Infosys co-founder Kris Gopalakrishnan is now richer than Narayana Murthy
The Hurun India Rich List 2024 has revealed that Senapathy 'Kris' Gopalakrishnan, a co-founder and former CEO of Infosys, has surpassed fellow co-founder N Narayana Murthy in terms of wealth. According to the list, Gopalakrishnan's net worth stands at ₹38,500 crore while Murthy's is estimated at ₹36,600 crore. The two tech magnates hold the fourth and fifth positions among Bengaluru's richest individuals.
Gopalakrishnan's current ventures and philanthropic efforts
After his tenure as Infosys's CEO and MD from 2007 to 2011, Gopalakrishnan served as the company's Vice Chairman until 2014. He is currently the Chairman of start-up accelerator Axilor Ventures, which has invested in several startups including EnKash, GoodHome, and Kaagaz. Alongside his wife Sudha Gopalakrishnan, he established a philanthropic organization called Pratiksha Trust that focuses on brain research.
Gopalakrishnan's educational background and early career
Gopalakrishnan, who holds Master's degrees in physics and computer science from IIT-Madras, is one of the six original co-founders of Infosys. The company was established in 1981 by seven engineers, including Murthy, K Dinesh, Nandan Nilekani, NS Raghavan and SD Shibulal. Initially based in Pune before relocating to Bengaluru, Infosys has grown into a global IT services giant with a market capitalization of around $80 billion.
India's billionaire count reaches new high
The Hurun India Rich List 2024 also highlighted that India's total billionaire count has reached 334 individuals with a combined wealth of ₹159 lakh crore. The list recorded an increase of 220 ultra-wealthy individuals from last year, marking a new record with 272 new entrants. Interestingly, the trend of self-made billionaires is on the rise with as many as 65% or 1,008 individuals on the list being self-made.
