In thisIndian name, the nameNagavara Ramarao is apatronymic, and the person should be referred to by thegiven name,Narayana Murthy.
Nagavara Ramarao Narayana Murthy (born 20 August 1946) is an Indian billionaire businessman. He is the founder ofInfosys,[6] and was the chairman, chief executive officer (CEO), president, and chief mentor[7] of the company before retiring and becoming chairman emeritus.[8][9][10] As of January 2025, his net worth was estimated at US$5.0 billion, according toForbes.[11]
Murthy was born and raised inShidlaghatta,Karnataka. He first worked at theIndian Institute of Management Ahmedabad, as chief systems programmer, andPatni Computer Systems inPune,Maharashtra. He founded Infosys in 1981 and was the CEO from 1981 to 2002, as well as the chairman from 2002 to 2011. In 2011, he stepped down from the board and became the chairman emeritus. In June 2013, Murthy was appointed as the executive chairman for a period of five years.[12][13]
Murthy has been listed among the 12 greatest entrepreneurs of our time byFortune magazine.[14] He has been described as the "father of the Indian IT sector" byTime magazine andCNBC for his contribution to outsourcing in India.[15][16] In 2005, he co-chaired theWorld Economic Forum inDavos, Switzerland.[17] Murthy has been honoured with thePadma Vibhushan[18] andPadma Shri awards.[19]
Murthy mentions that being arrested and expelled for no good reason during the communist era 1974 in a border town near theYugoslav-Bulgarian border, turned him into a "compassionate capitalist" from a "confusedleftist/communist". In 1981 he, with six software professionals, foundedInfosys[28][29][30] with an initial capital investment of Rs 10,000, which was provided by his wifeSudha Murty.[31] Murthy was the CEO of Infosys for 21 years from 1981 to 2002[29] and was succeeded by co-founderNandan Nilekani.[31] At Infosys he articulated, designed and implemented a global delivery model for IT services outsourcing from India.[32] He was the chairman of the board from 2002 to 2006, after which he also became the chief mentor.[31][33] In August 2011, he retired from the company, taking the title chairman emeritus.[9][10]
In June 2013, Murthy returned to Infosys as executive chairman and a director.[38] In June 2014, he stood down as executive chairman, was non-executive chairman until October, when he became chairman emeritus.[39]
Murthy is also on the strategic board which advises the national law firm,Cyril Amarchand Mangaldas, on strategic, policy and governance issues.[40] He is a member ofIESE's International Advisory Board (IAB).[41]
In 2010, Murthy has made an investment in SKS Microfinance along with venture capitalist Vinod Khosla.[42]
In 2016, Murthy participated in FXC as a Board Member.[42]
In 2017, Murthy raised concerns over alleged corporate governance lapses at Infosys, however the company went on to deny these claims.[43]
In late 2023, a comment by Murthy suggesting that young people should work 70 hours a week to boost national productivity sparked a widespread public debate in India.[44] A year later, in November 2024, he addressed the controversy, clarifying that the remark was a matter for "personal introspection" and not a mandate. He stated that while he worked more than 70 hours a week for over 40 years, it was a personal choice, adding, "Nobody can say you should do it."[44][45] A year later, he advocated for the996 working hour system (9:00am to 9:00pm, six days a week) in India, alleging this contributed to China's rapid growth. These comments received widespread backlash given the detrimental effects on physical and mental health the 996 system is known to have, the fact that it was outlawed by theChinese Supreme Court in 2021, and such overwork does not provide compensation.[46]
Narayana Murthy, N. R. (2009).A better India, a better world. New Delhi, India: Penguin Books India : Allen Lane.ISBN978-0-670-08283-4.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: publisher location (link)
Murthy, Narayana (2016).The Wit and Wisdom of Narayana Murthy. Erscheinungsort nicht ermittelbar: Hay House.ISBN978-93-85827-02-0.
Mitra, Meera (2007).It's only business!: India's corporate social responsiveness in a globalized world; with a foreword by N. R. Narayana Murthy. New Delhi: Oxford University Press.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: publisher location (link)
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