Letters: Let go of control

Just when the Tata Group issue was cooling down, another unnecessary imbroglio has emerged, this time at the iconic Infosys. Parallels can be drawn between the two cases.
 
This fact is undeniable that the Infosys founders have done yeomen service to the country and the shareholders by setting up the software behemoth and by bringing India to the global high table of value-added services. Yet, don’t these great people realise that there comes a time when even the greatest must step back and allow those chosen by them to function in a manner they consider best? Why must the founders, who have voluntarily given up executive positions in the company, continue to look over the shoulders of the incumbents and find faults with them, where none exists?
 
That Infosys has performed well under the present team should be a matter of delight to the founders, not something for them to quibble about and resume the chatter of another change — unwarranted — at the top.
 
The founders gave Vishal Sikka (pictured) five years to steer the company out of the morass; he has not even completed three yet. He has conducted himself well, Infosys’ shareholder value has increased under his stewardship, and he has a clear vision of where he wants to take the company in the next few years. He is globally respected by peers and enjoys the confidence of major investors — unlike in the Tata saga.
 
The founders should retreat from Infosys; they should have so much more to do — and arguably they would be great at that, too. They should let the present dispensation have a free and unshackled hand to take the company to greater glory. They won’t regret this move.

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