According to a report, Infosys has submitted a joint filing dated June 13 to a Dallas court, alleging that Cognizant’s Chief People Officer Kathryn Diaz and Americas division president Surya Gummadi were directly involved in an effort to hire away Infosys personnel critical to its healthcare technology offering, Helix.
Infosys claims that this strategy was orchestrated under the leadership of Ravi Kumar S, former Infosys President and now CEO of Cognizant. Kumar, who moved to Cognizant in January 2023, is already at the center of an ongoing legal fight, with Infosys earlier accusing him of deliberately stalling Helix’s rollout during his transition from Infosys to Cognizant.
The company’s latest allegations focus on two former Infosys executives:
- Shveta Arora, now Cognizant’s Consulting Head, who was hired between October and December 2023.
- Ravi Kuchibhotla, currently Chief Strategy Officer at Cognizant, who joined in August 2024.
Both had previously worked on the Helix platform, which Infosys alleges was targeted intentionally to disrupt its healthcare ambitions.
Cognizant Denies Allegations, Counters with IP Theft Claim
Cognizant has rejected Infosys’ latest charges, calling them misleading and unfounded. The company stated that Kathryn Diaz was appointed only after Ravi Kumar joined, contradicting Infosys’ claim of coordinated poaching. Additionally, Cognizant has maintained that Infosys’ accusations are a distraction from more serious underlying issues.
Cognizant doubled down on its counterclaim from August 2024, accusing Infosys of stealing proprietary healthcare software-related trade secrets, specifically linked to TriZetto. Infosys has firmly denied these charges and responded with its own counter-lawsuit, demanding clarity on what intellectual property was allegedly misappropriated.
In its recent filing, Infosys claimed that Diaz and Gummadi possess documents and knowledge material to the case, which further reinforces their stance that the recruitment of Arora and Kuchibhotla was a targeted and strategic move rather than a coincidence.
A High-Stakes Battle in the Competitive Healthcare Tech Market
The Infosys-Cognizant legal saga reflects deeper competitive tensions in the multi-billion-dollar healthcare technology segment, where both companies are racing to dominate. Infosys’ Helix platform, which integrates AI, automation, and healthcare analytics, was positioned to be a direct competitor to Cognizant’s TriZetto, a well-established suite used widely by U.S. healthcare providers.
Legal experts suggest the case could set an important precedent for how talent mobility, trade secrets, and non-compete clauses are treated across jurisdictions, particularly in the IT and healthcare sectors. The filings and counter-filings also highlight the blurred lines between employee movement and intellectual property protection—a critical issue for global IT firms in an era of intense digital transformation.
As both sides gear up for what could be a prolonged courtroom battle, the case underscores the strategic importance of proprietary platforms and the human capital driving their development. For Infosys, the allegations strike at the heart of its growth strategy in healthcare tech. For Cognizant, the outcome could shape how future recruitment and product development are viewed in legal terms.