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US CEO attending AI Summit surprised to see Bata store: 'Had no idea it was such a universal brand'
US-based CEO Sara Hooker, who was in Delhi to attend the summit, shared a personal memory from her childhood.
The ongoing AI summit in Delhi has gained significant attention, drawing top global leaders, founders, and technology experts from around the world.
Recently, a US-based CEO, Sara Hooker, who was in Delhi to attend the summit, shared a personal memory from her childhood.
Hooker, during her time in Delhi, was stunned to see a Bata store, as she did not know it was such a universal brand.
Sharing her excitement on X (formerly Twitter), she posted a picture of the store with the caption, “I grew up with Bata shoes in Eswatini and in Mozambique. Had no idea it was such a universal brand.”
Stunned by global reach:
The Co-Founder and CEO of Adaption, based in San Francisco, said she had no idea that Bata was such a universal brand.
Known for its quality footwear, Bata was founded back in 1894 in Zlin, Czechoslovakia, by Thomas Bata.
Today, Bata operates across the world with more than 6,000 retail stores and around 100,000 independent dealers and franchise partners. Its network includes different retail formats such as City Stores, Family Stores, Angela Stores, and AW Lab Stores.
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Check out the post here:
Here's how people reacted to the post:
X users reacted to the post with nostalgia, with many sharing childhood memories of wearing Bata shoes and recalling how common the brand is.
One of the users commented, “We grew up with Bata shoes — all my school shoes were Bata.”
A second user commented, “Sara, 99.99% of people in India would not know Bata is NOT an Indian brand.”
A third user commented, “Bata is such an integral part of our lives here in India that most people think it is an Indian company.”
“They are one of India's most loved brands,” another user commented.
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Hooker shared glimpses from her visit to Delhi, posting a picture while stuck in traffic with India Gate visible in the background, captioning it, “Time in Delhi traffic gives me a chance to spot India Gate.”
She also shared a picture of Parle-G biscuits, captioning, “The most consumed biscuit in the entire world. G stands for genius.”
The India AI Impact Summit 2026 is being held at Bharat Mandapam in New Delhi.
According to an official advisory, the event was opened to the public on 17th February after it was inaugurated by Narendra Modi on Monday evening.
Described as one of the largest AI gatherings in the world, the summit will continue till 21st February 2026.
