Zoho CEO Sridhar Vembu calls for tighter regulation of big tech companies in India: ‘We need a level playing field for all’

Sridhar Vembu, CEO of Zoho, has reiterated his call for stricter government intervention to prevent monopolisation by big tech companies and promote fair competition in the digital space. In an interview to news agency PTI, Vembu emphasised the need for greater interoperability and urged the government to push for open standards.
He drew parallels between email, which operates on open standards, and proprietary messaging services, highlighting the need for similar openness in digital communication."Messaging platforms should not operate in silos. We need standards that prevent monopolies and ensure a level playing field for all," Vembu stated.
The Zoho founder praised India's Digital Public Infrastructure (DPI) initiatives as a "shining success story" and a model for other nations to follow. He specifically mentioned the Open Network for Digital Commerce (ONDC) and the health stack as examples of India's leadership in digital infrastructure development.
Earlier, Vembu had voiced support for Ola CEO Bhavish Aggarwal's criticism of LinkedIn for allegedly deleting posts and "bullying Indians." At that time, Vembu urged resistance against what he termed "woke imperialism," describing it as "a fanatical religious doctrine that masquerades as a socio-political movement."
Vembu had also criticised Google for removing several Indian developers' apps from its Play Store. In a post on X (formerly Twitter), he stated, "What's happening with popular apps in India, such as Bharat Matrimony, Naukri, and others being delisted from the Google Play Store, is a classic case of monopoly abuse." He called for regulatory and judicial intervention to level the playing field, given Android's dominant position in India.
In previous statements, Vembu had called for active government intervention in facilitating competition among tech companies in India. He suggested that authorities should prevent monopolistic practices, even if they involve his own company. "If Zoho wants to monopolise or acquire all the competition, the government maybe should not allow us," he had said, acknowledging the growing concern over wealth concentration among technology companies worldwide.