‘Where will we get the talent?’: Sridhar Vembu busts one of India’s biggest jobs myth
When Zoho Corporation opened its first rural office in Tenkasi, Tamil Nadu, the most common question founder Sridhar Vembu faced was: “Where will we get the talent?” or “Who would want to work there?”
But the assumption that rural India lacks capable professionals, he says, is deeply flawed.
“Almost anywhere in India, within a 30 km radius, there are at least 0.5 to 2 million people—even in rural districts,” Vembu posted on X.
With population densities exceeding 1,000 people per square kilometre in states like Uttar Pradesh, the raw numbers are undeniable. “One million rural population in India have about 15,000 children per year. That many children per year in a 30 km radius district. If we look closely, there is absolutely no shortage of raw talent anywhere in India. The challenge is to find and nurture it.”
Vembu argues that India’s development path must decentralise opportunity. His mantra: “The talent is already there—we just have to find and nurture it.” He believes the key is in seeding rural operations with a handful of experienced professionals who are willing to move—whether out of a sense of purpose, or simply to return home. “Then we grow around them,” he says, drawing an analogy to the crystallisation process.
Several users resonated deeply with this view. One X user wrote, “In fact, people from small towns are more hungry because of the lack of opportunities… Our companies are obsessed with metros, making them overcrowded. Then we cry over rentals, pollution and all the rest.” The user added that they had pledged to set up a factory in their own small hometown near a village, not just for cost efficiency, but to “nurture people and create jobs”.
Another user highlighted how the perceived talent gap is not a reality but a reflection of limited visibility. “There’s a misconception that rural India lacks talent because of not having the same resources and platform as their city peers.” They added that Zoho’s initiative to train and recruit rural youth is proof of the hidden potential in villages: “If we dream of India leading the world, we can’t afford to leave our rural talent behind.”
