Many IITians in the countries have started their own companies instead of working for other high-profile corporate firms. Some even rejected high-paying jobs to launch their own startup. One such person is Sridhar Vembu, CEO and co-founder of Zoho. He founded privately held Zoho, a maker of cloud-based business software, with Tony Thomas in 1996. He is an alumnus of IIT Bombay and also holds a PhD from Princeton University.
Vembu is a billionaire businessman and social entrepreneur, who has reportedly Rs 31493 crore net worth. His Zoho’s net profit in the financial year 2023 was Rs 2,836 crore. Now, amid ongoing debates in Indian companies about high stress at workplaces, he said companies that push workers 'very hard' will not be able to sustain the pace, he told PTI. The 56-year-old advocated that a 'different' mindset is needed to build long-term and sustainable organisations.
Vembu further said burnout, loneliness post-migration to big cities, long-commutes and stressful work conditions are throwing people into "a very big pressure cooker" like environment. The man is known for his simplicity despite having a net worth of crores. He was born in a village in Tamil Nadu’s Thanjavur district into a family of farmers.
READ | Anil Ambani ready to SHAKE UP market after board's approval to raise Rs 2,930 crore
He founded Zoho Corp in 1996 as AdventNet to make software products at a time when IT services were the rage. In 2009, he renamed the company Zoho Corp. Vembu funds a school for rural kids in southern Tamil Nadu. He also runs the in-house Zoho University, which provides training to students who have completed 12th grade and have certain math and tech skills.
