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Talking about his personal choice to return to India, Zoho chief scientist Sridhar Vembu said he is not making any sacrifices and has the “best life in the world and all of India”
Zoho co-founder Sridhar Vembu said those who have a ‘green’ card – a document for permanent residency in the US – have the option of staying and it is their personal choice. (Image: News18/File)
Amid the uncertainty over the H-1B visa programme overhaul in the United States, Zoho co-founder and chief scientist Sridhar Vembu has advocated for Indians working abroad to return to the country.
Sridhar Vembu, whose company has made significant contributions to what he calls the “Swadeshi technology movement”, said if another country does not want you to stay, then you should return to your own.
“If people have an easy option of staying, they will stay, right? But if the other nation says go back, what are you going to do? Those are the people I am addressing. Why stay in a place that no longer wants you?” Vembu asked, while sharing deep insights on the future of Indian technology during an exclusive interview with News18.
Watch the video here:
Vembu said those who have a ‘green’ card – a document for permanent residency in the US – have the option of staying and it is their personal choice.
“But somebody, you know, they said, go back to your nation. I’d say, no, we should just come back. That’s my attitude,” he said, addressing the much-talked about issue of “brain drain”.
His comments follow the Trump administration’s decision to increase the one-time fee for H-1B visas to $100,000 over misuse of the visa system, especially by IT companies to suppress wages and hire more foreign workers on lower salaries.
The US is poised to significantly tighten regulations around the H-1B visa programme, a move that could have far-reaching implications for Indian IT professionals and international students seeking employment in the country. The US Department of Homeland Security (DHS) has unveiled a draft proposal titled ‘Reforming the H-1B Visa Non-Immigrant Visa Programme’, which seeks to overhaul key aspects including eligibility criteria, oversight mechanisms, and fee structures.
At the heart of the proposed changes is the introduction of a $100,000 fee (approximately Rs 88,00,000) for H-1B visa applications, alongside a shift from the current lottery-based selection process to a wage-based system, prioritising applicants with higher salaries.
‘I’M HAPPY IN MY VILLAGE’
Talking about his personal choice to return to India, Sridhar Vembu said he is not making any sacrifices and has the “best life in the world and all of India”.
“Look, I think I have the best life in the world and all of India. It’s my mental attitude. I’m not sacrificing anything. By the way, I’m very happy in my village. And you can find that happiness too, it’s there,” he said.
He said happiness can be found in the food and culture of your own country and it is simply a matter of building the right kind of attitude. On the important of building a Swadeshi tech ecosystems, he added that if someone has the right kind of knowledge, they can do “very good work” in India as well.
“In fact, the food, the culture, all the festivals I participate in, I do not want to miss it for the world. So I know I’m in heaven. Really…I think you can build that attitude when you have that attitude. India is very welcoming, very warm. If you have the knowledge, you can also do very good work here. So that’s what I believe,” he said.
Multiple government offices, union ministers and other officials have adopted the Indian made Zoho mail in the last few days as part of a push for adopting Swadeshi products.
On September 22, Union Minister for Electronics and Information Technology Ashwini Vaishnaw said he had switched to Zoho, and urged others to join in on Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s call for Swadeshi by adopting indigenous products and services.
(With agency inputs)
Oindrila Mukherjee is a senior sub-editor who works for the rewrite and breaking news desks. Her nine years of experience in print and digital journalism range from editing and reporting to writing impactful st…Read More
Oindrila Mukherjee is a senior sub-editor who works for the rewrite and breaking news desks. Her nine years of experience in print and digital journalism range from editing and reporting to writing impactful st… Read More
October 14, 2025, 19:56 IST
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