Top News

Zoho co-founder Sridhar Vembu urged Indians in the US to return and help build the nation’s tech future, but BharatPe’s Ashneer Grover dismissed the idea. Calling it “delulu,” Grover cited India’s ₹94-per-dollar rate and extreme heat, arguing professionals should take a practical, data-driven view instead of emotional appeals.

Zoho co-founder and Chief Scientist Sridhar Vembu published an open letter urging Indians in America to return home and help build the nation's technological future. It was meant to be a heartfelt plea from one of India's most respected technology entrepreneurs. However, it drew a sharply contrarian response from one of India's most outspoken startup voices BharatPe co-founder and former Shark Tank India judge Ashneer Grover.

And Grover, never one to mince words, made his position crystal clear. Reposting Vembu's letter on social media, Grover offered a rebuttal that was equal parts blunt and pointed: "What delulu! Record breaking heat in India is clearly making people dizzy. Just DON'T - be scientific in your approach. Look at numbers - $1 = ₹94. Temperature = 50C."

For those familiar with Grover's public persona IIT Delhi and IIM Ahmedabad alumnus, the man who turned BharatPe into a $2.85 billion fintech unicorn and became a household name for his trademark candour on Shark Tank India, the response was entirely on brand. Where Vembu appealed to civilisational pride and national duty, Grover countered with hard economics and harsher climate realities.

The reaction has since gone viral, reigniting a debate that cuts to the heart of India's ongoing talent drain, and the question of whether emotional or rational arguments are better suited to address it.