'Bengaluru traffic is insane': Sabeer Bhatia says he rides same distance on cycle in 1/3 the time in SF

Sabeer Bhatia's criticism of Bengaluru traffic resonated with many X users.

Sabeer Bhatia, the co-founder of Hotmail, has sparked a fresh debate on India's urban infrastructure, particularly Bengaluru's notorious traffic, after taking to X to express his disbelief. Bhatia, who resides in San Francisco's Bay Area, highlighted the stark contrast in commute times, calling Bengaluru's traffic "insane."

"I know Bengaluru folks may call this negative… but the traffic here is INSANE. I ride the same distance on my bicycle in 1/3 the time in the Bay Area. How do people tolerate this every day?" Bhatia posted, drawing immediate and strong reactions from online users.

His criticism resonated with many, prompting a flurry of responses. Entrepreneur Akshay Shah (@AkshayiWeb) suggested drastic measures to deal with the city's traffic woes: "We have to start boycotting Bengaluru, only way to bring them to their senses, techies can easily relocate their jobs and startups their base to teach the state a lesson in infra." Ravindra (@Ravindra_PE) echoed a sense of despair, stating, "I don’t think any government is keen to solve the problem. The only solution is that new companies should not come to Bangalore."

Balaji (@balajiworld) pointed fingers at corporate responsibility, or the lack thereof: "Corporate responsibility is non-existent in Bengaluru. Fixing the roads in front of their own premises will massively help, but companies don't do it. My employer, for example, has more than 50k employees driving to work every day because they don't provide cab pickups."

Bhatia on being trolled for critiquing India
The entrepreneur, who has often faced trolling for his critiques of India, recently clarified his intentions in another tweet. "When I highlight how much more work is needed to make India a developed country, people call me negative. I’m not. I want to inspire people to see this as a challenge worth solving. There’s so much fantastic work to be done. I’m excited!" Bhatia shared last week.