After 22 years of watching India change, Austrian businessman Wolfgang Bergthaler says the country has become more digital, confident and competitive but traditional hierarchies remain
India has become a far bigger and more sophisticated market for global businesses, but that transformation has not necessarily changed the way power and decision-making work inside the country, according to Austrian business-development professional Wolfgang Bergthaler. “India went global. Hierarchy stayed local,” he wrote in a LinkedIn post.
Bergthaler, who says he has been coming to India for 22 years, recently shared two posts about how the country has changed since he first arrived. According to his LinkedIn profile, Bergthaler has worked in Indo-European business development since 2008. He is currently the founder of Austria-based WB5 GmbH, which focuses on India-Europe business development.
From cash to QR codes
One of the biggest changes Bergthaler highlighted was India’s shift towards digital payments.
In his earlier post, he said India had moved from a “100% cash-driven economy” to one where QR codes are widely used. He also praised UPI, Aadhaar and DigiLocker, saying India was showing how digital infrastructure can work.
Bergthaler also pointed to India’s infrastructure push, highlighting metros, airports, expressways and railways.
“India still announces big, but also delivers and makes travel easier,” he wrote.
More from Business‘India needs the West less’
But his biggest observation for foreign companies was about India’s growing self-reliance. “India needs the West less,” Bergthaler wrote.
He said technology, capital, know-how and major brands increasingly come from within India. In his view, simply “coming from Europe” no longer carries the same weight it once did.
His latest post put it more bluntly: “Being foreign impresses nobody anymore.”
Bergthaler said the Indian market is now bigger and more professional, but competition is also tougher and consumer expectations are higher.
“Doing business in India didn’t become easier. It became more serious,” he wrote.
The new Indian consumer
Bergthaler also said India’s middle class has changed the way it uses money. “Saving used to be a virtue. Consumption has become one too, as well as investing in the stock market,” he wrote.
He also pointed to India’s fast-growing online shopping and delivery culture. “India took home delivery to absurd levels,” he wrote, describing consumers ordering low-value products online and expecting them to arrive within minutes. “Rs 100 spent. 1000 expectations,” he said.
India is more confident
Bergthaler also highlighted Indians’ growing international presence. “Indians travel — a lot,” he wrote, saying Indians are increasingly visible at airports around the world and in Austrian cities. But he described another change as even more important: “Indians believe in India!”
He called India’s growing self-confidence “perhaps the biggest change” he had seen in 22 years.
For foreign companies, that confidence matters. India is increasingly a market with its own technology, capital, brands and business expertise rather than simply a destination for Western products and investment.
The uncomfortable side of growth
Bergthaler’s second post was more critical. He said that rising wealth had come with problems including poorer diets, more junk food and unhealthy lifestyles. He also raised concerns about clean air, water and privacy.
“People got richer. Their diets got poorer,” he wrote.
He also criticised the growing role of social media, saying attention spans had shifted from hours to short-form videos.
These are his personal observations and should not be treated as independent measurements of India’s health or social conditions.
“None of this means India is going backwards. Quite the opposite,” he wrote, adding that India had made “incredible progress”.
