Thomas Dohmke, CEO of GitHub, recently shared a 2008 photo from his previous visit to Bengaluru, marking his return to India. Reflecting on the changes since then, Dohmke emphasized the significant growth and dynamic evolution of the country’s infrastructure and software industry. In an interview with Peerzada Abrar, Dohmke predicted that India would become the global leader in artificial intelligence (AI) by 2027, surpassing the United States as the largest software developer community. GitHub, acquired by Microsoft in 2018 for $7.5 billion, has witnessed India’s rapid ascent in the tech world. Edited excerpts from the interview:
Q: You recently shared a 2008 photo from your previous visit to Bengaluru on social media. What kind of change have you seen since then and how do you see the economic opportunity here?
Dohmke: This is my fifth visit to India and my second time in Bengaluru. I was here with my wife in 2008 for a wedding. We arrived at the old airport and departed from the new one. Comparing India then and now, the energy is incredible; everything is evolving rapidly. The Metro system is now extensive, and the airport is modern and clean, reflecting the growth in the software industry. India is currently second on GitHub in terms of the number of developers, and we predict it will overtake the United States by 2027. With the advent of AI, we see Indian companies like Infosys, Cognizant, Paytm, and MakeMyTrip adopting AI tools such as Copilot and Microsoft’s AI services.
Q: You have said that India is at the nexus of monumental economic opportunity. Could you explain that?
Dohmke: In the developer space, tools like Copilot have shown up to 55% productivity improvements. Developers report faster job completion and greater job satisfaction. In a world where attention is our most valuable currency, developers are in high demand. Even in India, with 200,000 computer science graduates annually, there’s a greater demand for software developers than the supply. This convergence positions India to potentially lead in the age of software and AI in the coming years.
