Zoho CEO Sridhar Vembu Addresses Arattai's Position and Future: Long-term Vision Over Short-term Rankings

Zoho Corporation, established in 1996, continues to innovate in the tech space under the leadership of its Founder and CEO, Sridhar Vembu.

Vembu recently addressed the removal of Zoho's messaging app Arattai from the top 100 apps list, describing it as a normal part of business evolution rather than a setback. During an interview with ANI, he emphasized that his team remains focused on code development and dismissed critics who mock this temporary decline.

"There's nothing going wrong. The idea that something went wrong is what is wrong," stated Vembu. "Nothing goes straight to the moon. You have to experience ups and downs. Companies that survive maintain a long-term perspective. I specifically told our employees this moment is temporary, but our vision spans 5, 10, or 15 years."

When asked about WhatsApp testing cross-platform messaging capabilities, Vembu highlighted that Arattai continues to strengthen and is exploring various value-adding options. He emphasized the importance of credible competition in maintaining ecosystem openness.

"We've been working on messaging for 10 years, so one month means little to us. We're building a robust app that's constantly improving, with updates every one or two weeks," Vembu explained. "We're also developing an ecosystem around it. Competition keeps monopolists honest—WhatsApp's signals about possibly opening up their platform came after Arattai's launch. They recognize our determination."

Addressing questions about end-to-end encryption in Arattai, Vembu confirmed that this feature has been fully implemented. He mentioned that while the encryption is in place, complete updates would be rolled out within days, followed by additional enhancements in the following weeks.

"Based on user feedback, we're implementing system-wide encryption. This requires careful implementation, including backup solutions," he added.

Regarding Artificial Intelligence's future, Vembu observed that the initial excitement surrounding AI is beginning to subside—a pattern typical with emerging technologies. He emphasized Zoho's focus on developing sustainable, long-term technologies rather than chasing trends.

"There are already signs of cooling in the US technology sector and stock market. Wall Street is questioning the massive investment commitments without sufficient revenue or profit to support them," Vembu noted. "This hype cycle is cooling, similar to what happened with the internet before the dot-com bust. Only after that cooling did the internet truly flourish. We're focused on producing enduring technology rather than operating in a hype-driven environment."

Recently, Zoho enhanced its note-taking application, Zoho Notebook, with advanced AI capabilities through its in-house AI platform, Zia. The company extended these features to students through a free student edition, allowing them to access the same intelligent tools as business users.

According to Zoho, the updated Notebook transforms how individuals and teams capture and manage knowledge by simplifying note-taking, organization, and collaboration processes, helping users more efficiently find and utilize information.