At a glance
N.R. Narayana Murthy, in four facts
Founded
Infosys, 1981, with ₹10,000 borrowed from his wife, Sudha Murthy.
Going Public
1993 India IPO, then 1999’s first India-registered NASDAQ listing.
Title
Often called the “father of the Indian IT industry.”
2023-25 Debate
Sparked controversy by calling for 70-to-72-hour work weeks.
On this page
Education and Early Career
1.1 What was Narayana Murthy’s education?
He was born on 20 August 1946, in Sidlaghatta, Karnataka. He earned a Bachelor’s degree in electrical engineering in 1967. He then earned a Master of Technology from IIT Kanpur, in 1969.
1.2 What did he do before founding Infosys?
He worked in Paris during the 1970s. He helped design an air-cargo operating system at Charles de Gaulle Airport. That early software work shaped his later career back in India.
Q1. True or False: Narayana Murthy earned his Master of Technology from IIT Kanpur, in 1969.
Founding Infosys, With ₹10,000
2.1 How did he found Infosys?
In 1981, he and six other engineers founded Infosys. His starting capital was just ₹10,000, borrowed from his wife, Sudha Murthy. He served as Infosys’s CEO from 1981 to 2002.
2.2 Who were the other six co-founders?
The other six co-founders were Nandan Nilekani, S. Gopalakrishnan, S.D. Shibulal, K. Dinesh, N.S. Raghavan, and Ashok Arora. Infosys had seven founders in total, not just Narayana Murthy and Nilekani.
Q2. True or False: Narayana Murthy founded Infosys alone, in 1981.
Going Public: the 1993 IPO and 1999 NASDAQ Listing
3.1 When did Infosys go public in India?
Infosys went public in India in 1993. Its shares listed at ₹95. Trading opened at ₹145.
3.2 What happened in 1999?
In March 1999, Infosys became the first India-registered company listed on an American stock exchange. It listed on NASDAQ, under the ticker INFY.
Q3. True or False: Infosys’s shares listed at ₹95 in its 1993 IPO, and opened trading at ₹145.
The Global Delivery Model and Corporate Firsts
4.1 What is the Global Delivery Model?
Narayana Murthy conceived and implemented the Global Delivery Model. This is the practice of splitting a project across teams in different countries. It became the backbone of India’s software-services industry.
4.2 What other firsts came with Infosys’s growth?
Infosys was an early adopter of employee stock options in Indian industry, alongside its 1993 IPO. In December 2012, Infosys moved its US share listing from NASDAQ to the New York Stock Exchange.
Q4. True or False: Infosys moved its US share listing from NASDAQ to the NYSE, in December 2012.
Return, Exit, and Honours
5.1 Why did he return to Infosys in 2013?
In 2013, he returned to Infosys as Executive Chairman, during a difficult period for the company. He stepped down in 2014, when Vishal Sikka became CEO. His return and exit highlighted a recurring tension in Indian corporate history. Founders sometimes step back in for professional managers, and friction can follow.
5.2 What honours has he received?
He received the Padma Shri in 2000. He received the Padma Vibhushan, India’s second-highest civilian award, in 2008. He is often described as the “father of the Indian IT industry.” That title reflects both Infosys’s own scale, and its influence on how the wider sector organised itself.
Q5. True or False: Narayana Murthy received the Padma Vibhushan, India’s second-highest civilian award, in 2008.
The 70-to-72-Hour Workweek Debate
6.1 What has he said since 2023?
Since 2023, Narayana Murthy has repeatedly called for young Indians to work much longer hours. He cites competition with faster-growing economies like China. He first proposed a 70-hour work week. He raised this to 72 hours in a 2025 interview, matching China’s “996” schedule.
6.2 How has Infosys itself responded?
Former Infosys CFO Mohandas Pai later said the remarks were aimed at entrepreneurs and startup founders, not ordinary salaried employees. Infosys has separately asked its own employees not to work beyond office hours. It has urged staff to stick to roughly a 9.15-hour day, five-day week.
Worth remembering: Narayana Murthy’s personal advocacy and Infosys’s own official policy point in opposite directions. This gap triggered a wider, still-ongoing Indian debate on work-life balance in the technology sector.
Q6. True or False: Infosys has urged its own employees to stick to roughly a 9.15-hour day, five-day week.
Traps Worth Knowing Before Your Exam
7.1 What milestone trap should you watch for?
Keep four dates distinct: 1981 founding, 1993 India IPO, 1999 NASDAQ listing, and 2012 move to the NYSE. No UPSC question has directly tested Narayana Murthy’s biography so far.
7.2 What name and capital traps should you watch for?
Infosys had seven founders in total. Don’t name only Narayana Murthy and Nandan Nilekani, the two most commonly recalled. The founding capital, ₹10,000, was borrowed from his wife Sudha Murthy, not raised from outside investors.
Quick Q&A
When and with how much capital did Narayana Murthy found Infosys?
In 1981, with ₹10,000 borrowed from his wife, Sudha Murthy.
Who were Infosys’s other six co-founders?
Nandan Nilekani, S. Gopalakrishnan, S.D. Shibulal, K. Dinesh, N.S. Raghavan, and Ashok Arora.
What made Infosys’s 1999 NASDAQ listing significant?
It became the first India-registered company listed on an American stock exchange.
What is the Global Delivery Model?
Splitting a project across teams in different countries; the backbone of India’s software-services industry.
What sparked the 2023-25 workweek debate?
His repeated calls for a 70-to-72-hour work week, which Infosys’s own policies contradict.
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