Hotmail cofounder Sabeer Bhatia blasts Indian education system: 'We are producing an army of useless kids'

In a nation obsessed with ranks, marks, and job titles, we’ve forgotten to ask the most basic question: Are our kids actually learning? For Sabeer Bhatia, the man who co-founded Hotmail, the answer is a resounding no. In a hard-hitting interview on the NNP podcast, Bhatia doesn’t mince words, calling out India’s education and work culture for building an “army of useless kids” instead of original thinkers.

At the heart of the problem is a deeply flawed system that rewards obedience over curiosity. “We live in a conformist society—people are often told, ‘Listen to others, do what they say.’ But why follow a path that’s already been walked?” Bhatia questions. Whether it's memorising textbooks or chasing the same startup ideas in saturated sectors, he believes the country is wired to produce workers who take orders, not visionaries who disrupt systems.

Bhatia draws a stark contrast between Indian and Western education. His young children in the US write their own stories and ideas, even if full of spelling mistakes. “Teachers don’t correct those because spelling is irrelevant. What matters is the thought.” In India, however, children are punished for errors instead of being encouraged to think independently. They’re taught not to learn, but to score.

It’s a mindset that starts early and ends up defining careers. Many bright students become engineers or doctors, not because of passion, but because society deemed it safe or respectable. “You can’t suppress the arts, sports, and culture and expect to build a balanced society,” he adds.

And even when Indian youth show entrepreneurial ambition, Bhatia says they’re crippled by the system itself: “You’re never asked to write a paper. You’re asked to memorise 13 chapters and regurgitate them. That is not education.”

For innovation to thrive, he insists we need critical thinkers—people who do things, build things, experiment and fail. But the stigma around failure in India is so strong, even someone like Bhatia has been asked, “What have you done since Hotmail?” As if one stumble erases all worth. He believes that until India stops confusing compliance with intelligence, the country will keep losing potential to a system designed for factory workers, not creators.