Shark Tank judge Namita Thapar to Sabeer Bhatia on 'India engineers gyaan': I lived in the US for 8 years and ...

Namita Thapar, Shark Tank India judge and executive director of Emcure Pharmaceuticals, has strongly criticised Hotmail co-founder Sabeer Bhatia for his recent comments on Indian engineers. Bhatia, during a podcast, claimed that 99% of Indian engineering graduates move into management roles and "start giving gyaan" instead of engaging in hands-on innovation. Thapar took to X to defend Indian engineers and address what she described as an unfair generalisation.
In her post, Thapar wrote, "I lived in the US for 8 years and met many Indians living there who loved bashing India. Dear government, please note that brain drain is a real concern and needs introspection. However, back to Mr. Bhatia… please note that it's easy to move to another country and give gyaan, but the real impact and challenge lies in staying in your own country and facilitating change!"

In the podcast, Bhatia highlighted what he sees as a lack of critical thinking and hands-on skills among Indian engineers. He argued that India's education system and work culture need a significant overhaul to foster innovation. Drawing comparisons with China, Bhatia pointed out that subsidised education and a focus on technical skills have enabled China to excel in innovation, while India lags behind.
Thapar's post has received mixed reactions. While some applauded her for defending Indian engineers and calling out the brain drain issue, others felt her response overlooked the broader challenges highlighted by Bhatia. “Quality isn't an issue...but our attitude towards innovation & innovators as society definitely is...it doesn't' come easy ..US/China too made coordinated effort 2 change. founders like u v set a gr8 foundation...invite u to speak to innovators in Pune for further real impact,” commented a user.
“True! Mr could have collaborated with infosys/wipro instead of selling hotmail to microsoft and things would have been different,” said another user.
“Criticism is healthy If we take it. someone criticising then needs introspection instead of bashing them,” commented another user.