Buyback Over Breakthroughs? When Infosys Missed OpenAI Investment Opportunity

Infosys Ltd. has been in focus as the IT giant is considering its first buyback in three years, raising questions about the company's long-term strategic priorities and in particular, a missed opportunity in OpenAI.

The proposed Rs 13,560-crore buyback, after all, comes at a time when the entire IT sector is facing global headwinds. To that end, Investment Advisor Rajiv Mehta has sparked a debate as to whether capital should be returned to shareholders or invested in cutting-edge technology, such as the one-time opportunity to invest in OpenAI.

In his latest tweet, Mehta pointed out that in 2015, then-CEO Vishal Sikka had advocated for a forward-thinking investment idea. His idea was to invest in none other than OpenAI.

However, his vision did not align with co-founder Narayana Murthy, Mehta adds in his tweet. Sikka eventually resigned from Infosys in 2017.

The missed opportunity now looms large on Infosys as OpenAI has become a global leader when it comes to artificial intelligence.

Mehta floats the debate as to whether the company should go for share buyback or invest in technology.

A base investment of just $1 million, after all, would have been worth billions today as OpenAI has positioned itself as one of the leaders in the next phase of technological revolution.

As far as the Infosys buyback is concerned, it marks the first buyback from an IT giant in two years and the company's first in three years. With an average premium of 25%, analysts believe the buyback will provide Infosys with some cushion against ongoing volatility in the industry.