OYO founder Ritesh Agarwal takes inspiration from Jeff Bezos, says success needs planning: ‘Hope is not a plan’

Ritesh Agarwal, the founder and CEO of OYO, has credited Jeff Bezos’s philosophy, particularly the notion that “hope is not a plan,” as a guiding principle in building his global hospitality empire.

OYO founder explains why Jeff Bezos is his inspiration

In a recent interview, OYO founder Ritesh Agarwal elaborated on how this mindset shaped his approach to business. “I think inspired by Jeff Bezos, in which he says that ‘hope is not a plan’. Lots of people think that agar hum mehnat karte rahenge toh ho jayega. Apne aap kuch nahi hota hai. You have to plan for it. See what are the five things ways. What are the three things that can go wrong? What are the two things that can go right? So I believe a plan is a plan. Hope is not a plan,” he said.

This philosophy underscores Agarwal’s emphasis on strategic planning, careful execution, and proactive risk management, rather than relying on chance or optimism alone.

By systematically evaluating potential challenges and opportunities, he has guided OYO from a small startup into one of the world’s largest hospitality networks.

How has Jeff Bezos inspired OYO founder, Ritesh Agarwal?

Several aspects of Agarwal’s approach to OYO mirror Bezos’s methods at Amazon:

Customer obsession: OYO focuses on standardising the budget hotel experience to deliver reliable, consistent service to guests, reflecting Amazon’s long-standing dedication to prioritising customer needs.

Relentless innovation and calculated risk-taking: The company has transformed the traditional budget hotel industry through technological solutions, aggressive expansion, and adaptive business models, similar to Amazon’s ongoing diversification and innovation across new markets.

Scaling from a modest beginning: Just as Amazon began as an online bookstore before growing into a global e-commerce giant, OYO started by aggregating budget hotel rooms in India and has evolved into a global chain spanning multiple countries.

Agarwal’s remarks highlight a shift in the entrepreneurial mindset, emphasising that ambition must be paired with structured planning and a realistic assessment of risks.

His belief that “hope is not a plan” has not only informed OYO’s operational strategies but also inspired a generation of young entrepreneurs to approach growth methodically rather than rely on optimism alone.