Mathukumalli Vidyasagar

Photographer: Satya Prabhu

Executive Vice President (Advanced Technology), Tata Consultancy Services

Most Important Technology of the Last 40 Years:

The Internet.

Most Important Technology for the Coming Decade:

Biology will surpass computing as the glamour field.

Technology That has Evolved in a Surprising Way:

The Internet, again.

"Things like cable TV and desktop computing have taken a long time to make an impact on the Third World, but the spread of the Internet has been so dramatic that it has caught us also in its wake. The Internet has the potential to reduce the odds faced by poor people. For example, I can post a new paper on my Web site, where the whole world can see it, not just my friends. The Internet has tremendously equalized the access to information between the developed world and the majority.

"To use the cliche, the Internet turns geography into history. We Indians have always had great faith in education, but it didn't really promise a bright future until the Internet revolution came along. We have 2.5 million university graduates per year, every year—by far the largest number in the world. Now, suddenly, they are able to parlay that education into a fairly well-paying job because of the pervasiveness of the Internet. I did not foresee the migration of jobs to India.

"Wireless technology has the potential to eliminate the digital divide, but it won't happen automatically. Things like e-mail, text processing, database management, and data retrieval need to be in native languages. Once you do that, broadband networks with wireless connectivity for the last 25 kilometers can bring down the prices to a level where even poor people can afford it."