Sridhar Vembu, the founder and Chief Scientist at Zoho Corporation, has shared his thoughts on India’s dependency on the US for all its technological needs. In a viral post that’s ignited a debate on social media, Sridhar Vembu, has issued a warning call for India to embark on a transformative 10-year “National Mission for Tech Resilience” plan, the failure to do which could put India at a serious disadvantage, if it were to face an issue like China.
The recent escalations in geopolitical tensions, with US President Donald Trump imposing stringent curbs on several countries, including India and China, have called for action to be self-reliant as far as basic services are concerned. Vembu’s remarks were in response to the concern quoted by industrialist Harsh Goenka, chairman of RPG Enterprises.
Goenka, in his post, writes, “Imagine if Trump bans India from using US tech platforms—no X, Google, Instagram, Facebook, or ChatGPT. Frightening, no! Just think about the consequences seriously and what could be Plan B for us.”
Sridhar Vembu comments on Goenka’s concerns
Vembu amplified the concern, stating, “I agree. And we have a lot more such tech dependency beyond the app level: OS, chips, fabs… it goes deeper and deeper.” Vembu’s comment refers to the nation’s boost in the booming IT sector, contributing 8% to GDP and employing millions, but its reliance on US ecosystems remains profound.
Smartphones run on Android or iOS, both of which are American. Data centers rely on American chips from Intel and Nvidia. Even emerging AI tools like ChatGPT and Perplexity, which underpin countless modern apps, are American-made products. A hypothetical ban, as Goenka suggests, could paralyse e-commerce, banking, and governance overnight, echoing the 2020 US-China tech decoupling that disrupted global supply chains.
Vembu, however, came up with a solution. “We need a 10-year ‘National Mission for Tech Resilience’. It can be done,” he added in his post. His vision draws parallels from India’s space and nuclear programs, which are now self-reliant via sustained investments. He predicts that ten years is what it would take for India to achieve self-reliance in the world of technology, provided constant investments fuel innovations consistently.
Vembu’s Zoho has been pushing for a locally designed software suite and POS machine, all in a bid to create a homegrown ecosystem. The Arattai app has been pitched as a worthy alternative to WhatsApp, offering most of the security features as well as basic texting services. The app is currently poised to get end-to-end encryption for text messaging. Zoho’s Mail service has also been endorsed by the Union Home Minister Amit Shah.
His followers, however, have mixed emotions related to Vembu’s solutions. Here is a look at a few of those.
