Investor blasts Mumbai AI event featuring Karan Johar, Rahul Dravid: ‘People who haven’t written a single line of code’
An investor expressed his dissatisfaction with an AI event to be held in Mumbai, which would feature celebrities like Rahu Dravid and Karan Johar as speakers.
Amid the rising popularity of Chinese AI DeepSeek and its tough competition to Western counterparts like OpenAI and Meta, a post by an Indian investor and entrepreneur has captured people’s attention. In his post, he claimed that India can never compete with China and the USA if technology is treated “as a spectacle” in this country.

In his post, he blasted an upcoming AI event in Mumbai, which boasts a star-studded guest list—from cricket legends to Bollywood icons. However, the investor, Dilip Kumar, argued that the event, dubbed “Asia’s largest,” won’t be beneficial as the speakers are people who “haven't written a single line of code in their lives.”
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Who is on the guest list?
According to the Times of India (TOI), besides political leaders, the guest list includes celebrities from Bollywood and cricket. The week-long event will host guests like Akash Ambani, Karan Johar, Rahul Dravid, and Raj Shamani.
Check out the entire post:
How did social media react?
An individual posted, “Almost 12-15 years of education happens not in colleges or universities. The time from age 12-18 is very crucial. If we don't optimise this well and build extremely solid foundations, I think the path to winning in innovation is not open.” Another joined, “Fair point! I have seen the same in other high-profile events! Hope things change soon.”
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A third expressed, “You're right. India needs real tech builders, not celebrities. I work in tech and see how China and the US focus on engineers and researchers. Celebrity tech events won't help us compete globally. This event will be nothing but another spectacular eye wash and fodder for more YT videos.” A fourth wrote, “Absolutely. Celebrity worship is a nuisance factor in our country. Real achievers whose contributions make a difference in society aren't given due importance.”
According to a spokesperson of the organising committee, the event will demonstrate “Mumbai's dynamic ecosystem, where AI-driven innovation is transforming industries locally and influencing global solutions.”
