India’s technology story is at a crossroads — from America’s visa games and rising protectionism, to India’s own challenges with innovation, policy, and capital. In this hard-hitting conversation, veteran investor and public intellectual Mohandas Pai joins us to decode what it all means for India’s future.
Pai explains why America’s tech dominance rests on Indian talent, why shutting doors will only hurt the US, and how India must shift from being the world’s “IT back office” to building deep-tech companies at scale. We discuss the brain drain myth, the real capital bottlenecks, and why India’s policies often stifle rather than support entrepreneurs.
Along the way, he pulls no punches — calling out “cyber coolie” stereotypes, broken tax and justice systems, and the culture of harassment that keeps India from unleashing its true potential. Yet, he remains optimistic: confident that with the right reforms, India can dream big and reach a $10 trillion economy by 2035.
This episode is a no-holds-barred dive into India’s place in the global tech order, and the choices that will decide whether we remain a service hub or become an innovation powerhouse.
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Chapters
00:00 – Intro & Hook: America’s Tech Runs on India
01:01 – The H-1B Visa Debate: Myth vs Reality
04:20 – Indian Talent Powering US Companies
07:45 – Why “Make America Great Again” Could Backfire
10:15 – Will Indians Really Return? The Brain Drain Myth
14:00 – From “Cyber Coolies” to Global Tech Leaders
18:10 – The Tech Waves: IBM, Microsoft, Google… Now AI
24:00 – India’s Capital Problem: Subsidies vs Innovation
28:30 – Public vs Private Sector: Who Holds India Back?
32:00 – Policy Bottlenecks: RBI, Taxes & Broken Justice
37:45 – Fixing Procurement, Payments & MSME Growth
45:00 – Politics, Corruption & Civic Failures
50:40 – Closing Thoughts: Optimism & India’s $10T Dream
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