Sridhar Vembu, the tech tycoon and founder of Zoho Corporation, has dismissed rumors that he plans to join politics after stepping down as the CEO of the company. The 57-year-old entrepreneur took to social media to address the speculation, saying, “I burst out laughing when I heard this!”
Earlier this week, Vembu announced his decision to step down from the CEO role and transition to a new position as Zoho’s “Chief Scientist,” where he will focus on the company’s research and development (R&D) efforts, particularly in the field of artificial intelligence (AI). He clarified that he has had no discussions with anyone about joining politics and emphasized that his primary focus is on advancing Zoho’s technological innovations.
Vembu explained his new role further, stating, “I have an extremely challenging new role in deep tech R&D right now and there is just no way, no way, I have any time for politics.” He also mentioned he would be flying to Austin, Texas, next week to present Zoho’s R&D strategy on AI to a group of industry analysts.
While addressing the rumors, Vembu assured his followers, “I hope that clears that up. Back to work!”
As part of the leadership transition, Zoho’s co-founder Shailesh Kumar Davey will take over as the group’s CEO. Meanwhile, other key members, including co-founder Tony Thomas and Rajesh Ganesan, will lead divisions such as Zoho US and Zoho’s ManageEngine segment, respectively.
Vembu’s clarification comes after a month of controversial remarks backing IIT Madras director V Kamakoti’s claims about the health benefits of cow urine, which attracted significant backlash.
Founded in 1996 as AdventNet, Inc., Chennai-headquartered Zoho is one of India’s most successful privately-owned tech firms.
