(Image courtesy: Zoho Corporation)
NEW DELHI: Zoho Corporation founder Sridhar Vembu has urged Indian technology professionals working in the United States to return home and help build India’s technology ecosystem, describing the current immigration uncertainties as an opportunity rather than a setback.
In a post on X, Vembu wrote: “Indians have made a major contribution to America’s technological prowess. Yet, a big part of America no longer wants us.” He acknowledged the personal difficulty many face, adding: “Indians who are on a visa in the US face the painful prospect of uprooting the life you have built with hard work. Let this be the birth pains of a bold new future. Come back, let’s build India.”
Vembu’s remarks come amid heightened uncertainty for Indian professionals on work visas. The US administration has suspended several technology companies from the Permanent Labour Certification (PERM) programme, a critical step in the employer-sponsored green card process.
The affected firms include major Indian IT companies such as Tata Consultancy Services (TCS), Infosys, Wipro, HCLTech and Cognizant, along with Capgemini, Microsoft and Adobe.
The suspensions, linked to ongoing federal investigations, mean the US Department of Labor will not accept new PERM applications or process pending ones involving these companies. This has intensified concerns among H-1B visa holders about their long-term prospects in the United States.
Call to Build Homegrown Capabilities
Vembu, known for building Zoho as a successful bootstrapped Indian software company with a strong presence in rural Tamil Nadu, has consistently advocated for reducing dependence on foreign technology and creating opportunities within India.
His latest appeal frames the current restrictions as a moment for Indian talent to contribute to domestic innovation, startups and product companies rather than primarily supporting the US tech industry.
The post has sparked widespread discussion online. Some users highlighted the irony of Indian professionals leading major American technology firms while facing growing resistance to foreign workers.
Others stressed that simply returning talent is not enough and called for deeper reforms; greater investment in research and development, stronger university-industry collaboration, better support for startups, and the creation of globally competitive Indian products and platforms.
Commentators noted that while the United States has historically benefited from Indian talent, India now has the scale, market and growing infrastructure to absorb returning professionals.
At the same time, some warned that without significant improvements in the innovation ecosystem, talent could still prefer destinations such as Singapore, the UK or other countries offering competitive opportunities.
Vembu’s message aligns with his long-standing public stance that India should focus on building its own technology capabilities and that periods of external restriction can accelerate domestic growth.
The appeal has resonated at a time when questions around H-1B visas, green card backlogs and immigration policy remain highly sensitive for the large community of Indian technology professionals in the United States.
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