Infosys counters that Ravi Kumar delayed software before joining as Cognizant CEO

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Subscribe to enjoy similar stories. Infosys Ltd has alleged that its former executive S Ravi Kumar deliberately delayed the rollout of its product rivalling Cognizant Technology Solutions Corp’s healthcare solution as he was in talks to join as the chief executive of the Nasdaq-listed firm. Infosys Ltd filed a complaint in a US court on Thursday, claiming that Kumar delayed Helix, Infosys’s healthcare claims processing software, by 18 months when he was negotiating a switch to Cognizant.

Kumar quit Infosys in October 2022 and took over as its rival’s CEO in January 2023. The claim by Infosys in a filing dated 9 January—and reviewed by Mint—is a rare instance of a case being filed against its former employee. The counter-complaint stretches the legal battle between the two of the world’s largest software services providers.

The first salvo was fired by Teaneck, New Jersey-headquartered Cognizant in August last year, alleging that Bengaluru-based Infosys stole trade secrets from its healthcare software arm TriZetto. “Cognizant is committed to upholding the highest standards of integrity in all business operations and will take decisive action to address any allegations that compromise competitive standing. Cognizant encourages competition, but competitors cannot use Cognizant's IP to unfairly compete, as Infosys has done.

Cognizant's software products are widely used in the marketplace for being best-in-class and most preferred among customers," said the company in an emailed response to Mint’s queries. Infosys said it developed its own healthcare solution Helix as a competitor to Facets and QNXT, the software products owned by Cognizant. Kumar was then a president at Infosys and played a critical role in its development,