Sridhar Vembu compares Big Tech to East India Company
15 Feb 2026

Sridhar Vembu, the co-founder of Zoho Corporation, has sparked a debate by comparing Big Tech companies to the British East India Company.

He said they are now "bigger than most sovereign nations."

His remarks came in response to a post highlighting Alphabet's $32 billion debt raise in 24 hours versus India's slower pace in raising similar amounts.

Vembu's stance against tech giants
Critique

Vembu has been a vocal critic of tech giants such as Google, Meta, Amazon, and OpenAI.

He accuses them of extracting value from India by using local talent and data but charging high prices for their products.

The Zoho co-founder argues that while Indian engineers power Silicon Valley, the country still relies on expensive imports for key technologies like NVIDIA chips. This reliance hinders local growth.

Public opinion on Vembu's remarks
Public response

The online response to Vembu's comparison has been mixed.

Some users agree with him, pointing out that Big Tech's revenues are larger than the economies of many countries.

However, others disagree with the comparison, arguing that today's tech firms are more focused on solving problems rather than just extracting value.

Call for technology sovereignty
Advocacy

Earlier in January, Vembu had also commented on France's decision to move away from American video meeting platforms (Zoom and Microsoft Teams) to a local alternative called Visio.

He advocated for "technology sovereignty" and urged nations to take more control of their digital infrastructure.

The tech leader's comments suggest that just like the East India Company once did, Big Tech now wields similar power globally.