Synopsis
Sridhar Vembu, cofounder of Zoho Corporation, in an interview with ET argued that advanced technologies should be subject to Indian law and oversight, warning that reliance on foreign tech exposes countries to geopolitical risks and possible weaponisation of software and data.
There’s a growing urgency to protect India’s data sovereignty and development of domestic technology champions, said Sridhar Vembu, cofounder and chief scientist of Chennai-headquartered software-as-a-service company Zoho, drawing comparisons with China’s model of promoting “national champions”.
The company has been in the limelight, with Union ministers including home minister Amit Shah and IT minister Ashwini Vaishnaw publicly endorsing its Zoho Mail and Arattai app. The app witnessed a dramatic surge in users following the high-profile government endorsements and increased public discussions on secure, local platforms.
Arattai is being officially launched in November with end-to-end encryption after this unprecedented user growth.
Pointing to the importance of Indian control over critical technology infrastructure, particularly data, Vembu said, “Technology today can be weaponised against a country like India, and it has been demonstrated to us. That means the technology has to be… subject to Indian law so that within India, the Indian laws can apply.”
Zoho’s made-in-India ethos is an advantage in an era of rising global cyber tensions, Vembu said. He drew a contrast between self-sufficiency and self-reliance, adding that true self-reliance means being able to “trade on equal terms with the world… we have to build it here”.
China’s approach in supporting local technology leaders is a model worthy of emulation, according to Vembu. “Every nation today, whether it’s the USA, Japan, China or Korea, they do push their national champions. That’s the reality,” he said.
The Zoho cofounder and chief scientist was critical of India’s continued adherence to legacy international trade institutions like the World Trade Organization, calling them “practically irrelevant” amid current shifts towards national sovereignty and technology protectionism. Instead, he advocated assertive government support for Indian companies, and said, “That’s where we have to invest in domestic technology creation, technology adoption, all of this.”
Addressing India’s dependency on global tech giants, Vembu argued that the country needs its own world-class technology companies. “Whoever controls the technology… governments get in the picture necessarily today. That’s the fact of the world. Whether you like it or not, that’s a fact,” he said.
Vembu called for indigenous products that are not only “made in India” but also “best in class across the world”, referencing Zoho’s global competitiveness—90% of its revenue comes from international markets—and its ongoing battles against entrenched players like Microsoft.
India should pursue global trade on “equal terms”, Vembu stressed, which, crucially, means safeguarding its ability to protect data and prevent exploitation through foreign-controlled technologies. “Trade that cannot be weaponised against us. That’s the key. Equal terms means trade that cannot be weaponised against us,” he said, echoing the sentiment that government policy should actively foster Indian technology giants capable of resisting international pressures and uphold the country’s autonomy.
Source: arabnews.com