Why India can’t have Tesla or Apple: Harsh Goenka shares lesson from China that helped BYD beat Elon Musk’s company

A short video clip shared by industrialist Harsh Goenka has triggered a wide debate online on why India struggles to build global tech giants like Tesla or Apple. The clip, taken from a podcast, features retired Army officer Lt Gen Raj Shukla explaining how China backed BYD with massive funding and long-term planning, helping it emerge as a serious challenger to world's richest man Elon Musk’s company. The video has clocked lakhs of views within hours, with many calling it a “wake-up call” for India’s policymakers and corporate leaders.

A $15-billion push that changed the game

Speaking on a podcast shared by Harsh Goenka, Lt Gen Shukla recalled a conversation with BYD’s leadership from about a decade ago. At the time, Tesla was investing heavily in research and development.

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China’s top leadership, he said, stepped in with a direct mandate: surpass Tesla. When BYD was asked what it needed, the answer was clear, $15 billion in support.

What followed was an aggressive, state-backed push into innovation. BYD reportedly built a massive R&D ecosystem, hiring over one lakh engineers focused purely on research. The company also set up multiple research institutes, signalling a scale of investment rarely seen in India’s private sector.

The company set up 11 research institutes, more than what India's Ministry of Defence has.

From underdog to global challenger

Fast-forward ten years, and the results are staring the world in the face., the results are visible. BYD has emerged as one of the world’s largest electric vehicle makers, competing head-on with Tesla in key markets.

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According to Lt Gen Shukla, China’s focused investments have helped it gain an edge across sectors like energy storage and robotics, while rapidly closing the gap in artificial intelligence.

The larger point: sustained investment, policy support, and long-term vision helped turn a relatively unknown company into a global force.

Why the comparison is stinging India

Goenka’s caption, calling the BYD story a “lesson” for India, struck a chord online. Many users contrasted China’s decades-long planning with what they described as India’s shorter political and business cycles.

Some argued that Indian companies often prioritise quick returns over deep technology investments. Others questioned whether India has created the kind of ecosystem, policy support, infrastructure, and capital, that enables large-scale innovation.

There were also calls to strengthen existing efforts like the government’s EV incentives and manufacturing push, but with a sharper focus on building a complete ecosystem—from battery supply chains to charging infrastructure.

Not everyone agrees

The debate, however, is far from one-sided. Some users pushed back, questioning the narrative and pointing to structural differences between India and China, from governance models to market dynamics.

Others argued that India is already making progress in electric mobility, with domestic players scaling up and policy support gradually improving.