In a recent speech at the Indian Institute of Technology, Delhi, Bill Gates, co-founder of Microsoft, remembered how a small group of 15 Indian engineers changed the company’s direction forever. He called the move “phenomenal” and a turning point—not just for Microsoft, but for both India and the United States. gatesfoundation.org+2The Economic Times+2
It happened in the 1980s. Microsoft was still young—just a few hundred people—and hunting for outstanding technical talent. Gates recounts that after being advised by one of his senior colleagues, he hired about 15 graduates from the Indian Institutes of Technology (IITs) to strengthen Microsoft’s engineering capabilities.
At the time, this decision drew criticism from both Indian and American media. In India, it was viewed by some as a “brain drain.” In the U.S., questions were raised about foreign engineering talent taking jobs, or about loyalty and innovation. Gates said people called it “terrible” from both sides. gatesfoundation.org+1
But looking back more than 25 years later, Gates says the decision paid off richly. The IIT alumni contributed deep engineering skills, helped build Microsoft’s technical foundation, and many of them later became leaders both within Microsoft and in tech more broadly. Their work, he said, laid essential groundwork for future innovations.
One name Gates especially highlighted was Satya Nadella, who came from India and eventually became Microsoft’s CEO. Gates called him among the “very high percentage” of people at Microsoft who came from India.
The speech, delivered in February 2024 during IIT-Delhi’s Innovation Forum, has recently gone viral. It has stirred up discussions in the U.S. about immigration policies, especially over H-1B visas, in light of increased visa fees and tighter restrictions. Many see Gates’s reflection as an argument for more openness and recognition of how global talent boosts innovation. The Economic Times+3The Economic Times+3The Times of India+3
Gates also noted that Microsoft’s presence in India has grown massively since those early hires. What began with a few IIT graduates has become more than 25,000 employees in India working in Microsoft’s studios and development centers.
The wider lesson Gates draws is simple: recruiting skilled people regardless of where they are from can yield tremendous benefits. What might once have been controversial or criticized can later prove to be visionary. Gates said that for Microsoft, India, and the U.S., that early decision was one of those moments. gatesfoundation.org+1
