When OpenAI board members ousted Sam Altman, his investors, employees, customers, and technology partners stood with him, demanding his return to the company.

In the Indian context, we went scouting for star tech and startup leaders who too would enjoy a solid backing from the entire ecosystem, if they were to (hypothetically) encounter Altman’s unfortunate ordeal. 

Sridhar Vembu

Early this year, when startups like Dukaan, and BYJU’s were on a mass firing spree because of overhiring during a pandemic, Sridhar Vembu, co-founder and chief executive officer at Zoho, announced that they would not be laying off employees. Instead, the company would be expanding its geographical presence with operations in Coimbatore, Madurai and more.  

The company is committed to investing in R&D and people, having opened two hub offices and planning additional expansions in Tamil Nadu and Uttar Pradesh. 

Over time, Vembu has built a strong culture of R&D during this period with a focus on reinvention and has gathered the admiration of employees, investors and the common people. His distinctive leadership style, emphasising autonomy, intrapreneurship, and a rejection of traditional corporate norms, has shaped this ecosystem leading to the founding of several successful startups by former Zoho staff.

This culture has incubated a diverse range of startups, such as SuperOps.ai, led by Arvind Parthiban, who lauds Vembu’s pride in Indian roots and resistance to the notion of the West’s superiority. Prabhu Ramachandran, a long-time Zoho employee, co-founded Facilio, showcasing how Zoho’s principles of extreme ownership inspires entrepreneurial journeys.

SurveySparrow, Bevywise, and Brand Maxima are other ventures reflecting Zoho’s ethos of learning by doing and focus on customer-centric solutions.

Vijay Shekhar Sharma

Paytm founder Vijay Shekhar Sharma is known for his all-inclusive approach to employees. He leads Paytm with a focus on growth, efficiency, and innovation. His approach emphasises quick decision-making, fostering creativity, and resilience in facing challenges. This leadership style has been pivotal in shaping Paytm’s success and inspiring his team.

Back in 2018, when it had just been three years since the fintech became a unicorn, over 100 past and current employees became millionaires following the sale of company shares worth Rs 500 crore. Interestingly, his office clerk earned Rs 20 lakh from the stock sale, demonstrating a leadership style that values and rewards all levels of staff, not just executives. 

His path to founding Paytm, a leading digital payment platform in India, is marked by his early start in the 2000s with One97 Communications. Sharma’s foresight in recognising the potential of digital payments in India was particularly evident during the 2016 demonetisation. He was backed by investing behemoths like Alibaba and SoftBank.

Under his guidance, Paytm broadened its scope to include various financial services, thriving due to Sharma’s emphasis on innovation, customer-centric strategies, and an in-depth understanding of the Indian market.

For over 20 years in the industry, he has been revered by colleagues, peers, and others for his humility, lack of pretence, and kind approach.

Amit Lakhotia

Born out of the Paytm camp is Amit Lakhotia, who served as the VP of business in the company from 2012 to 2015. He then moved to Tokopedia when, during his time, the company saw its valuation rise from $500-$600 million to $7 billion. Eventually, he left to become co-founder and chief executive at auto tech platform Park+ to solve parking challenges in 2019. 

In four years since its inception, Park+ has successfully raised $54.3 million through six funding rounds, including a significant Series C round on January 10, 2023, with support from 21 investors like Matrix Partners India, Kunal Khattar, and more.

A pivotal moment was the Series B round in November 2021, securing $25 million led by Sequoia Capital India and showcasing investor confidence. The Series C round garnered around $18 million, boosting Park+’s valuation to $340 million from $155 million, reflecting its fast growth and potential in the market.

The company also expanded by acquiring cartech startup otopark in June 2022.

Kunal Shah

Alongside Vembu, Sharma and Lakhotia, we also have Kunal Shah, founder and chief of CRED. Shah’s story started with him co-founding FreeCharge in 2010 and then selling it to Snapdeal in 2015. Shah founded CRED in 2018, which became a unicorn in 2021. 

He has a distinct leadership style that is built on a relaxed open culture, promoting creativity and communication among employees, even engaging in fun meme-making activities of leadership. Influenced by his philosophical background, Shah embraces uncertainty in entrepreneurship, emphasising truth-seeking and continuous improvement. 

Bhavish Aggarwal

Ola Cabs founder Bhavish Aggarwal’s venture into entrepreneurship was sparked by a negative car rental experience, highlighting the deficiencies in India’s transport sector.

Launching Ola Cabs in 2010, Aggarwal navigated various hurdles, such as investor scepticism and enlisting drivers, using his determination to secure essential funding for growth. He worked with Microsoft Research before founding Ola.

Under his guidance, Ola expanded rapidly, competing against giants like Uber and branching into new areas, including food delivery and electric vehicles. Now, he is venturing into implementing AI. 

Aggarwal’s leadership style is defined by his visionary and adaptable approach, a commitment to learning from mistakes, and a focus on making impactful, and technology-driven advancements. 

Nithin Kamath

We can’t talk about inspiring leaders and not mention Nithin Kamath, the Zerodha boss, who values being respected over being liked or feared as a leader. Zerodha’s business model, under Kamath’s leadership, is built from the ground up without external funding, leveraging technology and a unique ‘brokerage-free’ model. 

The firm adopts a customer-first philosophy, treating customers fairly and avoiding intrusive marketing. Building long-term trust and credibility with clients is a key focus, rather than short-term aggressive marketing strategies. He also guides budding entrepreneurs emphasising passion-driven problem-solving and gaining relevant experience.

Read more: Can Mira Murati Save OpenAI?