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While India may not win many Olympic events, if medals were awarded for C-suite appointments at big, global companies, it would be one of the world's top contenders.
With Hyderabad's Satya Nadella recently crowned one of the most powerful people in technology, a Wall Street Journal article Thursday said many people in China are wondering why so many more Indians than Chinese get top jobs in the U.S.
One of the main reasons China–which is great at squeezing Olympic gold out of its citizens—doesn't produce as many global CEOs, the article says, is basic income arbitrage. China's best and brightest have more opportunities at home and can get paid as much as they would make almost anywhere else.
No matter where movers and shakers are from, they need some financial incentive to move away from family, friends and favorite foods. Chinese director-level managers in technology companies on average already make around $130,000 a year, which is not far off the $160,000 they can make in the U.S.
In India, the director-level managers only make $35,000.
That's not to suggest that India's world beaters usually leave executive positions at home for big jobs abroad. Most of India's corporate gold medalists leave India after college and don't come back.
They get their degrees from Harvard, Wharton and even the University of Wisconsin and then climb their way up corporate ladders outside of India.
The list starts with Mr. Nadella, Indra Nooyi, CEO of PepsiCo Inc., Anshu Jain, Co-CEO of Deutsche Bank AG and Ajay Banga, CEO of MasterCard Inc. It continues through Shantanu Narayen, CEO of Adobe Systems, Nikesh Arora, chief business officer at Google Inc., Ajay Waghray, chief information officer of Verizon Enterprise Solutions, Ajit Jain at Berkshire Hathaway Inc., Harmit Singh at Levi Strauss & Co. and Padmasree Warrior at Cisco Systems Inc.
The list goes on and on and shows that India-born Indians are helping shape most international industries.
It's obviously more than just income arbitrage though. While the dysfunctional parts of the Indian economy do boost the brain drain, there are lots of other countries with low salaries and few opportunities that just don't provide as many international corporate leaders as India does.
English, of course, helps. Most of India's elite speak it from childhood and it's the language of choice for global companies.
Maybe being raised in a democracy, where individuals are encouraged to speak their minds, also gives India job seekers an edge in the cut-throat world of capitalism.
India's diversity is probably another unlikely weapon for the desi road warriors. In your average big university, office or even the better grade schools in India, Hindi is often people's third language. Growing up in such a diverse atmosphere helps make Indians more capable to move away from home and then feel comfortable and thrive wherever they land.
How Does India Export So Many More World-Class CEOs Than China? - India Real Time - WSJ
With Hyderabad's Satya Nadella recently crowned one of the most powerful people in technology, a Wall Street Journal article Thursday said many people in China are wondering why so many more Indians than Chinese get top jobs in the U.S.
One of the main reasons China–which is great at squeezing Olympic gold out of its citizens—doesn't produce as many global CEOs, the article says, is basic income arbitrage. China's best and brightest have more opportunities at home and can get paid as much as they would make almost anywhere else.
No matter where movers and shakers are from, they need some financial incentive to move away from family, friends and favorite foods. Chinese director-level managers in technology companies on average already make around $130,000 a year, which is not far off the $160,000 they can make in the U.S.
In India, the director-level managers only make $35,000.
That's not to suggest that India's world beaters usually leave executive positions at home for big jobs abroad. Most of India's corporate gold medalists leave India after college and don't come back.
They get their degrees from Harvard, Wharton and even the University of Wisconsin and then climb their way up corporate ladders outside of India.
The list starts with Mr. Nadella, Indra Nooyi, CEO of PepsiCo Inc., Anshu Jain, Co-CEO of Deutsche Bank AG and Ajay Banga, CEO of MasterCard Inc. It continues through Shantanu Narayen, CEO of Adobe Systems, Nikesh Arora, chief business officer at Google Inc., Ajay Waghray, chief information officer of Verizon Enterprise Solutions, Ajit Jain at Berkshire Hathaway Inc., Harmit Singh at Levi Strauss & Co. and Padmasree Warrior at Cisco Systems Inc.
The list goes on and on and shows that India-born Indians are helping shape most international industries.
It's obviously more than just income arbitrage though. While the dysfunctional parts of the Indian economy do boost the brain drain, there are lots of other countries with low salaries and few opportunities that just don't provide as many international corporate leaders as India does.
English, of course, helps. Most of India's elite speak it from childhood and it's the language of choice for global companies.
Maybe being raised in a democracy, where individuals are encouraged to speak their minds, also gives India job seekers an edge in the cut-throat world of capitalism.
India's diversity is probably another unlikely weapon for the desi road warriors. In your average big university, office or even the better grade schools in India, Hindi is often people's third language. Growing up in such a diverse atmosphere helps make Indians more capable to move away from home and then feel comfortable and thrive wherever they land.
How Does India Export So Many More World-Class CEOs Than China? - India Real Time - WSJ
