A chief technology officer has strongly countered Hotmail co-founder Sabeer Bhatia's remarks on IIT academia, questioning Bhatia's own contributions post-Hotmail and defending the progress of IITs and other Indian institutions. Responding to Bhatia's statement that "Stanford teaches what’s happening now, while much of IIT academia is stuck in the past," Ramesh Kumar, CTO at Eduquity, asked: "But, Mr Sabeer Bhatia, what did you do after Hotmail since 1998? Free knowledge from the internet is not useful to build another great company? Innovation did not happen in the last 27 years?"
'IITs, NITs, IIMs are doing good'
Kumar dismissed the notion that Indian institutions are falling behind, sressing that IITs, NITs, IIMs, and private universities are consistently producing high-quality research and innovation. He cited examples of breakthrough work by IIT professors and researchers, stating that Prof Thillai Rajan, a faculty member at IIT Madras, is the co-founder of YNOS Venture Engine, a startup ecosystem enabler.
"Rajnish Giri, Assistant Professor at IIT Mandi, has conducted pioneering research on the protein structure of the Zika virus, opening new doors for a potential cure. Dr P Gopinath’s team at IIT Roorkee has made significant headway in cancer drug research," he said, adding that IIT-Madras' Team Rise, led by Prof. Kamakoti Veezhinathan, developed India’s first indigenous microprocessor, ‘Shakti’.
Kumar argued that Indian researchers are quietly making strides in their fields rather than seeking attention online. "There are many more...only thing is that the professors are busy doing their work and not creating hype on social media! Let’s just recognize them and encourage them! No need to compare as everyone is doing what is good for their countries!"
Bhatia's comments, made in a LinkedIn post, suggested that grades alone do not drive innovation and that real learning happens outside classrooms. "I got into Apple on my grades, but built Hotmail by learning on the job. Today, free knowledge from the internet is the real teacher. Innovation comes from doing, not just studying," he wrote on X.
His remarks reignited a debate about whether IITs focus too much on rote learning instead of fostering innovation. Bhatia's comments also echoes Infosys co-founder Narayana Murthy's concerns. Murthy has repeatedly argued that coaching-driven admissions and rote learning have hurt IITs' global standing.
Speaking at the Infosys Prize 2022 Ceremony, Murthy said the need to close the gap between classroom education and real-world problem-solving. He has also pointed out that no Indian institution ranks in the world's top 250 universities, adding, “Even the vaccines we have produced are either based on foreign technology or research from the developed world.”
While IITs have produced world-class engineers, the debate continues on whether they are keeping pace with global innovation. Critics argue that India needs more research-driven universities, while some insist that the country’s institutions are excelling in their own way, with tangible results.