Azim Premji
He transformed a family cooking oil company into a global IT giant and then dedicated his vast fortune to reshaping Indian education.
Born 1945 (age 81)·Indian businessman·Birthday: July 24·The Silent Generation
Biography
Azim Premji's story is one of radical, deliberate reinvention. At 21, he left Stanford to take over Western India Vegetable Products after his father's death, a modest business dealing in hydrogenated oils. With a clear-eyed vision of the future, he steered Wipro into the nascent computer hardware sector in the 1980s, and then boldly into software services just as India's tech boom began. His insistence on uncompromising integrity—famously articulated in his 'Wipro Promise'—built a culture that attracted global clients. But Premji's second act eclipsed his first. In 2001, he established one of the largest philanthropic foundations in India, focusing not on charity but on systemic change in the country's public school system. His giving, which amounts to billions, is driven by a quiet, relentless belief that quality education is the only true engine for an equitable society.
The Silent Generation
1928–1945
Born between the Depression and the end of WWII. Too young to fight, old enough to remember. They became the conformist middle managers of the 1950s — and the civil rights leaders who quietly dismantled Jim Crow.
Azim was born in 1945, placing them squarely in The Silent Generation. The events that shaped this generation — world wars, depression, and rapid industrialization — shaped the world they entered and the choices available to them.
#1 When Azim Was Born
The biggest hits of 1945
#1 Movie
The Bells of St. Mary's
Best Picture
The Lost Weekend
Azim's Life & Times
The world at every milestone
1945Born
WWII ends; atomic bombs dropped on Hiroshima and Nagasaki
Gas: $0.21/galHome: $4,600Min wage: $0.40/hrPresident: Harry S. Truman"Sentimental Journey" — Les Brown & Doris DayBest Picture: The Lost Weekend
1950Started school
Korean War begins
Gas: $0.27/galHome: $7,354Min wage: $0.75/hrPresident: Harry S. Truman"Goodnight Irene" — Gordon Jenkins & The WeaversBest Picture: All About Eve
1958Became a teenager
NASA founded
Gas: $0.31/galHome: $11,050Min wage: $1.00/hrPresident: Dwight D. Eisenhower"Volare" — Domenico ModugnoBest Picture: Gigi
1961Could drive
Yuri Gagarin becomes the first human in space
Gas: $0.31/galHome: $12,500Min wage: $1.15/hrPresident: John F. Kennedy"Tossin' and Turnin'" — Bobby LewisBest Picture: West Side Story
1963Could vote
JFK assassinated in Dallas; Martin Luther King's 'I Have a Dream' speech
Gas: $0.31/galHome: $13,100Min wage: $1.25/hrPresident: Lyndon B. Johnson"Sugar Shack" — Jimmy Gilmer & The FireballsBest Picture: Tom Jones
1966Turned 21
Star Trek premieres on television
Gas: $0.32/galHome: $14,200Min wage: $1.25/hrPresident: Lyndon B. Johnson"The Ballad of the Green Berets" — SSgt Barry SadlerBest Picture: A Man for All Seasons
1975Turned 30
Fall of Saigon ends the Vietnam War
Gas: $0.57/galHome: $27,600Min wage: $2.10/hrPresident: Gerald Ford"Love Will Keep Us Together" — Captain & TennilleBest Picture: One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest
1985Turned 40
Live Aid concerts raise money for Ethiopian famine
Gas: $1.12/galHome: $62,900Min wage: $3.35/hrPresident: Ronald Reagan"Careless Whisper" — Wham!Best Picture: Out of Africa
1995Turned 50
Oklahoma City bombing; Windows 95 released
Gas: $1.15/galHome: $96,500Min wage: $4.25/hrPresident: Bill Clinton"Gangsta's Paradise" — CoolioBest Picture: Braveheart
2005Turned 60
Hurricane Katrina devastates New Orleans; YouTube launches
Gas: $2.30/galHome: $167,500Min wage: $5.15/hrPresident: George W. Bush"We Belong Together" — Mariah CareyBest Picture: Crash
2015Turned 70
Paris climate agreement; same-sex marriage legalized in the US
Gas: $2.43/galHome: $171,900Min wage: $7.25/hrPresident: Barack Obama"Uptown Funk" — Mark Ronson ft. Bruno MarsBest Picture: Spotlight
2025Turned 80
AI agents go mainstream
Gas: $3.10/galHome: $385,000Min wage: $7.25/hrPresident: Donald Trump"APT." — Rose & Bruno Mars
2026Age 81 today
Gas: $3.91/galPresident: Donald Trump
Key Achievements
- Led Wipro's transformation from a vegetable oil manufacturer into a multi-billion dollar global information technology, consulting, and business process services company.
- Signed the Giving Pledge in 2013, committing the majority of his wealth to philanthropy, one of the first Indians to do so.
- Founded Azim Premji University in Bangalore in 2010, dedicated to developing professionals in the education and development sectors.
- Awarded the Padma Vibhushan, India's second-highest civilian award, in 2011 for his contributions to trade, industry, and philanthropy.
Did You Know?
He is known for his frugal personal habits, often flying economy class and driving himself in a modest car.
Premji's philanthropic endowment is funded primarily by shares of Wipro, making the Azim Premji Foundation one of the largest non-profit organizations in India.
He completed his degree in Electrical Engineering from Stanford University over two decades after leaving it to run the family business, finally graduating in 1999.
In 2005, BusinessWeek named him one of the 'Greatest Entrepreneurs of All Time.'
“In every situation, ask yourself: Is this the right thing to do? And having asked that, have the courage to follow the answer.”
