September 23, 2025

A hot debate is back on the burner! Infosys, India’s IT giant, missed a massive chance in the global AI race. The drama? A showdown between Infosys co-founder N. R. Narayana Murthy and former CEO Vishal Sikka. It all started in 2015 when Sikka was pushing hard to make Infosys an AI-first company. He dreamed big and went for bold investments, including a whopping $1 billion bet on OpenAI, the AI startup founded by Silicon Valley stars like Elon Musk and Sam Altman. But hold on! Narayana Murthy was more cautious. He worried about company pay and culture, sticking to old-school rules. This clash ended with Sikka quitting in 2018, and Infosys pulling out of that promising OpenAI investment. Guess what? That $1 billion stake would be worth around $45 billion today! Meenal Goel, a CA founder, spilled the beans in a viral LinkedIn post. She said, "Back in 2018, Sikka was pushing aggressively to make Infosys an AI-first company, betting on automation and future technologies. Narayan Murthy, on the other hand, stuck to conservative governance and raised concerns about pay and culture. They once invested $1B into OpenAI, withdrew, and that same bet today would have been worth $45B." The split cost Infosys a leader’s spot in the AI revolution. While global tech giants raced ahead, Indian IT stayed comfy with traditional labour and cost advantages. Goel added, "The missed alignment cost Infosys the chance to lead a revolution, not just follow it." Adding spice to the story, Infosys just finished a share buyback worth Rs 13,560 crore at a juicy 25% premium. The company has a cash mountain of Rs 45,200 crore but chose to reward shareholders instead of betting big on bold new tech like AI. This move has raised eyebrows. Should Infosys focus on safe returns or take risks like it almost did with OpenAI? Vishal Sikka thinks AI is the game changer. He once said, “Our wish is that OpenAI will do unfettered research in the most important dimensions of AI, no matter how long it takes.” Looking back, investors and tech watchers ask: Did Infosys play it too safe? Will Indian IT firms break free from just cost-cutting and cash hoarding to lead in cutting-edge technology? The AI story is far from over, and Infosys’ what-if moment will be talked about for years to come.

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Tags: Infosys, Ai revolution, Openai investment, N r narayana murthy, Vishal sikka, Share buyback,