At 78, Ratan Tata goes to startup school

“I don’t know.”

That was basically Ratan Tata’s response to many of the questions tech founders asked him during a day spent with Singapore’s tech community.

An upstanding business magnate in India who’s frequently compared to Steve Jobs or Warren Buffett, Ratan spoke on two separate occasions: an intimate and private session with startups, and a much more formal event held at Shangri-La Hotel. Both were organized by VC firm Jungle Ventures.

Naturally, founders clamored to take selfies with him, but also to marinate themselves in his wisdom.

But Ratan didn’t pretend to know all the answers. Or even that he understood all of the questions asked, some of which were laced in tech lingo.

“I don’t think I could answer this,” prefaced Ratan. A founder had asked him for advice on how CEOs should manage their time. He answered anyway:

“It depends on the individuals, it depends on the variety of issues you’re dealing with, it depends on the personality you have. Some people delegate, some people roll up their sleeves and get involved. Both examples have their plus and minuses.”

Another entrepreneur asked how he should convince skeptics to buy his products.

“I don’t see how I can answer that,” Ratan repeated. But he continued:

“Because that’s very much an issue of your capability of being able to convince the person, and the openness of the person you’re trying to convince,” he said.

“The world is full of people who are one way or another: those who are open are better people to work with, and those who are confined to their comfort areas.”

He had harsh words for the latter, who will “live and die and fade away without making a difference.”

Ratan speaks in a rhythm. He espouses long sentences as complex as his grey hair.

Eternal learner

The troublesome notion of ethics

A history, abridged

Leadership is lonely