An American businessman’s dismissive remarks about India’s achievements sparked a sharp response from a Bengaluru-based entrepreneur. Charles Haywood, an influencer and venture capitalist, questioned whether Indians have contributed anything of global significance in modern times. “Has a single (subcontinent) Indian ever accomplished anything of truly major note in the modern period, in any field? I can't think of one. Nor can Grok. Seems odd, given there are 1.5 billion of them, and we're told we need to accept endless waves of them for their ‘talent’,” Haywood posted on X. Bengaluru venture capitalist Dilip Kumar responded with a series of examples showcasing India’s global impact. “ISRO’s Chandrayaan 3 landed on the Moon’s south pole in 2023 and India is the first nation ever to do so. NASA hasn’t. UPI processes 10B+ transactions monthly in India. The US is still figuring out realtime payments,” he wrote. He also pointed to Indian Nobel laureates of recent decades: “Btw, in the modern period you asked? 4 Indians got Nobel Prize. Amartya Sen (1998, Economics). Venkatraman Ramakrishnan (2009, Chemistry). Kailash Satyarthi (2014, Peace). Abhijit Banerjee (2019, Economics).” Kumar concluded the post saying, “When you can’t see obvious contributions, it says less about Indians and more about your filters.” See the post here: ISRO’s Chandrayaan 3 landed on the Moon’s south pole in 2023 and India is the first nation ever to do so. NASA hasn’t. UPI processes 10B+ transactions monthly in India. The US is still figuring out realtime payments. Btw, in the modern period you asked? 4 Indians got Nobel Prize.… — Dilip Kumar (@kmr_dilip) August 21, 2025 The posts quickly grabbed attention, with several users backing Kumar. "Little Charles with his little Grok. You are going too far Dilip. I have accomplished more in my life than 10 generations of Haywoods could ever dream off. No point amplifying little Charles and his little opinions. Let him play with his AI friend," a user wrote. "Haywood should understand that most of the modern maths and science they are using actually stollen from india. Think about not having zero," another user commented. "Dileep, don't waste your time on these trolls. Since Elon musk started paying for engagement, the garbage posting against India has amplified manifolds. They are doing just for engagement. Today India, tomorrow some other country," a third user reacted.
