India may be exporting tech talent to the world—but according to FinFloww co-founder Aryan Kochhar, what it’s really exporting is something far more ingrained: obedience.
In a post on LinkedIn, Kochhar challenges India’s glorified global success story and calls out a cultural code that may be holding back the next generation of disruptors.
“India’s biggest export isn’t tech talent. It’s obedience,” Kochhar writes, arguing that the traits often celebrated in Indian professionals—discipline, intelligence, execution—are rooted in systems that discourage originality and confrontation.
From schools that reward memorization to families and offices that reward compliance and silence, Kochhar suggests that India’s societal wiring produces employees who thrive in structured environments—but not necessarily entrepreneurs who challenge the status quo.
“That’s why Indians rise fast in structured systems like Google or Microsoft, but rarely build the next Google or Microsoft,” he notes. The observation cuts deep, as Indian-origin executives increasingly head global corporations, yet few India-founded companies have made comparable global waves.
Kochhar argues the problem isn’t talent—it’s conditioning. “We were taught to respect power, not create it. To seek approval, not conviction,” he says, framing the issue as one of mindset, not capability.
While India’s reputation for producing world-class CEOs is well established, Kochhar’s post taps into a growing undercurrent of introspection: can a nation that celebrates obedience produce leaders who truly disrupt? Or will it continue to train generations to perfect résumés instead of spark revolutions?
The post has struck a chord with young professionals, educators, and founders alike, reigniting the debate on how cultural norms influence innovation.
“Until that changes,” Kochhar concludes, “India will keep producing more CEOs than disruptors.”