Zoho founder on skills, products, and Indian market discipline

Zoho founder and CEO Sridhar Vembu said in a post on X in December 2025 that Indian customers help companies build stronger skills and products, a factor he linked to higher incomes for workers and improved global competitiveness for Indian firms.

What Zoho highlighted about skill development

Sridhar Vembu responded to an online discussion about Indian companies and exports. The post argued that firms performing well in India often find overseas markets easier to enter. Zoho’s founder agreed and pointed to domestic customer behaviour as a key driver.

He said Indian buyers question features, compare alternatives, and expect value for money. Because of this, companies must develop strong product, engineering, and support skills. Shortcuts rarely work in this environment.

Notice how Japan and Germany are such huge manufacturing powers, with much smaller population than India and with vastly higher labour costs than India or even China. Switzerland and Netherlands also punch way above their weight in global manufacturing.

Their prowess comes from… https://t.co/kYHeaE6BcB

— Sridhar Vembu (@svembu) December 16, 2025

How the Indian market shapes Zoho’s approach

Vembu compared Indian customers to strict school teachers. Praise is limited, and feedback arrives quickly when problems appear. This pressure forces teams to fix issues fast and refine systems continuously.

At Zoho, customer feedback has guided product updates over time. The company has relied on this process to improve usability, performance, and reliability across its software portfolio.

Impact on companies and workers

India’s price-sensitive market requires efficiency and precision. Products must deliver full value to succeed. According to Vembu, these conditions train companies to operate at a high standard before expanding abroad.

For workers, this environment encourages the mastery of practical skills. Engineering quality, problem-solving, and customer understanding gain importance. Vembu linked these capabilities to higher earning potential and long-term economic strength.

What comes next for Zoho and Indian firms

Vembu stated that companies meeting Indian expectations often find global customers more predictable. Lessons learned locally remain useful in export markets.

Zoho continues to focus on building products for Indian users while serving global clients, using domestic market discipline as a foundation for wider growth.