Sabeer Bhatia, cofounder of Hotmail, has sharply criticized India’s education and work culture. Speaking on the NNP podcast, Bhatia said the country is creating “an army of useless kids” instead of original thinkers. He believes the current system discourages creativity and rewards obedience.
Bhatia pointed out that India focuses too much on ranks, marks, and job titles. According to him, the country has stopped asking a basic but important question—are students actually learning?
He blames a system that favors conformity over curiosity. “We live in a conformist society. People are told to listen and follow. But why take a path already taken?” he asked. Bhatia believes this mindset produces people who follow orders, not those who innovate.
He compared the Indian education system with that of the West. His own children in the United States write their own stories, even if they make spelling mistakes. “Teachers don’t correct spelling because it doesn’t matter. What matters is the thought,” he explained.
In contrast, Bhatia said Indian schools punish mistakes instead of encouraging independent thinking. Students are taught to score marks, not to learn. This, he believes, leads to a narrow mindset that shapes careers early on.
Many students become engineers or doctors not out of interest but because society considers those jobs safe or respectable. “You can’t ignore the arts, sports, and culture and expect a balanced society,” Bhatia said.
Even when young people in India try to start businesses, they face challenges created by the system itself. “You are never asked to write a paper. You are asked to memorise 13 chapters and repeat them. That is not education,” he said.
Bhatia argued that true innovation needs critical thinkers—people who build things, try new ideas, and are not afraid to fail. But he said India’s culture punishes failure too harshly. “Even I have been asked, ‘What have you done since Hotmail?’ as if one failure erases everything.”
He believes India must stop equating obedience with intelligence. Until then, the country will continue to lose potential by training people to follow, not lead.
