Opinion | Azim Premji’s retirement an end of era for Indian IT industry

Today, Wipro announced that Azim Hashim Premji will retire as executive chairman from the company and his son Rishad will take over that role. It is truly an end of an era not only for Wipro but for the whole Indian IT industry.

Coming from a middle-class family and converting a vegetable oil company into an IT behemoth is an extraordinary effort reserved for a few talented and gifted individuals. Premji achieved that feat with lots of grace and dignity. Many will remember him for creating a great IT company from scratch to a $25-billion behemoth (in market cap). But, to me, he will be more remembered for his philanthropic contributions and sharing of wealth. By transferring more than ₹50,000 crore to philanthropic activities, he set a huge benchmark for future generations to follow.