The Indian-American CEOs are often misperceived as “owners” or “founders” by Indians. But can you blame them?
For many years, our friends in the media, the fourth pillar of society, have fixated on those clever Indians atop the tech trees worldwide. Names like Satya Nadella, Sundar Pichai, and Ajay Banga roll off the tongue as exemplars of our expat excellence. But before we plant their branches on our banners, perhaps a closer, more critical glimpse is in order.
Yes, these CEOs reached the highest peaks in their fields. But founders they were not, but faithful foresters producing crops not of their choosing. Their achievements, though tremendous, tell a small part of the story.
Their achievements remain achievements worth sharing but with context kept in focus.
It’s undeniable that Nadella and Pichai have climbed high in their fields, reaching careers most can only dream of. But as CEOs, their roles are more manager than master – implementing visions set by those who first leaped.
While Nadella now steers Microsoft’s ship, it was Gates and Allen who first set sail in ’75, long before Nadella took the helm four decades later. And though Pichai charts Google’s course, the founders who first charted its path were Page and Brin, who launched their venture years before Pichai came aboard.
As CEOs of companies founded by others, these leaders steer steady hands. But ultimate wayfinding credit lies with the pioneers who first picked destinations unknown. Their successes as CEOs are feats in themselves, though built upon foundations lain by those who gambled it all to go where none had gone before.
The Indian media holds these CEOs up as examples of the so-called “Indian dream” – immigrants who came to America with nothing and built global empires from scratch. But the reality is much more mundane. Rather than founding new companies, they have risen to leadership positions within pre-existing corporate structures. This is a notable achievement, but a far cry from the entrepreneurial risk-taking and wealth-creation of true founders. At best, they could be called stewards guiding established companies, not visionary owners directing their empires.
Also Read: Economic Growth, Wages, and Incomes in the High-Price Era
This distorted narrative also obscures important issues around representation and ownership within tech. While many Indian-Americans have gained prominent corporate roles, the industry remains overwhelmingly dominated by white founders and early employees holding the majority of shares and board seats. For example, Microsoft’s board currently has just one Asian American member out of eleven total. These companies were established and continue to be controlled by those who founded them decades ago, not by newer immigrant executives.
The focus on a select few prominent Indian-American CEOs gives the false impression that the tech industry leadership is becoming significantly more diverse. In reality, the ownership and power structures remain largely unchanged. These CEOs are more akin to well-compensated employees managing other people’s companies rather than self-made entrepreneurs building their own. While their careers should still be celebrated as examples of what immigrants can achieve, portraying them as founders obscures the lack of real diversity in ownership and decision-making roles.
This narrative also risks perpetuating the model minority myth. The unspoken implication is that if a few hard-working Indians can rise to the top of American companies, others must not be trying hard enough. It ignores the immense structural barriers that exist for all racial minorities in accessing capital, networks, and opportunities to establish new companies. For every Satya Nadella who climbed the corporate ladder, there are countless other talented immigrants whose entrepreneurial dreams remain unfulfilled due to a lack of privilege and access rather than a lack of merit or work ethic.
The Indian media and community’s obsession with a select few prominent CEOs also risks creating unrealistic expectations for the vast majority who will never attain such elite roles. While immigrants should aim high and celebrate success stories, the narrative around these CEOs ignores the mundane reality for most. The American dream is alive, but in the form of stable careers, not founding the next Google or Microsoft. For every Nadella profiled on the cover of Fortune, there are thousands of Indian-Americans earning respectable middle-class incomes as engineers, doctors, small business owners, and more – contributions that are no less valuable to society despite less glamour or fame.
Let’s Break This Myth of the Indian-American Teach Titan
While stories of success like Nadella and Pichai rightly inspire, overblown narratives risk obscuring fuller truths. Yes, their careers command respect – but portraying them as founders downplays diversity deficits.
It risks propagating myths of predetermined paths for all minorities. When the reality is capital and connections, not just talent alone, determine who reaches the highest peaks. A more honest dialogue is needed – one celebrating careers hard-won, with room too to acknowledge the barriers facing all who aim to establish brands new, from nothing but vision and gumption.
We must applaud triumphs like theirs, without forgetting systems that still slant in favor of some. The road to creation remains rockier for the many, not just the lucky few. Their stories inspire – but a fuller picture presents the truer challenge still ahead if all are to access the heights as freely as their gifts might allow.
