Zerodha co-founder Nikhil Kamath shares what he earned at his first job

Zerodha co-founder Nikhil Kamath has revealed this first job salary and also talked about his career beginning in a candid conversation with investor-author Ruchir Sharma . In a recent podcast episode, both Kamath and Sharma reflected on their very different career paths and also revealed the stark difference between their first salaries.

Kamath’s humble start in a call center
Speaking in a recent WTF podcast episode, Kamath remembered his first job. He revealed that in early 2000s he worked at a Bengaluru call center, where he earned $1,000 annually — roughly Rs 88,000 at the time. He also revealed that he worked in night shifts and called it a modest but formative experience. Kamath feels that this early job offered him a better understanding of his work and discipline before he went on to co‑found India’s largest stock brokerage, Zerodha .

Sharma’s big break at Morgan Stanley
On the other hand, Sharma stated that at just 22 years of age in 1996, he was offered a job at Morgan Stanley in India. His salary package started at $100,000 per year — equivalent to nearly Rs 88 lakh today. Sharma further revealed that at the same time he was also thinking of pursuing a PhD, but the Wall Street giant persuaded him to join its Mumbai office.

Divergent journeys, shared success
While with a modest pay check Kamath built his success through entrepreneurship, Sharma’s career took off rapidly in the corporate world. By the early 2000s, he had moved to New York, rising through the ranks at Morgan Stanley to eventually become Chief Global Strategist. Today, he heads international business at Rockefeller Capital Management and is also an acclaimed author of books such as Breakout Nations and The Rise and Fall of Nations.