Hotmail co-founder Sabeer Bhatia's 'Gyaan': The problem with 99% engineers in India is …

Sabeer Bhatia , co-founder of Hotmail , has criticized India's engineering ecosystem for fostering management-oriented graduates rather than builders and innovators, claiming that most engineers lack practical skills needed for technological advancement. "99% of Indian who graduate as engineers join management and start giving gyaan to everybody. Where is the work ethic, where they really work with their hands and really go and build some stuff?" Bhatia said during a podcast with YouTuber Singh in USA.

Bhatia pointed out a fundamental issue in how India's business culture celebrates outsourcing rather than original creation. "Here, people value anybody who does work with their hands... and yet he's the software guru of India, he's the business guru of dealing in, you know, who does body shopping—not software," Bhatia remarked.

Shark Tank India judge Namita Thapar responds to Bhatia’s comments

Latest news “Sabeer Bhatia giving gyan on quality of Indian engineers” … I lived in the US for 8 years & met many Indians living there who loved bashing India… dear government, please note that brain drain is a real concern & needs introspection… however, back to Mr Bhatia……

— Namita (@namitathapar) April 9, 2025

Shark Tank India judge Namita Thapar offered a measured response to Bhatia's comments. "While there's truth in what Sabeer says about our education system needing reform, I've seen remarkable innovation from engineers in our startup ecosystem," noted Thapar, adding that "the issue isn't just with engineers but with the entire support system for innovation in India."

Sabeer Bhatia says Indians need to start doing work with their owen hand
According to Bhatia, India needs a complete overhaul of its attitude toward technical skills and education. "Till we change our work ethic and we actually start doing work with our own hands and start respecting people who write software, who write code, who do things, or who think about these problems in a critical way… we've got to change the education system," he emphasized.

Drawing comparisons with China, Bhatia noted the difference in educational accessibility. "China educates everybody. It's like subsidised education, subsidised cars." In contrast, he believes "education today is the prerogative of rich" in India.

Bhatia also criticized the curriculum at India's premier technical institutions. " Stanford teaches what's happening now, much of IIT academia is stuck in the past," he stated, adding that "free knowledge from internet is the real teacher." He shared his personal experience: "I got into Apple on my grades, but built Hotmail by learning on the job. Innovation comes from doing, not just studying."