value of ai agents in india vs usa
I had a big revelation today about the fundamental difference between Indian and US consumers in the AI agents market, and it's surprisingly logical.
Many companies are building AI agents with compelling promises: human-like performance, 24/7 availability, and massive time savings—essentially offering a parallel organizational chart.
However, the Indian market hasn't fully embraced this concept. While we're among the largest users of free ChatGPT globally, we are not the biggest consumers of paid agentic tools.
The reason isn't what most people think. Contrary to the popular belief that cheap labour availability is the primary factor, the real issue is that India is fundamentally a revenue-first market.
Let me explain. In India, you can't simply promise to "save X hours for Y payment" and build a successful business. Instead, the better business model would be that you generate Z rupees in revenue and take a percentage cut.
But today, most AI agent companies aren't structured around this revenue-sharing promise.
Let's take an example: A GTM expert in the US typically costs between $10,000 and $20,000 per month. In this context, Clay's ~$800 tool makes perfect sense to save significant hours for the GTM expert. Huge value unlock compared to the full salary cost.
But if you think $800 (roughly ₹70,000) in the Indian context, the numbers don't add up. Your average GTM expert here makes ₹1 lakh to ₹1.5 lakh monthly. So that $800 investment? It's a tough sell based on cost alone.
But here's where it gets interesting. If Clay could show me they'd help generate ₹8 lakh in revenue, suddenly that ~$800 makes perfect sense.
Most companies get this wrong. They think India is just about cheap labour. That's missing the real insight. The opportunity in India is revenue unlock.