How a $250 startup became a global IT giant managing millions of lives
Founded in 1981 by seven engineers with a modest $250, Infosys evolved from a small consultancy into a multinational titan. Today, it manages payroll for 1.9 million NHS employees and operates the world's largest corporate university, yet its journey remains marked by complex legal challenges and high-stakes technical hurdles.
Infosys began in Pune in 1981, incorporated by seven founders including N. R. Narayana Murthy and Nandan Nilekani. After relocating to Bangalore in 1983, the company pivoted from early hardware experiments to offshore software development, a strategy that accelerated following India's 1991 economic liberalization. By 1999, it achieved a historic milestone as the first Indian company to list on the Nasdaq, signaling its transition into a global player. Today, it maintains a massive footprint with 139 development centers and over 317,000 employees worldwide.
The company's scale is exemplified by its Mysore campus, which houses the Infosys Global Education Centre. Established in 2002, this facility functions as the world's largest corporate university, capable of training 14,000 employees simultaneously. This infrastructure supports a diverse service portfolio ranging from cloud architecture and generative AI to large-scale government contracts, such as the 2025 agreement to overhaul the National Health Service's payroll system in the UK.
Despite its growth, Infosys has navigated significant controversy. The company faced scrutiny over visa practices, resulting in a $34 million settlement with US authorities in 2013 and an $800,000 settlement with California in 2019 regarding payroll tax avoidance. Furthermore, its high-profile government projects have frequently encountered technical instability, notably with India's GSTN and Income Tax portals. These incidents, alongside recent labor regulation fines in France and assessment malpractice issues, illustrate the friction between rapid digital transformation and the complexities of global regulatory compliance.
Source: Infosys
