When Bill Gates Credits 15 Indian Engineers — A Quiet Triumph and a Loud Reminder
I watched the short viral clip of Bill Gates naming and thanking “15 Indian engineers” and felt two instincts at once: a swell of pride, and an immediate, irritated realism. The pride is obvious — when a founder of Microsoft publicly acknowledges the role of engineers from India, it’s recognition that travels beyond applause. The realism comes from knowing how messy our domestic systems are at producing and nurturing that talent.
The video and writeups about it caught attention in the middle of debates over H‑1B policy, immigration, and where talent should live and work. The Times of India covered the moment and the broader conversation, noting how the clip went viral during an ongoing H‑1B visa fee debate and discussion about global tech talent flows Microsoft co‑founder Bill Gates credits 15 Indian engineers for Microsoft’s rise.
I’m proud, and I’m impatient. Proud because this is validation for millions of Indian engineers who have, quietly and relentlessly, been the backbone of global software. Impatient because that recognition often arrives only after the talent has left — or has been celebrated abroad while we tolerate structural rot at home.
Two truths that sit side‑by‑side
Truth one: Indian engineers build world‑class systems. The Gates moment is not mere symbolism. It’s an empirical truth — teams in India have shipped transformative work for decades.
Truth two: India’s education and training ecosystem is riddled with contradictions. We have shining success stories and, simultaneously, thousands of unapproved institutions, poor teaching methods, misleading coaching adverts, and exam‑malpractice headaches that I have often written about (and that weaken the pipeline) Fake education for fake jobs • The sorry state of Indian education • Central guidelines on misleading coaching adverts.
Those two truths aren’t contradictory — they are complementary. Despite systemic failures, individual grit, self‑learning, and sometimes sheer necessity have produced extraordinary engineers. But why should the production of world‑class talent depend so heavily on those frictions and accidents?
What this recognition should make us do differently
I don’t mean to belabor the obvious. But a short list helps clarify where my impatience points:
Invest in the teacher, not just the test. We obsess about seats, degrees, and coaching centers. We ignore classroom quality and teacher training. I wrote about these deficits years ago; seeing our engineers celebrated internationally makes me return to those old arguments with renewed urgency The sorry state of Indian education.
Clean the pipeline. Fake universities, misleading coaching ads, and exam malpractices eat into trust and waste real potential. When I warned about fake institutions and manipulative coaching, it was because these are not abstract problems — they distort incentives for students and employers alike Fake education for fake jobs • Misleading Advertisement by Coaching Classes.
Build better domestic anchors. Celebrate engineers who remain in India by building research labs, startup ecosystems, and career paths that make staying competitive with opportunities abroad.
Treat diaspora recognition as a mirror, not a trophy. When a global leader names our engineers, we should ask: what weak links still exist in our schools, colleges, and institutions that allow that talent to shine only after leaving?
A note about prediction — and why it matters to me
Years ago I wrote about many of the structural issues that still show up in conversations about talent and migration. The core idea I want to underline now is this — take a moment to notice that I had brought up these problems and suggested interventions long before this viral clip. I had predicted the tension between the global recognition of individual talent and the domestic failures in education and training, and I even proposed fixes at the time. Seeing the Gates moment now feels validating, but more importantly it lends urgency to the earlier prescriptions. Those ideas were not nostalgic footnotes; they are still practical and needed.
Final thought — pride with purpose
I celebrate the engineers Bill Gates named. I also want that celebration to ripple back into the institutions that produce the next generation. Recognition abroad is a wonderful moment. Let it become a wake‑up call at home — to raise the quality of teaching, to clean the pipeline, and to create ecosystems that reward people for building great things inside India, not only after they are noticed elsewhere.
Regards,
Hemen Parekh
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