Zoho founder Sridhar Vembu has urged Indians living and working in the US on a visa to return to India, saying many Indians who have contributed to America’s technology sector are now facing uncertainty about their future there. In a post on X (formerly known as Twitter), Sridhar Vembu said that Indians had played a major role in building America’s technological strength, but added that a section of the country no longer wanted them. “Indians have made a major contribution to America’s technological prowess. Yet, a big part of America no longer wants us,” Vembu wrote.He also highlighted the personal cost of immigration uncertainty for Indians who have built their lives in the US after years of hard work. “Indians who are on a visa in the US face the painful prospect of uprooting the life you have built with hard work,” he said.“Let this be the birth pains of a bold new future. Come back, let’s build India 🙏,” he wrote.Sridhar Vembu’s comments come amid concerns among Indian professionals about their ability to work and settle in the US. Many Indian technology workers depend on employment-based visas, including the H-1B visa, while some seek permanent residency through the Green Card process.When a user asked “What exactly was the problem with India, that the brains from India built US whereas they could not do anything here”, Vembu replied:“The Chinese migrated in large numbers even as China developed.Taiwanese migrated in large numbers as Taiwan developed. Same with South Korea and before that Japan.My point is that development at a national level accompanies out migration of talent seeking better opportunities faster”.
Sridhar Vembu wrote an open letter to Indians in America
In April this year, Vembu shared an open letter addressed to Indians living in the United States. The letter then urged “brothers and sisters from Bharat” to consider returning to India and contribute to the country’s growth. In the post, Vembu reflected on his own journey to the US decades ago and acknowledged the opportunities it provided. At the same time, he pointed to changing perceptions around immigration and jobs, saying that Indians abroad are increasingly caught in broader political debates.“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. That is the “hard right” vs “woke left” battle. You are mere bystanders to that conflict,” Vembu wrote.