N. R. Narayana Murthy

Lore & Background

N. R. Narayana Murthy was born and raised in Sidlaghatta, Karnataka, into a Kannada-speaking middle-class Deshastha Madhva Brahmin family. He earned a bachelor's degree in electrical engineering from the National Institute of Engineering in 1967 and a master's degree from the Indian Institute of Technology Kanpur in 1969. He first worked as a chief systems programmer at the Indian Institute of Management Ahmedabad, then briefly in Paris, and later returned to India to design a BASIC interpreter for Electronics Corporation of India Limited. After a brief failed venture called Softronics, he joined Patni Computer Systems in Pune.

In 1981, Murthy co-founded Infosys with six software professionals, using an initial capital of Rs 10,000 provided by his wife Sudha Murty. He served as CEO from 1981 to 2002, then as chairman and chief mentor from 2002 to 2011, and later as chairman emeritus. In June 2013, he returned as executive chairman for five years. Murthy has been listed among the 12 greatest entrepreneurs of our time by Fortune magazine and has co-chaired the World Economic Forum in Davos in 2005. He has received the Padma Vibhushan and Padma Shri awards.

Reader's Guide

N. R. Narayana Murthy's significance lies in his foundational role in building India's IT outsourcing industry. By articulating and implementing a global delivery model at Infosys, he demonstrated that high-quality software services could be delivered remotely from India, transforming the country into a major hub for global technology services. His leadership at Infosys from its founding in 1981 through his tenure as CEO and chairman established the company as a benchmark for corporate governance and ethical business practices in India. Beyond business, Murthy has served on the boards of major global corporations such as HSBC, Unilever, and ICICI, and on advisory councils for institutions including Cornell University, INSEAD, and the Ford Foundation. His later public comments on working hours—advocating for 70-hour weeks and the 996 system—sparked widespread debate in India, though he framed them as personal choices rather than mandates. His legacy is also marked by his family's political connection: his daughter Akshata is married to Rishi Sunak, former Prime Minister of the United Kingdom.

Did You Know?

• Murthy was arrested and expelled during the communist era in 1974 at a border town near the Yugoslav-Bulgarian border, an experience he said turned him into a 'compassionate capitalist'.
• He co-chaired the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, in 2005.
• Murthy's initial capital for Infosys of Rs 10,000 was provided by his wife Sudha Murty.
• He is the father-in-law of Rishi Sunak, who served as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from 2022 to 2024.