BENGALURU — TCS CEO K Krithivasan dismissed the idea that green cards are a linchpin of the company's talent pipeline, asserting in a recent brief that permanent residency applications have been reduced to single digits. This stance comes as the US suspends green card processing, a move TCS says will not fundamentally alter its talent management approach. "In the last few years, what Sudeep (CHRO) and his team have been applying for is a single-digit kind of green card permanent residency," Krithivasan said.
The shift is structural. Locally hired employees now make up 50% of TCS's 30,000-strong US workforce, a significant jump from the previous reliance on H-1B visas. The company plans to hire another 15,000 people in the US over the next five years, a figure that underscores a long-term commitment to local talent rather than rotational visas. TCS had around 11,000 H-1B employees, but the model is evolving. Employees now travel from India to work on client projects in the US for two to three years before returning, creating a continuous movement of talent between onsite and offshore roles.
Back home, TCS is ramping up its intake of AI-native talent. The company increased its hiring from Indian universities by 50%, a move driven by the need for fresh perspectives in AI-led technology services. "We have increased intake by 50% because we find very good success in them being very natural. They're building great credibility with our customers and able to deliver outstanding results," said Sudeep Kunnumal, TCS's chief human resources officer. This talent infusion is part of a broader strategy to build capabilities for AI-led technology services, with the company onboarding 10,000 freshers in the September quarter compared to 14,000 in the preceding quarter.
Financially, TCS is seeing the fruits of its AI-focused pivot. Annualised AI revenue crossed $3.1 billion, accounting for more than 10% of overall revenue. Krithivasan highlighted new deal categories with clients like Porsche and Best Buy, where TCS helps rethink operating models as AI changes business requirements. "We are not looking at it as acquisition of revenue or protecting revenue. These are two new classes of deals where we help the customers transform them fully," he said. The company expects AI-led opportunities to offset productivity-driven deflation in traditional tech services, though a stronger net growth contribution could take six quarters to three years.
TCS added 4,258 employees during the quarter, bringing its headcount to 5.9 lakh. Looking ahead, Krithivasan anticipates that technology spending will remain flat or see a slight increase as clients invest in AI, technology modernisation, and business operations. The company's strategy is clear: insulate itself from visa volatility by building a robust local US workforce and a deep bench of AI-native talent from India.