Sridhar Vembu’s Stark Warning: Big Tech is the Modern East India Company
Zoho founder Sridhar Vembu has issued a powerful call for India to achieve “tech sovereignty,” drawing a direct parallel between today’s Big Tech giants and the colonial-era East India Company.
Key Takeaways
- Sridhar Vembu compares Big Tech’s dominance to the East India Company’s colonial rule.
- He urges India to pursue “tech sovereignty”—control over its own technology, data, and digital infrastructure.
- Zoho’s own model of independence and homegrown solutions is presented as an alternative path.
“The East India Company came to India for trade. They ended up ruling India for 250 years. Big Tech is the East India Company of our times. It is time for tech sovereignty,” Vembu wrote on X.
The Push for Digital Self-Reliance
Vembu’s comments fuel an ongoing debate about the overwhelming control a handful of foreign technology corporations hold over data, markets, and the digital ecosystem. Tech sovereignty, as he defines it, is a nation’s capacity to govern its own technological destiny and reduce external dependence.
Zoho: A Blueprint for Independence
Under Vembu’s leadership, Zoho has championed homegrown technology. The company, offering a suite of business software, has notably shunned external venture capital. This strategy has allowed it to maintain independence and pursue sustainable growth entirely from its Indian base.
Vembu has long advocated for India to develop its own technology stack. His latest statement frames this not just as an economic issue, but as a critical matter of national self-determination in the digital era—a modern parallel to historical struggles against colonial control.
