• IT operating model: Frank D'Souza outlined four fundamental shifts required for IT services firms, including adopting effort-agnostic pricing models, prioritizing impact over headcount, developing proprietary IP, and transitioning talent structures.
• Software market opportunity: Srikanth Velamakanni projected a net 100x long-term market opportunity, explaining that while AI will compress software build times by 90%, global demand for new software will expand by 1,000 times.
• Revenue growth trajectory: Indian tech services revenue growth currently stands at 2% to 3%, with speakers anticipating another 12 to 18 months of deflationary J-curve pressure before large-scale enterprise AI adoption drives an expansion cycle.
• R&D investment strategy: Srikanth estimated that at least one-third of large Indian IT companies will successfully pivot, recommending firms increase R&D expenditures from under 1% to between 3% and 4% of revenue to protect their long-term value.