Infosys CEO Vishal Sikka resigns

Infosys chief executive Vishal Sikka issued a shock announcement Friday that he has resigned his position amid executive tensions and an "untenable atmosphere" surrounding the company.

"I cannot carry out my job as CEO and continue to create value, while also constantly defending against unrelenting, baseless/malicious and increasingly personal attacks," Sikka said in a blog post.

Sikka was the first chief technology officer at SAP before joining Infosys in June 2014. At the time, his arrival was considered a turning point for the beleaguered IT outsourcer and a chance for the company to embark on a much needed transformational journey.

Sikka's turnaround efforts included a shakeup of Infosys' growth strategy -- shifting the focus from contracts over to software and platforms -- and a revitalization of its sagging employee morale. In large part, Sikka was successful. He restored credibility, retained and boosted employment, and helped rebound revenue in his first two years on the job.

More recently, however, Infosys has struggled with revenue growth, and Sikka found himself dragged into a public feud with co-founder Narayana Murthy, who questioned the firm's decision on compensation doled out to senior executives.

"Life is too short to engage in battles of opinions in the public, these add no value, take critical time and focus away from the business, and indeed add more to the noise, to the eardrum buzz, as I wrote to you a few months ago," Sikka said in his resignation post.

"I now need to move forward, and return to an environment of respect, trust and empowerment, where I can take on new lofty challenges, as can each of you."

Infosys appointed longtime employee and COO Pravin Rao as the interim CEO and managing director.

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