Zoho CEO Sridhar Vembu champions skills over college degrees, predicts cultural shift

Zoho CEO Sridhar Vembu is challenging conventional notions of education and employment, predicting a profound cultural shift driven by young people and forward-thinking employers. In a recent post on X, Vembu noted that “smart American students now skip going to college, and forward-thinking employers are enabling them.” He called this the real “youth power,” allowing young men and women to stand on their own feet without incurring heavy debt for a degree. According to him, this trend will reshape not just the way they view the world, but also influence culture and politics.

Vembu urged educated Indian parents, high school students, and leading companies to pay attention to this evolving trend. At Zoho, the company’s hiring practices reflect this philosophy. “No job requires a college degree, and if a manager posts a job that requires a degree, they get a polite message from HR to remove the degree requirement,” he explained. By focusing on practical skills and potential rather than formal credentials, Zoho aims to empower young talent to succeed on merit alone.

Highlighting his own experience, Vembu described working closely with a technical team in Tenkasi whose median age is just 19. He praised their energy and can-do spirit, admitting, “I have to work hard to keep up with them!” This hands-on experience underscores Zoho’s commitment to nurturing young talent and fostering innovation, demonstrating that age or formal education need not define professional success.

Vembu’s message is clear: the future belongs to skillful, driven individuals, and companies that recognize and cultivate this talent will lead the cultural and economic transformation of the next generation.