A co-founder of Infosys, the big Indian IT-services firm based in Bangalore. He is India's second most generous individual philanthropist, according to Hurun, a compiler of rich lists; his wife, Rohini Nilekani, is India's third. Nilekani is the architect of Aadhaar, India's biometric ID system, and the unofficial patron of India Stack, a web of technologies that aims to make India work better. He gives both money and time to institution-building causes.
Kafka's Law: In the fight between you and the world, back the world.