N. R. NARAYANA MURTHY

In 1981, Narayana Murthy and six colleagues co-founded Infosys in Pune with ₹10,000 — roughly $250 — borrowed from his wife Sudha Murthy. They wrote software for American companies from a rented office and moved to Bangalore two years later.

They spent 18 years building quietly and professionally before listing on NASDAQ in 1999, becoming one of the first Indian companies to go public in the US. The NASDAQ IPO minted six instant millionaires — all co-founders who had worked for below-market salaries because Murthy insisted equity was the reward, not salary.

Infosys now has $18 billion in annual revenue, 300,000+ employees, and operations in 50+ countries. His daughter Akshata Murty is married to UK Prime Minister Rishi Sunak.

Infosys — Co-founder, Chairman & CEO (1981–2002, returned 2013–2014). Catamaran Ventures — Founder (personal VC vehicle).

Board member across multiple Indian and global companies

Build slow, build right. Murthy's approach was financial discipline, transparent governance, and long-term customer relationships.

Infosys voluntarily adopted US GAAP accounting years before it was required — a trust signal to American clients that paid dividends for decades. He avoided shortcuts when Indian IT was still building credibility globally.

Infosys's NASDAQ listing in 1999 — making six co-founders millionaires on a single day, all people who had spent 18 years taking below-market salaries. The ultimate validation that building patiently and sharing equity genuinely works.

His 2013 return to Infosys as Executive Chairman — after he'd already retired — created tension. He brought his son Rohan back in a senior advisory role, which generated nepotism optics.

He stepped back within two years. The comeback tarnished an otherwise spotless succession story.

Pay people fairly in equity, not just salary. Build for the long term.

A company whose employees are proud of it, whose clients trust it completely, and whose country is proud of it — that is the goal. Everything else is downstream of that.

Married to Sudha Murthy, acclaimed author and philanthropist (now Baroness Murty in the UK). Son Rohan Murty.

Daughter Akshata Murty, married to UK PM Rishi Sunak.

Bachelor's in Electrical Engineering, National Institute of Engineering, Mysore. Master's in Technology, IIT Bombay.

As an Amazon Associate, Netfigo earns from qualifying purchases. Book links above may be affiliate links.