Vishal Sikka Seeks Inspiration From Steve Jobs in His Resignation Letter
Infosys CEO and MD Vishal Sikka in his resignation letter has quoted the famous Stanford speech of Steve Jobs as he seeks inspiration to move beyond Infosys. Sikka in his resignation letter said, “I have decided to leave because the distractions, the very public noise around us, have created an untenable atmosphere.”
Co-founder Narayana Murthy, reportedly in an email, had claimed that he had been told by independent directors that Vishal Sikka was more suited as a Chief Technology Officer (CTO) than as Chief Executive Officer (CEO). While this claim is yet to be confirmed, Sikka wrote, “Life is too short to engage in battles of opinions in the public, these add no value, take critical time and focus away from the business, and indeed add more to the noise, to the eardrum buzz…”
Going forward, Sikka—the present Executive Vice Chairman on the Board– wants “to return to an environment of respect, trust and empowerment, where I can take on new lofty challenges…” Seeking inspiration to go ahead his plan, Sikka in his four page resignation letter falls back to the immensely popular Steve Jobs speech: “Your time is limited, don’t waste it living someone else’s life.”
Sikka said, “As Steve Jobs said, I must follow my heart and my intuition, build my buildings, give my givings, and do something else.”
Hinting on what’s next for him, he shared, “Over the next weeks and months, I look forward to working with the Board and management to create a smooth transition, and simultaneously staring into the great unknown, and to doing something great, something purposeful, for the times ahead. And also to spend some time with my loved ones. I’ve been away from home far too often and far too long.”
WATCH VIDEO: Time limited, don’t waste it: Jobs at Stanford