In a fast-changing field like software, especially in 2025, there are hardly any “trade secrets” in the traditional sense. People move freely, and knowledge flows with them. So when two of India’s top IT services firms are locked in a legal fight over this, it signals something deeper—rising pressure in the sector.

The post-pandemic boom is behind us. AI is becoming a real threat to the old outsourcing model. Gen-Z is harder to engage. Input costs are climbing. US visa hurdles continue. In this context, such disputes seem more like symptoms than the real problem.

(For context: Infosys and Cognizant are currently embroiled in a legal battle—Cognizant has accused Infosys of stealing trade secrets, and Infosys has countered that Cognizant poached its executives to disrupt its healthcare software plans.)

What Indian IT achieved over the past few decades—my old firm included—was remarkable. But that was a different era. As Satya Nadella once said, “Our industry does not respect tradition. It only respects innovation.”

While American and Chinese firms are busy building the next wave of AI, it’s disheartening to see our leading players caught up in last-century legal skirmishes.

The future won’t wait. It’s being built—by those who choose to innovate, not litigate.

Footnote: Though Cognizant is headquartered in the US, it operates primarily out of India and is an integral part of the Indian IT landscape.

#cognizant #infosys #legaldisputes #intellectualproperty #itservices #indian