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AI, Innovation, & India's Global Ambition: Zoho CEO Mani Vembu on the Company's Next Chapter
Zoho has long been a torchbearer of the “Built in India, for the World” philosophy, showing that world-class software doesn’t need Silicon Valley roots to go global. With over 9,00,000 customers worldwide and a strong footprint in MSMEs as well as enterprises, the company continues to scale its innovation on home soil while staying deeply global in impact. z
At the helm now is Mani Vembu, Zoho’s newly appointed CEO, who steps into leadership at a time when AI, digital disruption, and workforce transformation are reshaping industries. In this candid conversation, he shares his vision for Zoho’s next chapter, the company’s ethical approach to AI, and its mission to upskill India’s youth for the future.
As the newly-appointed CEO of Zoho, what is your vision for the company’s next chapter, and how do you see your leadership further strengthening Zoho’s “Built in India, for the World” philosophy in the coming decade?
‘Made in India, Made for the world’ is more than a philosophy for us; it was born from our conviction that world-class software can be built from anywhere. This belief impacts how we operate: it means investing in local talent, especially in rural areas, building a new pool of talent, and nurturing innovation ecosystems in smaller towns because we’ve seen first-hand how this model creates long-term resilience and self-reliance.
From the inception, our goal has been to focus on R&D to build the know-how, and so we built our own technology stack from the ground up. This approach has enabled us to deliver platforms that are not only robust but also mission-critical across industries.
We want to double down on this commitment, providing even more value to businesses through deeply integrated platforms that help them run more efficiently and sustainably.
Currently, we serve over 9,00,000 unique customers worldwide, spanning businesses of every size. While MSMEs remain core to our business, we are also seeing strong momentum from enterprises that are increasingly relying on Zoho to power their digital journey.
With AI and other emerging technologies reshaping the landscape, our focus will be on augmenting human creativity and productivity, not replacing it.
My aim will be to stay true to the values that define Zoho, including self-reliance, long-term thinking, and customer-centric innovation, while preparing the company for a world where technology is both global and deeply local.
Zoho has always emphasized ethical, privacy-first innovation. How is the company embedding AI responsibly into its product ecosystem without compromising on jobs or human creativity?
Yes, we believe privacy is a fundamental right not just for individuals but for customer data too. Therefore, our entire tech stack and AI stack, built from the ground up, keep privacy, compliance, and governance at its core.
If you look at our latest launch, Zia LLM, our proprietary AI model, our aim was to provide customers with LLMs that were designed for solving business use cases. No customer data was used in training them. Because these were built specifically for businesses, the modes (1.3B, 2.6B, and 7B), while small in size, can provide results with lower inference cost.
Also, not every business problem needs an LLM solution. We have also deployed narrow, small, and medium models where required. Right-sizing the models helps us provide greater value. Above all, we see AI as an enabler; human creativity is irreplaceable, and human judgment will always remain central.
With AI dominating every conversation today, what proportion of this innovation do you believe translates into real enterprise-grade value, and what technical or organizational challenges still hinder broader adoption?
Business-use AI is still in its early stages. While there are basic use cases, such as summarization, we have yet to see the full impact of applying the right AI solution to the most effective business use case.
Currently, efficiency-wise, AI and Agentic AI have helped automate certain repetitive tasks or tasks that are just process-driven. In our experience, digitally advanced businesses have been able to adopt AI more quickly, thanks to their agility.
However, broader adoption is still hindered by both technical and organisational challenges. On the technical side, issues like data quality, privacy, and the need for right-sized, domain-specific models remain critical.
On the organisational side, businesses must address change management, integration with legacy systems, and the need to upskill employees to leverage AI. The latter will be the key to solving organisational hurdles and can help accelerate the adoption.
With AI reshaping roles across industries, what skills and mindsets should millennials and Gen Z prioritise to remain future-ready, and how is Zoho contributing to this upskilling journey?
There is a difference between riding the wave and getting washed away by it. The pace at which things are evolving means one has to have an agile and sponge-like mindset. Younger generations might have a very different work landscape than we did.
However, if you look at the successful leaders in the current space, they are the ones who were always curious, learning new tools (not to chase the hype but to understand the functionality), and ready to work hard. With AI, see it as an enabler, not a crutch; see how it can be leveraged effectively in the proper manner.
We have multiple programs that aim to equip students with future-ready skills. One such programme is Zoho Schools of Learning, which was launched in 2005 as an alternative to conventional college education.
Students who've completed their schooling can join across three schools: Zoho Schools of Business, Zoho Schools of Design, and Zoho Schools of Business. There are no fees for ZSL; instead, students are paid a stipend upon joining.
It's a two-year programme, wherein foundational skills are taught in the first year, and in the second year, students learn on the job. This helps them gain industry-ready skills, as they learn real-world problems. Additionally, the school has a School of Graduate Studies, where graduates are trained intensively for six months.
We also offer several additional programs for students, including the Young Creators Program. This program helps students familiarize themselves with low-code and leverage AI-powered low-code platforms to build powerful solutions.
This initiative is powered by our low-code platform, Zoho Creator, and is run globally as an educational effort. Since its launch in 2022, YCP has conducted over 75 sessions across the globe, benefiting more than 8,000 students.
Zoho Books, our GST-compliant accounting software, has partnered with 75+ educational institutes where experienced CAs will train students to use Zoho Books. We have also partnered with the Institute of Chartered Accountants of India (ICAI), to provide the Chartered Accountant (CA) community with our finance platform to stay ahead of the curve.
Zoho Books is now also included in ICAI’s Advanced Information Technology Curriculum for CA students, providing them with hands-on training of our cloud accounting software. Additionally, to equip students with platforms and offerings, a lot of our products have student editions, like Zoho Books for Students, Zoho Notebook for Students, etc.
From your vantage point, where is AI truly headed in the next 5 years, and what guidance would you offer entrepreneurs and enterprises navigating recessionary cycles, rapid digital disruption, and global uncertainties? What challenges still persist?
It is hard to predict where AI is headed at this point, as the rate of innovation is rapid. What we need to focus on is the rate of adoption. Entrepreneurs should stay agile & flexible to conduct numerous small experiments without worrying too much about failures. Data privacy and security remain critical concerns as AI handles increasingly sensitive information. Additionally, the time-to-value in AI adoption remains a significant challenge for businesses.
