Quote of the Day by Ritesh Agarwal: 'When I go to colleges for talks, I encourage the students to drop out'
Under Ritesh's leadership, OYO expanded from a small hotel network in India into an international hospitality business with a presence across multiple countries
- Nov 9, 2026,
- Updated Nov 9, 2026 7:30 AM IST
"When I go to colleges for talks, I encourage the students to drop out,” a quote by Ritesh Agarwal, Founder and CEO of OYO.
He frequently shared this sentiment early in his career to challenge the traditional education system in India and encourage a culture of high-quality entrepreneurship.
Who is Ritesh Agarwal?
Ritesh Agarwal (born November 16, 1993) is an Indian entrepreneur and the founder and CEO of OYO, one of the world’s largest hospitality and hotel-booking platforms.
He founded OYO in 2013 with the aim of transforming the fragmented budget-hotel sector by helping hotels improve their operations, branding, technology and customer experience.
Agarwal became one of India’s youngest entrepreneurs to build a major technology company. Under his leadership, OYO expanded from a small hotel network in India into an international hospitality business with a presence across multiple countries. The company has worked with hotels, homes and other accommodation providers through its technology-driven platform.
When was this quote said by Ritesh Agarwal?
Ritesh Agarwal made this statement in a widely publicised profile interview that gained massive traction in June 2018.
The quote was published as part of a feature tracking his rise from a teen selling SIM cards in Odisha to becoming a 22-year-old millionaire heading OYO Rooms.
What does this quote mean?
Ritesh Agarwal's quote means that long-term business success depends more on how your team works together than on the strategy you build.
By provocatively telling students to drop out, Ritesh Agarwal was not dismissing the value of education itself, but rather criticising a rigid academic system that he felt suppressed creativity, smart risk-taking, and hands-on learning.
Drawing from his own experience as a successful dropout and a Thiel Fellow, he wanted to break the cultural stigma around leaving school in India, urging young minds with brilliant, disruptive ideas to stop waiting for a formal credential and start building their businesses immediately.
"When I go to colleges for talks, I encourage the students to drop out,” a quote by Ritesh Agarwal, Founder and CEO of OYO.
He frequently shared this sentiment early in his career to challenge the traditional education system in India and encourage a culture of high-quality entrepreneurship.
Who is Ritesh Agarwal?
Ritesh Agarwal (born November 16, 1993) is an Indian entrepreneur and the founder and CEO of OYO, one of the world’s largest hospitality and hotel-booking platforms.
He founded OYO in 2013 with the aim of transforming the fragmented budget-hotel sector by helping hotels improve their operations, branding, technology and customer experience.
Agarwal became one of India’s youngest entrepreneurs to build a major technology company. Under his leadership, OYO expanded from a small hotel network in India into an international hospitality business with a presence across multiple countries. The company has worked with hotels, homes and other accommodation providers through its technology-driven platform.
When was this quote said by Ritesh Agarwal?
Ritesh Agarwal made this statement in a widely publicised profile interview that gained massive traction in June 2018.
The quote was published as part of a feature tracking his rise from a teen selling SIM cards in Odisha to becoming a 22-year-old millionaire heading OYO Rooms.
What does this quote mean?
Ritesh Agarwal's quote means that long-term business success depends more on how your team works together than on the strategy you build.
By provocatively telling students to drop out, Ritesh Agarwal was not dismissing the value of education itself, but rather criticising a rigid academic system that he felt suppressed creativity, smart risk-taking, and hands-on learning.
Drawing from his own experience as a successful dropout and a Thiel Fellow, he wanted to break the cultural stigma around leaving school in India, urging young minds with brilliant, disruptive ideas to stop waiting for a formal credential and start building their businesses immediately.