No cellphones, no potbellies: Old Infosys canteen video sparks 1990s nostalgia online

An old video showing the Infosys canteen in Bengaluru during the 1990s has gone viral online, sparking waves of nostalgia across microblogging platform X for what many called the “golden era” of India’s IT industry.

The clip, posted on X by a user, shows young employees chatting over lunch and laughing. “Footage from Infosys canteen, Bangalore in the 1990s. Almost everyone in this is probably a multi-millionaire and settled abroad today,” said the caption. The video has since been viewed over four million times.



Many who entered the IT industry during its rise, reminisced about the grainy footage, saying it offered a look into pre-digital work life: no phones, just camaraderie and conversation. Some also shared pictures of their companies from those years.


Social media users have flooded platforms with comments praising the simplicity and optimism of the time. "Everyone is so slim, and look so young. All clean shaven... Can't see even one obese there. No burrowing faces in the mobile phone. Everyone looks relaxed and enjoying their break. Today's youth look so aged, so tired," one user wrote.


Another wrote, "Clean-shaven, fitter bodies, no potbellies, no phones glued to hands, no AI-induced job anxiety. Just genuine laughs and cross-cultural friendships. What a blessed era to work in IT."


One user also recalled Infosys’s “Catch Them Young” programme, where school students were invited to learn coding from engineers.


One user compared Infosys to the OpenAI of the 90s. "My first employer was TCS out of B school and we were all envious in our batch of trainees of Infosys for their great campuses, fancier titles, free food and all that."

The video has also triggered reflection on how much India’s corporate life has evolved. Many users contrasted the cheerful, gadget-free canteen scene with today’s stressful office culture.