations. Is it a clarion call to drum beating in futility?
IS THIS A PIPEDREAM OR A SINCERE ATTEMPT TO MAKE OUR IT SPUTNIK MOMENT HAPPEN?
Sanjay Sahay
Have a nice evening.