Zoho IPO soon? Here's what founder Sridhar Vembu said
What's the story
Sridhar Vembu, the co-founder and CEO of Zoho, has reiterated that the company is not in a hurry to go public. In a recent post on X, he explained how some of their key projects like Arattai wouldn't have been possible under the financial pressures of public companies. He said that Arattai was a "hopelessly foolish" project and even employees were skeptical about its success.
Engineering focus
Zoho's commitment to India's tech landscape
Vembu stressed that the decision to develop such products stemmed from a belief in building strong engineering capabilities in India. He said, "We built it because we felt we need that kind of engineering capability in Bharat. We need a lot more of such capabilities in Bharat and we are on it."
R&D initiatives
Long-range R&D projects in various tech domains
Vembu also revealed that Zoho is working on long-range research and development projects in areas like compilers, databases, operating systems, security, hardware, chip design, robotics, and AI. He said the company has invested in many R&D-heavy firms where immediate profitability isn't expected. "Zoho is a kind of an industrial research lab that also makes money to fund itself," Vembu explained.
Frugal approach
Frugality and sustainability at the core of Zoho's operations
Vembu noted that Zoho's leadership team lives a frugal lifestyle, much like ISRO scientists and engineers. This is done to focus resources on innovation and long-term growth instead of short-term profits. He called this approach the "essence of Bharat" and compared it with Japan's developmental model.
Twitter Post
Take a look at Vembu's post
We understand the push for Zoho to go public. But let me state the reality: Arattai would very likely not have been built by a public company that faces quarter to quarter financial pressure. It was a "hopelessly foolish" project, and even our employees had expressed scepticism… https://t.co/vuELimKCv0
— Sridhar Vembu (@svembu) September 28, 2025