GlobalLogic eyes $2 billion run rate, 15% growth in FY24: MD Piyush Jha

GlobalLogic's MD Piyush Jha projects robust growth, leveraging AI for operational efficiency in FY24

Piyush Jha, managing director and head – India & APAC, GlobalLogic believes that the year 2023 was the year of recovery. The Hitachi Group company is close to $1.8 billion, and Jha is confident that the firm will hit a $2 billion run rate at the end of FY24. In an interview with Ashutosh Mishra, he talks about how artificial intelligence (AI) will impact the hiring numbers as the industry will try to do more with less, disrupting the headcount to revenue proportionality in the sector in the coming days.

How is the current business scenario for the company, specifically in India?

2023 was the year of recovery. At the start of the year, we did see some downturns like the whole industry has been facing, because some people were kind of pulling out and trying to do more with less, trying to maintain operational efficiency. We stood by all our customers, we also stood by all our employees. We didn't go ahead and fire people like the other companies.

As the year progressed, business started to recover. We're seeing a lot of new customers coming in, and a lot of customers want to build and stabilize and do more with us. Toward the end of the year, it has become a lot better. Overall, we should close the year with close to 14 per cent-15 per cent growth. It's been a year of recovery.

How is GlobalLogic leveraging AI?

GlobalLogic has placed a very firm foot forward in the domain of AI. Unlike a lot of players, we have been experimenting around with Generative AI concepts since 2021. We have been working with Generative AI or Open AI for the last 24 months.

Within the company, we are moving towards an AI-led firm in two or three different stages. In the first stage, we want all our engineers to be able to use AI, so they will be able to operate in a co-pilot setting and use AI. In stage two, we want a good 25 per cent-30 per cent of our engineers to be able to code AI. And in the third stage, we expect to reach a phase wherein we have an internal plus external team of AI coaches, architects, and consultants, who would be able to talk to customers and consult them on how to leverage AI better. By the end of the year, in India, we will have close to 13,000 engineers who will understand AI.

GlobalLogic recently acquired Mobiveil. What do you expect from this acquisition from an India point of view?

Our strategy for acquisition is to try and fill any white spaces or gaps in our tech spectrum. We used to do a lot of automotive and embedded work out of Ukraine or Central Eastern Europe. But in India, these practices were very small. We do have some auto and embedded expertise here, but those practices were small. Mobiveil brings in a lot of embedded 5G, Media depth and Katzion brings a lot of Salesforce and other experiences around what happens around the car. These two acquisitions will give us massive footprints in these two technology areas in which we want to do more in India.

GlobalLogic has had a presence in Ukraine. How has the current geopolitical scenario played for you?

We have fared well. We have not moved out of Ukraine, and we don't intend to move out of Ukraine. Of course, where it was possible and where it made sense, we have moved some people to other Central Eastern European countries. Moreover, where needed, we also have moved some bit of that work with expertise built out in India. But we do continue to have a very heavy presence in Ukraine. For the customers who keep operating out of there, we are comfortable operating.

Many fear that GenAI will displace people and we have already seen many laying off employees. What is GlobalLogic’s stand?

AI will enable us to do more with less. Numerous things will get automated, which will also mean that the headcount proportionality to revenue will get disrupted. Let’s say, if we are 15,000 people in India doing $500 million of work, that proportionality will not stay any longer. We will be able to do more with less.

Having said that, we will not be a company that lays off its employees. We will use our people to do AI work and we have always been the company that promotes internal talent. We will possibly hire less, do more with less, and do more customers’ work for the same number of people. But I don't think it will mean letting people go from GlobalLogic.