Zoho founder Sridhar Vembu urges Indian immigrants to come home: 'Why stay where you are not welcome?'
Zoho founder has urged Indian diaspora to consider returning to India, saying the country now needs its brightest minds to help build a strong future.
Zoho founder and former CEO Sridhar Vembu has called on the Indian diaspora to consider returning to India, saying the country now needs its brightest minds to help build a strong future. Reacting to new data on the fiscal contributions of immigrants in Western economies, Vembu said that while Indian talent has powered growth abroad, it is time for some of that expertise to return home.
His remarks came in response to new research shared by economist Daniel Di Martino, which shows that Indian immigrants and their descendants contribute an average of $1.7 million to the US federal budget over 30 years - the highest among all immigrant communities. Acknowledging the statistic, Vembu wrote on X, “Indian immigrants make the highest fiscal contribution to their host nation, as the chart below shows. India sent her best.”
He then urged the next generation of Indian-origin professionals to consider building their futures in India instead of abroad. “I hope India retains its best in the next generation. India also should attract some of the talent that left,” he wrote. “From the migrant perspective, why stay where you are not welcome? Bharat Mata wants you, needs you and welcomes you! Come home, let’s create a strong and prosperous Bharat,” he added.
Sridhar Vembu’s post sparks discussion
Vembu’s comments have sparked a discussion online. Many users supported his appeal, arguing that India is now better positioned than ever to absorb global expertise thanks to its fast-growing tech and startup ecosystem.
“The opportunity to build India into a global powerhouse is massive right now. With the right ecosystem and opportunities, many would happily return home to contribute to the nation that shaped them,” one user wrote.
“They should take inspiration looking at people like you @svembu . They can come back and live wherever they want personally. All our infra is getting better and will all be soon world class,” commented another.
However, others countered that India must also address persistent domestic challenges, including infrastructure gaps and income disparities, if it wants its top talent to return permanently.
“Beautiful sentiment but return can’t just be emotional -it has to be practical. India needs to make it easier for talent to come back, build, and thrive without bureaucracy, pollution, and poor infrastructure chasing them away again. Patriotism can bring them home, but policy has to make them stay,” one user said.
“True. But, many left India because talent thrived abroad, not just worked hard. The grind at home has been traditionally tougher, and quality of life minimal. Thankfully, this is slowly but gradually changing in India,” expressed another.
