Infosys Names Cognizant Executives in Antitrust Counter-Lawsuit

The longstanding professional rivalry between two IT sector giants, the Indian multinational Infosys and the US-based Cognizant Technology Solutions (CTS), has exploded into an intense legal and competitive battle dubbed “The Sequel No One Saw Coming.”

The conflict centers on allegations of trade secret theft, executive poaching, and alleged monopolistic practices in the lucrative US healthcare IT market, escalating a tussle that had previously been confined mostly to corporate performance metrics.

The legal drama, unfolding primarily in a US federal court in Texas, began quietly but has rapidly escalated, pulling in the highest levels of both corporate hierarchies, including Cognizant’s CEO, Ravi Kumar S, a former top Infosys executive.

The Core Battlefield: Healthcare IT and Proprietary Platforms

The heart of the dispute lies in the fiercely competitive US healthcare insurance software market.

• Cognizant’s TriZetto Platform: Cognizant acquired TriZetto in 2014, giving it dominant proprietary software platforms like QNXT and Facets used widely by healthcare insurance companies to streamline administrative processes.
• Infosys’s Helix Platform: Infosys developed and launched its own competing healthcare platform called Helix.

The initial spark came in August 2024, when Cognizant’s subsidiary, TriZetto, filed a lawsuit accusing Infosys of unlawfully accessing and misusing its confidential and proprietary data—obtained under non-disclosure agreements (NDAAs)—to develop and market its rival Helix product.

Infosys vehemently denied these allegations.

Infosys Counter-Attack: Allegations of Monopolistic Tactics and Poaching

The conflict dramatically escalated in January 2025 when Infosys filed a sweeping counter-lawsuit.

Infosys’s counterclaim shifted the narrative, accusing Cognizant of engaging in anti-competitive practices aimed at stifling the growth of Helix and maintaining an illegal market monopoly.

Key allegations made by Infosys include:

1. Monopoly and Price Inflation: Infosys alleged that Cognizant used its market dominance (claimed to be around 65% in parts of the market) to artificially inflate prices and restrict market output, thus harming customer interests and limiting competitive alternatives.
2. Exclusionary Tactics: Infosys claimed Cognizant used tactics like imposing restrictive NDAAs, withholding essential training on its QNXT and Facets software, and employing “most favored vendor” (MFV) agreements to block competitors from entering the market.
3. Executive Poaching and Sabotage: Infosys leveled serious charges concerning the departure of its former President and Deputy COO, Ravi Kumar S, who resigned in October 2022 and Cognizant named as its CEO in January 2023. Infosys alleged that while at Infosys, Ravi Kumar deliberately delayed the launch of Infosys Helix and subsequently used his intimate knowledge of the platform and key personnel to weaken Helix by poaching senior Infosys employees shortly after joining Cognizant.
4. Naming Senior Executives: In later filings, Infosys named two more senior Cognizant executives—President for the Americas Surya Gummadi and Chief People Officer Kathryn Diaz—as central figures in the alleged anti-competitive and poaching strategy.

Cognizant forcefully rejected all of Infosys’s counterclaims, labeling them “preposterous” and asserting that Infosys was simply “caught red-handed misappropriating TriZetto trade secrets.”

A Battle for Market Supremacy and Talent

The legal tussle is taking place against a backdrop of intensifying competition in the global IT sector.

While Cognizant historically overtook Infosys in revenue rankings around 2012, the latter has been aggressively closing the gap in recent years.

In 2023, the revenue difference had narrowed to approximately $1 billion ($19.7 billion for Cognizant versus $18.6 billion for Infosys), and market analysts suggest the company could soon reclaim the number two spot among Indian-heritage IT companies.

Many observers see this legal “sequel” as a high-stakes proxy war over talent and strategic market dominance, particularly in a period where both firms are looking for growth amidst a global slowdown in discretionary spending.

The outcome of this courtroom drama will set significant legal precedents regarding competitive practices, trade secrets, and employee non-compete clauses in the multi-billion-dollar IT services industry.

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