Karnataka Minister Priyank Kharge lauded Bengaluru as a technological hub on Monday — insisting that the city was emerging as a “top destination for skilled talent”. He also quoted Mercedes-Benz CEO Ola Källenius to explain why global leaders were drawn to the coastal state. The remarks came mere days after the German auto boss gushed about the tech capital of India — insisting that every visit left him “twice as energised”.
“Bengaluru has come a long way from being known as an IT services hub to becoming the heart of innovation-driven growth. Our tech ecosystem today competes on competence, not cost and on value, not valuation. What draws global leaders here isn’t low-cost manpower, but deep technical expertise,” the Congress leader wrote on X.
He also noted that Bengaluru was now ranked first for tech talent acquisition and rapidly becoming “the top destination for skilled talent in the APAC region”. Kharge added that the city was now driving the “next wave of innovation” as millions turned towards India.
“With 36% of the world’s tech talent concentrated in the US and India, the city is driving the next wave of innovation, powered by people who don’t just execute, but think, build and solve for the world. It’s no surprise that global CEOs continue to choose Karnataka as their base for building the technologies of tomorrow,” he added.
What did the Mercedes-Benz CEO say?
Kharge began his lengthy social media post by quoting comments made by Källenius over the weekend in Berlin. The Mercedes-Benz CEO had emphasised the need to “embrace new talent around the world” while addressing the Global Dialogue event.
“Every time I go to Bangalore, I come back twice as energised. I meet people who speak fluent German and have never been to Germany. We will go to where that kind of talent is,” he cited the CEO as saying.