- By Shivangi Sharma
- Tue, 08 Apr 2025 03:54 PM (IST)
- Source:JND
Sabeer Bhatia, the co-founder of Hotmail, has sparked debate with his candid take on India’s engineering education and work ethic. In a recent podcast, Bhatia expressed concern that the vast majority of Indian engineering graduates veer into management roles rather than honing technical skills or building innovative products. “99% of Indians who graduate as engineers join management and start giving gyaan to everybody,” he stated bluntly.
His comments shine a light on a growing disconnect in India’s booming tech industry, where the focus often shifts to outsourcing and managerial positions rather than true innovation and technical depth.
Need for Creativity and Specialisation
Bhatia emphasised the need for Indian engineers to shift focus from theory and management to hands-on creation and critical thinking. “Focus on creativity,” he advised. He warned that India risks becoming a "cheap jack of all trades" if it continues without a clear area of specialisation. In contrast, he pointed to China, where engineers are not only valued but are encouraged to work in their trained professions.
“China values those who graduate as engineers and are willing to work as engineers,” Bhatia said. “Where is the work ethic... where are the people who work with their hands?”
Cultural Mindset and Misplaced Priorities
Bhatia criticised the cultural tendency to revere business figures who engage in outsourcing rather than actual software creation. “People value anybody who does work with their hands… and yet he's the software guru of India, the business guru of body shopping—not software,” he said, referring to the irony of idolising individuals who don’t promote original product development. He called for greater respect and recognition for those who write code, solve complex problems, and think critically—skills essential for true innovation.
Rethinking GDP And Valuing Real Work
In a sharp critique of India’s economic metrics, Bhatia questioned how GDP is calculated. He argued that the current system inflates figures based on monetary transactions rather than actual work or productivity. “Giving money is not work. Correct work is work,” he stated.
He proposed a radical change: tracking GDP based on hourly effort across professions. “Hours of effort lead to progress, not transactions,” Bhatia insisted. From manual laborers to doctors, he suggested implementing fixed hourly rates to better reflect real economic contribution.
