- Nandan Nilekani reflects on his chance meeting with Narayana Murthy in 1978 at Patni Computers, which led to a lifelong partnership.
- Nilekani shares how Murthy’s ambition and leadership inspired him, even to the point of saying he would “jump off a cliff” if Murthy asked.
- This meeting led Nilekani to a pivotal role as one of the co-founders of Infosys.
In 1978, Nandan Nilekani met Narayana Murthy at Patni Computer Systems, which would change the course of his career. Fresh from IIT Bombay, Nilekani was exploring opportunities after missing his graduate school exams. It was here that he met Murthy, who exuded ambition and set big goals. Nilekani recalled, “If Murthy asked me to jump off a cliff, I would have done it.” His admiration for Murthy led to a job offer after Nilekani solved a few tricky questions.
This partnership grew over time, and Nilekani later became one of the six co-founders of Infosys, a company that transformed the Indian IT landscape. Reflecting on the journey, Nilekani also noted his earlier choice of IIT Bombay over IIT Madras, a decision he called “a small act of rebellion” that set him on the path to success.
