Largest technology companies in India
Big Tech in India, also known as the Indian IT Giants , are the largest companies in the Indian information technology industry . The definition primarily includes Tata Consultancy Services , Infosys , HCLTech , and Wipro , and also often encompasses Cognizant and Tech Mahindra . They are referred to in the media as "Big Six" or "Big Five",[ 1] [ 2] and with acronyms such as TWITCH[ 3] and WITCH.[ 4] [ 5]
The companies are among the dominant players in the global delivery model , providing IT consulting , outsourcing and offshore software development to Fortune Global 500 corporations and government entities. All six companies feature among the 20 largest employers in India . Five of them are part of the NIFTY 50 benchmark index of most valuable publicly listed companies, while the sixth, Cognizant, is part of the Nasdaq-100 .
In the 2000s, Gartner coined the acronym SWITCH, to refer to the six largest Indian IT companies Satyam , Wipro , Infosys , TCS , Cognizant and HCL . This acronym and the term "Big Six" subsequently found wide usage in forecast reports of other analysts and news media.[ 6] [ 1] [ 7] [ 8] [ 9] [ 10] Following Satyam's liquidation and business transfer to Tech Mahindra , the acronym shortened to WITCH,[ 6] [ 11] [ 12] while several outlets started using TWITCH by replacing Satyam with Tech Mahindra.[ 13] [ 14] [ 15]
Even after Cognizant shifted its headquarters from India to the United States, analysts have continued to refer to it as an Indian-heritage company, as a large majority of its workforce (about three-fourths) remains in India like its India-based peers.[ 16] [ 17] [ 18] [ 19] Some definitions in the Indian stock market context omit Cognizant from the grouping because it is not listed on the Indian exchanges.[ 2] [ 20]
The table below lists companies that have been frequently included in the definition, sorted by market capitalization .[ 21]
Rank
Company name
Market capitalization (October 2024)
Revenue (for fiscal year 2023–24)
1
Tata Consultancy Services
₹ 1,480,901 crore (US$175 billion)
₹ 245,315 crore (US$29 billion)
2
Infosys
₹ 774,894 crore (US$92 billion)
₹ 158,381 crore (US$19 billion)
3
HCLTech
₹ 509,070 crore (US$60 billion)
₹ 111,408 crore (US$13 billion)
4
Cognizant
US$38 billion
US$19 billion
5
Wipro
₹ 292,337 crore (US$35 billion)
₹ 92,391 crore (US$11 billion)
6
Tech Mahindra
₹ 166,725 crore (US$20 billion)
₹ 52,912 crore (US$6.3 billion)
^ a b "Big 6 'Switch' to bigger deals, corner 2.4% of global work" . The Economic Times . 13 June 2008. Retrieved 13 July 2024 .
^ a b "Investors know better when to buy or sell stocks of Big Five IT firms" . Mint . Retrieved 13 July 2024 .
^ Fersht, Phil; Fleming, Reetika; O'Brien, Melissa (1 July 2016). "Tech Mahindra Becomes the New T in TWITCH" . HFS Research . Retrieved 13 July 2024 .
^ "The WITCH Report: 2020 Mid-Year Review" . Damo Consulting . Retrieved 13 July 2024 .
^ Choudhary, Lokesh (2 January 2023). "WITCH vs FAANG Saga to Continue in 2023" . Analytics India Magazine . Retrieved 13 July 2024 .
^ a b P. V., Harikrishnan (8 January 2009). "Satyam saga: SWITCH to WITCH to ITCH" . OneIndia . Retrieved 13 July 2024 .
^ Kripalani, Manjeet (19 February 2008). "India: Zero Hour for India's Tech Companies" . Der Spiegel . Retrieved 13 July 2024 .
^ "To beat crisis 'switch' firms switch terrain" . The New Indian Express . 14 May 2012. Retrieved 13 July 2024 .
^ " 'Indian IT growth outpaces global biggies' " . Business Standard . 27 September 2007. Retrieved 13 July 2024 .
^ "Switching to Big League" . Business Today . 3 October 2007. Retrieved 13 July 2024 .
^ Joshi, Yugal; Dhingra, Ritika (31 July 2013). "Will Satyam's Itch "TWITCH" the "WITCH"?" . Everest Group . Retrieved 14 July 2024 .
^ Flinders, Karl (3 December 2013). "Where is Satyam now? Well, it's not Satyam for a start" . Computer Weekly . Retrieved 13 July 2024 .
^ "IT Services Exports : From SWITCH to TWITCH" . DQ India . DataQuest. Retrieved 13 July 2024 .
^ Philipose, Mobis (3 November 2017). "Indian IT's hiring freeze suggests weak demand will continue" . Mint . Retrieved 14 July 2024 .
^ "Mahindra Satyam is now Tech Mahindra: Welcome to the TWITCH" . Forbes India . Retrieved 13 July 2024 .
^ "Cognizant topples Infosys as No 2 IT firm in India" . The Economic Times . 6 August 2012. Retrieved 11 September 2024 .
^ Phadnis, Shilpa (25 April 2024). "Infy narrows revenue gap with Cognizant" . The Times of India . Retrieved 11 September 2024 .
^ Mishra, Bibhu Ranjan (7 August 2015). "Cognizant's strong shows raise bar for Indian IT services firms" . Business Standard . Retrieved 11 September 2024 .
^ Bardia, Jas (10 May 2024). "TCS' Krithivasan earns the lowest among top Indian IT CEOs" . Mint . Retrieved 11 September 2024 .
^ Choudhary, Lokesh (16 November 2022). "The Rise of Indian WITCH and the Fall of US FAANG" . Analytics India Magazine . Retrieved 14 July 2024 .
^ "TOP COMPANIES IN INDIA BY MARKET CAPITALISATION - BSE" . Moneycontrol. Retrieved 13 July 2024 .