Shark Tank India judge Anupam Mittal shared a LinkedIn post that sparked a fresh debate on India’s tech future, saying Sun Pharmaceutical Industries’ $11.75 billion acquisition of Organon & Co. is more than just a business deal but it signals that the country’s IT sector must evolve.
Mittal described the all-cash deal as a turning point for Sun Pharma, which has long been known for its generics business. “For two decades, Sun was India’s smartest generics player—wait for an American patent to expire, manufacture cheaper, and sell everywhere,” he wrote on LinkedIn.
According to him, the Organon acquisition “changes the math,” as it brings Sun into branded women’s health, biosimilars, and original intellectual property (IP). “Sun is starting to own them,” Mittal added, hinting at a move up the value chain.
A lesson from Tata Motors and JLR
Mittal compared the deal to Tata Motors’s acquisition of Jaguar Land Rover from Ford Motor Company in 2008. “At the time, half the country thought Ratan Tata had lost it. Today, JLR is the biggest engine of Tata Motors’ profits,” he noted, suggesting bold bets can redefine companies.
A tough question for Indian IT
Mittal then turned his focus to India’s IT services giants like Tata Consultancy Services, Infosys, and Wipro. He pointed out that despite three decades of growth, the sector has largely remained dependent on service-based models.
“Indian IT services has run for 30 years… but we never crossed the chasm. Stayed contract manufacturers—smarter, bigger, but still selling man-hours,” he said. Mittal warned that this model now faces an “existential AI question,” as automation and artificial intelligence threaten traditional outsourcing work.
Missed opportunity?
In a sharp remark, Mittal said, “Sun is doing this week what TCS, Infosys and Wipro should have done a decade back. He argued that India’s biggest companies need to move toward owning IP and building technology products, rather than relying only on services. Mittal is speaking or rather directing the conversation towards India’s economy. He says, “We need our biggest companies to sit at the top of the value-creation pyramid, where IP and technology sit. India’s future depends on it,” he wrote.
Disclaimer: The content in this article is based on a viral social media discussion and is intended for informational and entertainment purposes only. The financial figures and strategies mentioned are personal to the user and have not been independently verified. This story does not constitute financial advice or an endorsement of any specific investment strategy. Readers are advised to consult a SEBI-registered investment advisor before making financial decisions.