Indians’ global tech leadership reflects India’s soft power: Cisco

New Delhi: The growing presence of Indian-origin leaders at the helm of global technology companies should be seen as a “net positive” for India rather than a case of brain drain, Jeetu Patel, President and Chief Product Officer of Cisco, said.

Addressing concerns that India loses out when its top talent rises to leadership roles in the US and other advanced economies, Patel rejected the zero-sum framing of the debate. “I think of India as a net exporter of talent. I haven’t thought about this as a zero-sum equation,” he said in an interview.

Patel said Indian professionals succeed globally largely due to the cultural values instilled at home. “Indians that have been born and raised here and have actually had the benefit of the cultural values that have been instilled in us — of hard work and education and ethics — and then we go to different parts of the world and end up thriving there is a net positive for the world, but it’s also a net positive for India,” he said.

His remarks come amid growing discussions on India’s global talent footprint as several Indian-origin executives lead major US technology firms, reflecting the strength of the country’s talent pipeline.

On India’s technological competition with China, especially in areas such as artificial intelligence and advanced infrastructure, Patel acknowledged China’s strengths but cautioned against simplistic comparisons.

“I think China is a force. It’s very different running a democracy with 1.4 billion people compared to a command-and-control system,” he said, adding that China’s progress over recent years is “commendable.”