He has served as an advisor to two Prime Ministers of India, Dr. Manmohan Singh and Rajiv Gandhi, during their tenures, as well as to the United Nations.

Between 2005 and 2009, he chaired the National Knowledge Commission in India and served as an advisor to Prime Minister Manmohan Singh in the area of Public Information Infrastructure and Innovations.

[18] During the 2024 Indian general election, Pitroda made remarks in respect of inheritance tax where he allegedly emphasised the need for a policy of wealth redistribution in India and provided an example of inheritance tax in the United States, If one has 100 million USD worth of wealth and when he dies he can only transfer probably 45 per cent to his children, 55 per cent is grabbed by the government.

[20][21] Pitroda had earlier created controversy over his comments on the 1984 Anti-Sikh riots and 2019 Pulwama attack during the 2019 Indian general election.

[22] Soon after making his racial analogy comments, Jairam Ramesh announced that Pitroda had resigned as chairman of Indian Overseas Congress.

[24] The Indian National Congress distanced itself from Sam Pitroda's remarks on China, stating "they do not reflect the party's views.".