Jakarta –

Who is the CEO of Alphabet, Google's parent company? Sundar Pichai who is a person India. The CEO of Microsoft is also an Indian, Satya Nadella. Much more technology company giants commanded by Indians. What's the secret ?

Indians make up only about 1% of the U.S. population and 6% of Silicon Valley's workforce, but many of them hold top positions. One reason is that they experienced hardship growing up in India and are therefore capable of fighting.

“No other country trains as many people as gladiators like India. From birth to death, from school to job search, from lack of infrastructure and inadequate capabilities, growing up in India the prepares them to become natural managers,” said R. Gopalakhrisnan, former director of Tata Sons and author of The Made in India Manager.

Competition and chaos force them to adapt to solve problems. They also tend to prioritize professionalism.

Indian CEOs in Silicon Valley are also part of the Indian population in the United States, which is among the most successful and educated. About a million of them are scientists and engineers.

They have also been filtered, for example coming from high and wealthy castes, who can afford to study in the United States. Additionally, the US visa system also selects incoming immigrants, particularly from India, who have specific skills, particularly in technology.

“They are the ones who get elected and join companies where the best will grow. The networks they build in Silicon Valley also bring benefits, they will help each other,” added Gopalakhrisnan.

Indian employees generally work their way up from the bottom and remain humble, even if they later become CEOs. Satya Nadella and Sundar Pichai are known to be calm and cautious characters.

“This quiet, non-tough leadership is a big advantage,” Saritha Rai of Bloomberg News was quoted as saying. detikINET from the BBC.

There are still other factors, for example people India can speak English well. Education in India then gives priority to mathematics and science. A combination of these means that many Indians end up taking important positions in large technology companies.

Watch the video “Stuck for 6 days in an overturned truck, a van driver in the United States survives!“

(fyk/afr)