Zoho co-founder Sridhar Vembu has rejected suggestions that his public support for former Union education minister Dharmendra Pradhan was linked to the software company’s business dealings with the government, saying nearly 90% of its revenue is earned outside India.
Vembu said government contracts account for only about 2% of Zoho’s revenue and maintained that the privately held technology company had never sought preferential treatment from any administration.
“Some facts: about 90 per cent of our revenue comes from outside India, won against tough global competition,” Vembu said in a post on social media platform X.
“About 2 per cent of our revenue is from the government and when we do business with the government, we always save the taxpayer money, which we have the utmost respect for. We are also among the largest taxpayers in our region,” he added.
Vembu’s outlook on Pradhan’s resignation and Jantar Mantar protest
His clarification followed criticism on social media after he praised Pradhan, who resigned amid sustained student protests over alleged examination irregularities, paper leaks and accountability within the education system.
Vembu had also previously criticised sections of the Delhi protest movement, alleging that some demonstrators wanted to push India towards “chaos”. He argued that elections, rather than street mobilisation, should remain the primary means of expressing the public’s collective will.
In an earlier post, Vembu had described Pradhan as “one of the finest public servants” he knew and said he was saddened by the former minister’s resignation. “He cares deeply about the youth of this nation, and particularly about rural students,” Vembu said, while praising Pradhan for placing national interests above personal considerations.
The post prompted some social-media users to question whether Vembu’s endorsement was influenced by Zoho’s work with government departments. His statements placed one of India’s most prominent technology entrepreneurs at the centre of the political debate surrounding the protests and Pradhan’s exit.
Government adoption puts Zoho under spotlight
Questions about Zoho’s government business have also gained prominence because of a broader push by Union ministers and government departments to use domestically developed technology platforms.
Indian policymakers have increasingly promoted homegrown alternatives to products offered by global technology companies such as Microsoft and Google. Zoho’s productivity tools and email services have featured prominently in this “swadeshi” technology push.
Vembu, however, has repeatedly argued that Zoho’s growth was built primarily by selling software in international markets rather than through policy support or government procurement.
The company operates in more than 150 countries and competes with global software providers across customer relationship management, email, accounting, human resources, cybersecurity and enterprise management products.
The government’s endorsement may have strengthened Zoho’s visibility in India, but Vembu’s latest disclosure suggests public-sector contracts remain a small part of its overall business.
Zoho crosses one-million customer mark
Founded in 1996, Zoho Corporation completed 30 years of operations in 2026. The bootstrapped software group said in February that it had crossed one million paying customers and was serving more than 150 million users globally.
The group, which includes Zoho, ManageEngine, Qntrl and TrainerCentral, reported a 32% year-on-year increase in customers and a 20% rise in revenue during 2025.
Unlike several Indian technology start-ups, Zoho has largely stayed away from external venture-capital funding and public-market listing. Its international revenue base has allowed the company to expand while retaining private ownership and operational control.
The company has offices across major markets, including the US, Japan, Australia, Germany, the Netherlands, South Africa and China, while maintaining a significant portion of its workforce and product-development operations in India.
