Rekhi: 1970s US tech stereotyped Indians as unfit for management
Kanwal Rekhi · Wall Street Rejected This CEO & Then He Did a $200M IPO | Kanwal Rekhi · Jan 23, 2026 · at 12:21
Silicon Valley veteran and TiE co-founder Kanwal Rekhi reflects on the management glass ceiling early Indian engineers faced in the United States during the 1970s.
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“By mid seventies, 75, 76, Both universities and industry were starting to see, you know, that Indians are pretty good in what they do. But again, a new Brand start to emerge. You know, these guys from India, you know, they have this mathematical gene, you know, they are smart with numbers, you know, but yeah, they are not managerial material. You know, they cannot sell market. Yeah. Yeah. Be a general managers, be entrepreneurs.”
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