Manpower Trimming Strategy at Wipro: Replacing Human Employees with Software Robots

Wipro (Western India Products) Ltd. is an Indian multinational IT consulting and system integration services company headquartered in Bengaluru, India. Wipro was incorporated as “Western India Vegetable Products Ltd” in 1945 by Mohamed Premji. Initially, it was involved in the manufacture of vegetable and refined oil. In the 1980s, Wipro ventured into IT services under the leadership of the iconic Azim Premji. The IT business wing of Wipro was christened as Wipro Ltd . Wipro demerged its non-IT based business into separate entities - Wipro Consumer Care and Lighting, Wipro Infrastructure and Engineering, and Wipro GE Medical Systems Ltd.

Wipro Ltd., the IT service segment, accounted for approximately 90% of the group’s revenue . The US$108 billion Indian IT industry had helped create huge employment opportunities for software engineers in India since the mid 1990s. Wipro Ltd. had also been instrumental in generating steady employment for budding engineers in India since the days of its inception...