How a Quiet 'No' from Wipro Created the Infosys Empire
Rejection fueled creation of massive Indian IT giant Infosys
History often turns on small moments that seem insignificant at the time. For the Indian IT sector, that moment happened in the late 1970s inside a Wipro office in Bangalore. A young, sharp engineer named Narayana Murthy walked in looking for a job. He left without one.
That specific Narayana Murthy Wipro rejection is now legendary. At the time, Wipro was primarily known for vegetable oils and soaps, but its young chairman, Azim Premji, was looking to break into the computer market. Murthy, fresh from developing India’s first BASIC interpreter, seemed like the perfect fit on paper. However, the interview did not go his way. There was no drama, just a polite dismissal.
While Premji continued his search for talent, Murthy faced a crossroads. He had experienced failures with a previous venture called Softronics and was navigating a tough period in his career. While his wife, Sudha Murthy, was excelling in her engineering career and breaking gender barriers, Narayana was still searching for his foothold.
It was Sudha’s resilience that provided the spark. She handed him an envelope containing ₹10,000 from her personal savings and told him to start something new. That capital became the seed for Infosys. In 1981, seven partners gathered in a tiny Pune apartment to launch a company that had no furniture, no computers, and no clients—only a vision.
Building the company was a grueling process. The team faced financial crunches and skepticism from neighbors who thought they were running an illegal operation. Yet, over the next decade, Infosys transformed from a scrappy startup into a global powerhouse, eventually outpacing many competitors.
Decades later, the magnitude of that initial rejection came full circle. During an industry gathering, Azim Premji approached Murthy. With the grace of a seasoned leader, Premji admitted to a room full of people that not hiring Murthy was one of the biggest mistakes of his career.
If Wipro had said "yes" that day, Infosys would likely never have existed. Murthy would have been just another successful employee rather than the founder of an industry titan. This story serves as a powerful reminder for every professional: a closed door is often just a redirection toward a much bigger destiny.
Image Source: NDTV
