Narayana Murthy’s success story: From borrowing Rs 10,000 to building a Rs 17,000 cr empire

Narayana Murthy did not grow up with the most favourable circumstances but that didn’t hold him back from achieving phenomenal success. The first focus for Murthy was education. He received his master’s degree from IIT, Kanpur and post that he started working at IIM, Ahmedabad. However, soon after, Murthy decided to quit his 9-to5 job and embark on his entrepreneurial journey in the IT sector. It was a brave choice for him at the time but it worked out wonderfully well.

Here are 6 facts about Narayana Murthy and how he grew one of India’s largest IT company – Infosys

Narayana Murthy’s career and life before Infosys

In the early days of his career, Narayana Murthy started off as a Research Associate and then a Chief Systems Programmer at IIM, Ahmedabad. He worked closely on India’s first time-sharing computer system as well as designed a basic interpreter for Electronics Corporation of India Limited (ECIL). However, after a short stint, he moved to entrepreneurship with his first company – Softronics. Interestingly, this was also the time when he was dating his current wife Sudha. Meanwhile, her father was adamant on Murthy having a stable job and was against the wedding. Coming back, Softronics was an IT services firm for the domestic market. Unfortunately, the firm didn’t achieve any success and Murthy was forced to bring it to a close only after a year and a half of operations.

With a tanked business and a bid to marry the love of his life, Murthy occupied the position of General Manager at Patni Computer Systems in Pune. Subsequently, he married Sudha Murthy a year later, in 1978.

The key role Narayana Murthy’s wife, Sudha Murthy played in kickstarting Infosys

In 1981, after quitting his job and borrowing Rs 10,000 from his wife, Murthy started Infosys. In a span of only four years, the company grew into a tech giant and employed over 2 lakh people, while also making Bangalore the IT hub of India. Not only did Murthy taste sweet success with Infosys, he also created an array of jobs for IT graduates. Little did he know, that his company would go on to become India’s second-largest IT company of all time. The company’s annual earnings of Rs 21,539 Cr in the past year (according to Economic Times) are a key indicator of its dominance in the IT sector around the world.

How Narayana Murthy became the pioneer of the IT world

Apart from his towering contributions to the Indian economy through his company, Narayana Murthy also made significant benefactions to the IT world. The Global Delivery Model, which was designed and implemented by him, is now popular in IT companies around the globe and a familiar chapter in business schools as well. Now, everyday terms in the IT world – like off-shoring, near-shoring and no-shoring – were also coined by him. Soon, Murthy was recognised as the “father of the IT world” – the honour was first given to him by Time magazine and then quickly picked up by everyone else.

Narayana Murthy’s professional contributions

Apart from Infosys, Murthy occupied various other roles in his career. He was the independent director of the corporate board at HSBC and the chairman of the governing board of Public Health Foundation of India. He has also been on the advisory boards and councils of Cornell University, Ford Foundation, The UN Foundation, and the Asian Institute of Management among others. Additionally, he has also served as the director at DBS Bank, ICICI, Unilever and NDTV in the past.

Narayana Murthy’s return to Infosys

In 2011, Narayana Murthy gave up his position of the chairman at Infosys after serving for 30 years. However, he returned after two years, in 2013 as the executive chairman and handed over management to Dr. Vishal Sikka. In 2014, Murthy retired from his role of executive chairman and now acts as the chairman emeritus.

The Infosys foundation

It’s easy to get blown away by the power of money, especially when you have a mammoth net worth of Rs 17,084 Cr. However, the modest and humble Narayana Murthy always believed in uplifting others along the way. And, when it comes to matters of philanthropy, the Infosys Foundation – the philanthropic arm of Infosys – excels in similarity to their business growth. His wife Sudha Murthy has also occupied the role of the chairperson at this philanthropic venture.

For his supreme efforts in the IT sector and priceless contributions to India’s economic growth, Narayana Murthy has been awarded the Padma Shri Award (2000) and the Padma Vibhushan Award (2008).