IT services major Cognizant Technology Solutions will fund its discretionary bonus program at 100% for 2025, after achieving a key internal performance milestone—known as the “Winner’s Circle”—two years ahead of its original target.
The development reflects a period of improved execution, stronger revenue growth, and expanding margins for the Teaneck-headquartered company, which employs over 350,000 people, the majority of them based in India.
Cognizant uses the term “Winner’s Circle” as an internal benchmark to signal that the company has moved into a top tier of performance within its global peer group. The assessment is based on a mix of revenue growth, operating margins, and execution metrics.
The company had earlier indicated that it aimed to reach this milestone by 2027, but successfully achieved it in 2025, underscoring faster-than-expected progress.
Announcing the decision in an internal email accessed by a news , Chief Executive Officer Ravi Kumar S credited employees for the achievement.
“Our 2025 results are the direct outcome of your hustle, disciplined execution, and commitment to our clients and to Cognizant. To recognize this effort, I am pleased to share that we have authorized funding our discretionary bonus program at 100%,”
The company has not yet disclosed how individual bonus payouts will be structured, though the full funding of the pool has been confirmed.
Cognizant’s leadership had earlier stated that entry into the Winner’s Circle was a medium-term objective targeted for 2027. Achieving it in 2025 highlights stronger operational momentum.
Addressing analysts after the earnings announcement, the CEO noted:
“Reaching the Winner’s Circle ahead of plan reflects the consistency in our execution and the progress we have made on growth and margins,”
The IT services firm beat its fourth-quarter revenue guidance, providing early signs that its billion-dollar AI push is beginning to translate into tangible growth.
This progress comes at a time when client spending remains measured and overall visibility in the IT services sector continues to be cautious on a sequential basis.
Cognizant’s entry into the Winner’s Circle followed 6.4% constant currency (CC) growth in CY2025, the highest among large IT services companies.
While direct comparisons are indicative—given different fiscal calendars across companies—Moneycontrol’s like-for-like analysis shows:
Accenture: 6.25%
HCLTech: 4.8%
Infosys: 3.15%
TCS: 0.78%
Wipro: -1.83%
Cognizant follows a calendar-year reporting cycle, while most Indian peers operate on an April–March fiscal year, and Accenture follows a different fiscal calendar.
According to Cognizant’s earnings supplement, its entry into the Winner’s Circle was determined by how its CC revenue growth ranked against a defined global peer group in 2025.
The company highlighted a steady improvement in its relative standing:
2022: Ranked 10th
2023: Ranked 8th
2024: Ranked 6th
Over the same period, the gap between Cognizant’s growth and the peer average narrowed significantly:
2022: 8 percentage points below peer average
2023: 3 percentage points below peer average
2025: 0.5 percentage points above peer average
This improvement enabled Cognizant to reach “Top Tier” status, which it defines as being among the top four performers by revenue growth within its peer set.
The peer group used for benchmarking includes:
Accenture
Capgemini
CGI Group
DXC
EPAM
Genpact
HCLTech
Infosys
Tata Consultancy Services
Wipro
The company clarified that this reflects relative performance improvement rather than absolute growth alone.
Cognizant’s decision to fund its 2025 bonus pool at 100% marks a significant morale boost for its workforce and signals growing confidence in its turnaround and growth strategy. Achieving the “Winner’s Circle” milestone two years ahead of schedule highlights stronger execution, improving margins, and early traction from its AI investments.
While macro uncertainty and cautious client spending remain challenges for the IT services sector, Cognizant’s relative outperformance suggests it is regaining competitive momentum among global peers.