Nandan Nilekani

Early Life & Education

• Born in 1955 in Bangalore into a middle-class family.
• Father was a textile engineer; mother a homemaker.
• Studied at St. Joseph's Boys' High School, then Bishop Cotton Boys' School.
• Graduated from IIT Bombay in 1978 with a degree in Electrical Engineering.

The Infosys Story

• 1981: Co-founded Infosys with six other software engineers, starting with just $250 in borrowed capital.
• 1990s: Led the company through the Y2K boom, making it a global IT services leader.
• 2002-2007: Served as CEO, growing revenue from $500M to $4B.
• 2007: Stepped down as CEO, but remained as co-chairman.

The Aadhaar Leap

• 2009: Left Infosys to head the Unique Identification Authority of India (UIDAI).
• 2010-2016: Built Aadhaar, a 12-digit biometric ID for every resident.
• Challenge: Skepticism from privacy advocates and political opposition.
• Result: Over 1.3 billion Aadhaar numbers issued; saved $20B+ in subsidy leakages.

Political Foray

• 2014: Contested elections as a Congress candidate from Bangalore South, but lost.
• 2015-2018: Served as Chairman of UIDAI, then advisor to the government on digital infrastructure.

Current Work

• 2018-present: Focuses on digital public goods through EkStep Foundation and as advisor to governments worldwide.
• 2023: Published 'The Art of Bits and Bytes', advocating for open digital ecosystems.

Key Turning Points

• 2009: Choosing public service over corporate life — a risky move that redefined his legacy.
• 2016: Supreme Court upheld Aadhaar's constitutionality, validating his vision.

Emotional Beginning

• Starting Infosys in a small apartment, with no guarantee of success, but driven by the dream of building a world-class Indian company.

Emotional End Phase

• Seeing Aadhaar become the backbone of India's digital economy, enabling financial inclusion for millions who were previously invisible.