India may be brimming with talent, but when it comes to true innovation, from scientific breakthroughs to game-changing products, are we really where we should be? Zoho founder Sridhar Vembu doesn’t think so, and he’s not sugar-coating it either.
In a recent post, the billionaire entrepreneur laid out a sharp four-tier framework evaluating India’s innovation ecosystem. From process innovation to scientific research, Vembu scored the nation’s progress with brutal honesty and inspired a wave of online reactions in return.
He gave Indian industry a solid 70% when it comes to process innovation, pointing to sectors like airlines, hospitals, retail, and financial services that punch well above their weight. But when it came to product innovation, Vembu said we barely pass, awarding an optimistic 35%. While initiatives like UPI show what's possible, he argued we still need far more product-focused thinkers, people who don’t just keep the trains running but imagine entirely new railways.
On technology innovation, Vembu didn’t assign a grade at all. Why? Because he believes most of India’s tech talent is being exported abroad, and unless we start offering ambitious projects and nurturing this talent at home, we’ll continue missing out. As for scientific breakthroughs, the picture is even bleaker. In his words, “We haven’t even appeared for the exam.”
He emphasised that while the private sector must take charge of the first three areas, the government has a big role to play in funding science and building a robust pipeline of young researchers.
Internet reacts
His assessment struck a chord with many online. One user, who returned to India from the US, shared how they built a global AI platform from Indian soil, now used in over 120 countries. Another user lamented the younger generation's obsession with content creation and gaming industries that, they felt, “don’t do anything significant” for national development. Others critiqued India’s product design priorities, calling out a lack of functionality and consumer research in favour of flashy complexity.
In a recent post, the billionaire entrepreneur laid out a sharp four-tier framework evaluating India’s innovation ecosystem. From process innovation to scientific research, Vembu scored the nation’s progress with brutal honesty and inspired a wave of online reactions in return.
He gave Indian industry a solid 70% when it comes to process innovation, pointing to sectors like airlines, hospitals, retail, and financial services that punch well above their weight. But when it came to product innovation, Vembu said we barely pass, awarding an optimistic 35%. While initiatives like UPI show what's possible, he argued we still need far more product-focused thinkers, people who don’t just keep the trains running but imagine entirely new railways.
On technology innovation, Vembu didn’t assign a grade at all. Why? Because he believes most of India’s tech talent is being exported abroad, and unless we start offering ambitious projects and nurturing this talent at home, we’ll continue missing out. As for scientific breakthroughs, the picture is even bleaker. In his words, “We haven’t even appeared for the exam.”
He emphasised that while the private sector must take charge of the first three areas, the government has a big role to play in funding science and building a robust pipeline of young researchers.
Here is how I assess our nation's capabilities in terms of innovation, which I have classified into 4 categories.
— Sridhar Vembu (@svembu) May 1, 2025
1. Process innovation: the best of Indian industry is world-class in process innovation. For example: our airlines, hospitals, retail and financial services are…
Internet reacts
His assessment struck a chord with many online. One user, who returned to India from the US, shared how they built a global AI platform from Indian soil, now used in over 120 countries. Another user lamented the younger generation's obsession with content creation and gaming industries that, they felt, “don’t do anything significant” for national development. Others critiqued India’s product design priorities, calling out a lack of functionality and consumer research in favour of flashy complexity.
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