“If my comments hurt anyone’s sentiments, I am truly sorry and would like to offer you an unconditional apology,” Nigam said in a statement.He emphasised his 22-year connection to Bengaluru and respect for linguistic diversity.
The Karnataka Cabinet had recently approved a bill mandating 50% reservation for locals in management roles and 70% in non-management positions within private companies. The bill, which also proposed 100% quota for locals in certain government jobs, was put on hold after industry backlash.
Nigam stressed the need for merit-based hiring to build globally competitive companies. He reaffirmed PhonePe’s commitment to Karnataka, stating the company plans to create thousands of new jobs in the state.
Read PhonePe CEO Sameer Nigam’s personal note
“PhonePe was born in Bengaluru and we are incredibly proud of our roots in this city, which is well known for its world-class technology talent and vibrant diversity. From Bengaluru, over the past decade we have expanded across the length and breadth of India and been able to deliver secure and efficient digital payments for over 55 Crore Indians.
Bengaluru’s reputation as the “Silicon valley of India” is truly well-deserved. The city thrives on an incredible culture of innovation, and attracts the most brilliant young minds from Karnataka and the rest of India. As a company, we are deeply grateful for the supportive business environment that Karnataka’s governments and its local Kannadiga populace have offered us. Without such an inclusive ecosystem and progressive policies, Bengaluru would not have become a global technology superpower.
As a company we also thrive on celebrating diversity, we have always tried hard to deliver fair, unbiased and meritocracy-based employment opportunities for all Indians – including to all local Kannadigas. We believe such an approach gives every Indian a good job a chance to shine, and ultimately helps create more societal and economic value for Bengaluru, Karnataka and India.
I read some recent media articles, relating to a few personal comments that I made last week regarding the draft job reservation bill. I would first and foremost like to clarify that it was NEVER my intention to insult Karnataka and it’s people. If my comments hurt anyone’s sentiments in such a way, I am truly sorry and would like to offer you an unconditional apology. I have the highest regard for Kannada, and all other Indian languages. In fact, I truly believe that linguistic diversity and rich cultural heritage is a national asset that all Indians should be proud of; and all Indians should be respectful of and celebrate local and cultural norms.
Bengaluru’s Indian startups are competing against trillion dollar giants like Google, Apple, Amazon and Microsoft. To do so, these companies must be able to employ the very best talent available in India purely based on their technology skills and proficiency in fields such as Coding, Design, Product Management, Data Sciences, Machine Learning, AI and beyond. As a nation, that is the only way we can build world-class companies that can compete in the global village that we live in today.
I also want to help create lakhs of jobs for Bengaluru and Karnataka. And, I believe with more dialogue and discussion, we can find ways to create more sustainable employment avenues. Let’s all work together to do this meaningfully and while creating long-term impact.”