Zoho co-founder and Chief Scientist Sridhar Vembu has said that the company’s messaging app, Arattai, may look simple from the outside but is actually built on two decades of in-house engineering and research. Sharing his thoughts on X, Vembu spoke about the deep technological foundation behind the app and how Zoho’s years of work on its core frameworks have shaped the product.
In his post, Vembu said, “Arattai is on the surface a simple product but it has a lot of depth inside.” He explained that the app runs on Zoho’s own messaging and audio-video framework, which has been evolving for about 15 years. This same system, he added, is responsible for the quick connections and clear calls that Zoho users experience across its various platforms.
He further detailed another critical piece of the company’s tech, a distributed framework that helps manage large-scale operations by balancing workloads across servers and databases. It also takes care of fault tolerance, security, and performance tracking, something Zoho has been refining for over 20 years. According to Vembu, these frameworks form the unseen foundation not just of Arattai but of Zoho’s entire ecosystem of products.
What stood out in his post was the emphasis on the company’s deep-rooted R&D culture. Vembu mentioned that he has now moved full-time into research and development, promising that users will see many more innovations from Zoho in the coming years. “Our staying power comes from the depth of all the R&D we do,” he said.
Vembu also shared a message he gave to the Arattai team, appreciating their patience and commitment through years of work without expecting instant success. Drawing a philosophical parallel, he said that being a dedicated engineer is like being a Rishi, one who remains focused and unaffected by external noise. “Allow neither praise nor criticism nor fame to distract you, resolutely stay the course,” he told the team.
Arattai, which means “chat” in Tamil, was introduced as Zoho’s Made-in-India answer to popular global messaging apps. While it hasn’t yet gained mainstream attention, Vembu’s post suggests that the company’s efforts are more long-term and rooted in building strong, independent technology rather than chasing short-term growth.
