The Exchanges

Q And what did you do in media first?

A So, literally that, it was pretty much that, and I think the first thing that happened is, there was an advertising agency called Lintas Law, and Alec Padamsi, who used to do a lot of theater with, I used to do a lot of theater with, so he came in one fine day and said, you know, Hindustan Leavers wants to do India's first sponsored program, and that's pretty much how the company was born, and he said, we've got to make 13 episodes of a TV show, do you want to make it? And I said, oh, why are you coming to me? He says, you just look like the guy who's going to be able to put it all together. And I think that's how the media path started.

AI assessment note: “we've got to make 13 episodes of a TV show, do you want to make it?”

Q Nice. Nice. And two things you would like to change about education overall? Two specific things. What needs to change? What will likely change? Okay, give me one that needs to change.

A I think there is a certain level of structure in the formal education space, which we need to respect, because if we go disrupting that, it's not going to be there. We need to layer it. We need to augment it. We need to have a much more rounded element to that, that thought process that will make a world of a difference because it'll get people at a much younger age to be a lot more aware. And second, I think in education, whether you like it or not, there is the haves and the have not. And I emotionally and passionately believe that if you fix the have nots a little bit more disproportionately, we'll all be in a different marketplace. So for me at this stage in my life, market making and opening up at scale is quite an obsession. So I think those are two macro points for me.

AI assessment note: “We need to layer it. We need to augment it.”

Q How do you summarize that as a trend?

A Of the consumer products, I'm saying, well, first we need to shift the herd mentality a little away from tech. It's fantastic, and there's a lot going to happen in tech, and a lot more leaner companies are going to get formed, and a lot more people will raise invoices in six months. Right. But if you look at the model here, at the end of 90 days, we're hoping somebody will cut their first invoice. I don't think when I was starting businesses, I could think of that. When anyone's making a plan, they look at six months, nine months, one year, two years. So the ability to get that going, I think is a very, very strong model.

AI assessment note: “first we need to shift the herd mentality a little away from tech.”

Q Is it the syllabus? Like if you had to pick one at Upgrad, would you say syllabus have more weightage or do teachers do?

A No, I think learning experience and the whole process of learning because it's online is the most important part of it and connecting. Otherwise, I mean, just a lecture today is not going to move the needle from all points of view. If you have just have a TED talk, that's not how you're going to learn for the next level of what you want to necessarily do, right? So I think that is the pivotal part. So for us, learning experience right now, to me, what I think is going to revolutionize learning is peer to peer learning. So while we are talking about teachers and faculty, I can see that trend in the next five years, the power of everything that's going to go to the next level, and maybe not in school, because you do need that basic element. You can't suddenly have peer to peer is peer to peer learning.

AI assessment note: “No, I think learning experience and the whole process of learning because it's online”

Q And we kind of believe that something succeeding or failing is our fault. Will they like that idea?

A They will also hold themselves accountable. I don't think it's a singular thing, but I'm saying you asked a question in a point of view that are we also? Yeah. But will they also be sure? And I think they'll look at it because they're hoping that we're going to have some safety nets for them, and we'll catch them every time they fall. And that's not the best way, by the way, because sometimes we'll want them to fall, because that's the best way that's going to work there. But I think this is not about responsibility, because I think we're pretty clear what we need to do. Our ability, you know, Kishore has talked about in his introduction exactly that, like you have to stick it out for the long term, right? So I think what we're going to have is a much more longer term view. And I think that longer term view with their excitement, their passion to build something fast, it's a great combination.

AI assessment note: “They will also hold themselves accountable. I don't think it's a singular thing”

Q And the second thing, do you often make more money by being counter trend?

A I think I'd answer that maybe two ways. I think, um, my ratio of eight failures to two successes is something that I've hold on to quite well. It's not that I go out to do it in that. It's not a formula. But I think when you're, when you fail as often as you do, it's a minus one X every time. It could be a big minus one X. It could be a minus one X, ten million dollars, a hundred million dollars, a bad hire, a bad decision, pulling the plug on a business, sticking with a business, whatever else, but it's a minus one X. But because you've done that, when you do get a success, it's 30 X, 40 X. And I think that if you don't have that law of averages working, the chances of you having success will be two X, three X, four X, which is still fantastic. But that 30 X, 40 X doesn't come about unless there's a lot that you've done, which is Where your mind has allowed your instinct and your gut to really get a little bit more polished, to just feel confident, because at the end of the day, it's not about gut, right? It's a lot to do with your own self-conviction. When everything else feels.

AI assessment note: “when you do get a success, it's 30 X, 40 X”