How Missing an IIM Exam Led Nandan Nilekani to Co-Found Infosys: A Serendipitous Journey

Nandan Nilekani served as Infosys' CEO from March 2002 to April 2007.

New Delhi:

A missed exam sometimes leads to unexpected opportunities, as exemplified by Nandan Nilekani's journey. Missing his Indian Institute of Management (IIM) entrance exam became a pivotal moment that eventually led him to make a transformative impact on India's IT landscape.

During an interview with Groww, Nilekani revealed that after graduating from the Indian Institute of Technology Bombay (IIT Bombay), he had planned to take the IIM entrance exam. However, he simply didn't attend because he "was not feeling well" on the examination day.

Nilekani further admitted that he found himself without clear direction partly because he was "too lazy" to apply for standardized tests like the SAT or GMAT.

"I was not feeling well that day, so I didn't take the entrance exam. So, I had been too lazy to apply for SAT and this GMAT and all that. So I was actually at a loose end," the Infosys co-founder explained to Groww.

Nilekani then recounted how he discovered Patni Computer Systems, a small technology company in Mumbai that operated online computers—something quite rare at that time.

"I heard about this small company called Patni Computer Systems... what happened was in 77, IBM left India. So, there was sort of a vacuum here... So Patni was the agent for Digital Data General in India," he shared.

After joining the company at Nariman Point, Nilekani met his future partner and then-engineer NR Narayana Murthy. Upon successfully solving a challenge, he received a job offer.

This fortuitous meeting ultimately led to the establishment of Infosys in 1981. Nilekani acknowledged that the original concept came from Murthy, stating: "it was Murthy's vision. He always wanted to start a company. So, we joined him. So, we all worked for him. And so, we joined him and we started Infosys."

Under Nilekani's leadership, the company experienced rapid expansion, with one of its most accelerated growth phases occurring during his tenure as CEO. "And for a long time, we were growing, you know, up till the 90s, we were growing steadily," Nilekani noted.

He also highlighted the ambitious approach that became characteristic of Infosys: establishing "very large goals... get to 100 million, get to billion... whatever 10 billion."

Reflecting on his missed exam, Nilekani remarked, "A mistake I'm glad I made. Not going abroad, not joining IIM," acknowledging that it allowed him to pursue a path he might not have otherwise taken.

Nilekani served as Infosys' CEO from March 2002 to April 2007, succeeding Narayana Murthy and later being succeeded by Kris Gopalakrishnan. During this period, Infosys experienced one of its fastest growth phases, with company sales increasing approximately sixfold to around $3 billion.

Additionally, Nilekani held the position of Chairman of the Unique Identification Authority of India (UIDAI) from July 2009 to March 2014.