Zoho’s Sridhar Vembu Urges Indians in U.S. to Return Home to Boost Tech Growth
NEW DELHI — Zoho Chief Scientist and co-founder Sridhar Vembu has called on Indians living in the United States to return home and contribute to strengthening India’s technological capabilities, saying the country’s global standing will depend on its innovation and expertise.
In an open letter posted on X, Vembu addressed “brothers and sisters from Bharat,” reflecting on his own move to the U.S. nearly four decades ago with limited resources but strong educational and cultural foundations.
“You achieved outstanding success. America was good to us. For that we must remain grateful — gratitude is our Bharatiya way,” he wrote.
At the same time, Vembu pointed to shifting perceptions in the U.S., saying a growing number of Americans believe Indian professionals take away domestic jobs and view their success as unfairly earned.
“The number of people who hold such views in the U.S. may be not the majority but not too far from it either,” he said.
He also described Indians as largely observers in U.S. political dynamics, arguing that neither major ideological camp guarantees respect for the Indian diaspora.
“You may think the next election will fix this, but your choice would be between people who hate our Bharatiya civilisation and people who hate civilisation itself,” Vembu wrote.
Encouraging professionals to consider returning, he said India’s progress in technology would strengthen its global influence and economic future.
“As we develop that prowess in India, our civilisational strength will assert itself,” he wrote.
“If India remains poor, the woke left will give us moral lectures with pity and the hard right, different moral lectures with scorn (‘hellhole’) and we must not confuse either with respect,” the post added.
“As difficult as it is for many of you to contemplate this, please come back home. Bharat Mata needs your talent. Our vast youthful population needs the technology leadership you gained over the years to guide them towards prosperity. Let’s do it with a missionary zeal,” he concluded.
Vembu’s remarks come amid renewed scrutiny of the H-1B visa program, widely used by U.S. technology companies to hire foreign workers. A group of Republican lawmakers has proposed legislation to suspend the program for three years, arguing it has been used to replace American workers with lower-cost foreign labor. (Source: IANS)
