Latest news with #SridharVembu


Time of India
4 days ago
- Business
- Time of India
Zoho's Sridhar Vembu says one skill can still help software developers beat AI. How to learn?
Sridhar Vembu, Zoho founder, shared his perspective on software development and AI. He emphasized the importance of human intuition and creativity. He cautioned against blindly relying on AI, which could lead to unmanageable code. Vembu highlighted Zoho's use of AI in its products and internal operations. Social media users discussed the future of programming skills. Tired of too many ads? Remove Ads Tired of too many ads? Remove Ads What is the one skill that will help techies? In a world racing towards automation and AI-driven everything, Zoho founder Sridhar Vembu offers a grounded, thought-provoking take on what truly makes great software. While AI continues to evolve at breakneck speed—powering tools, generating code, and even playing games like Chess and Go with surprising ingenuity—Vembu reminds us that some things, like intuition, creativity, and judgment, still remain distinctly to social media, Vembu broke down the essence of software development as the discovery and application of patterns. He emphasized that good programmers are those who master existing patterns and use them wisely. But great programmers go a step further—they discover new, elegant patterns that push the boundaries of software acknowledged that smart AI has become skilled at learning from an immense pool of known patterns and recommending their use, making life easier for developers in many scenarios. But he issued a caution: without careful discernment, relying blindly on AI could lead to what he called 'impossible to maintain AI slop'—bloated, unmanageable, and inefficient codebases that lack structure and Vembu noted that AI hasn't yet reached the stage where it can create truly original, beautiful new patterns—something the best human programmers do intuitively. However, he hinted that it may just be a matter of time, citing examples like AI's surprising strategies in games such as Chess and Go. Overall, Zoho's Rs 50,000 crore man's tweet is a reminder that no matter the change AI brings, innovation still begins with the human mind. Following Sridhar Vembu's reflections on software development and the evolving role of AI, several users on social media joined the conversation with compelling insights and questions of their user raised a concern about the future of programming judgment, questioning how developers would cultivate this critical skill if they relied too heavily on AI for coding tasks. In response, Vembu emphasized the importance of humans continuing to understand and appreciate good patterns, adding that at least some individuals must retain the ability to create new ones—just as is essential in music or asked how he stays up to speed with the rapidly evolving world of AI, especially having started Zoho before the AI boom, Sridhar Vembu shared that he dedicates most of his waking hours to reading, learning, thinking, and experimenting in a continuous loop. He outlined four key ways Zoho is leveraging AI. First, the company is actively integrating AI into its products to enhance productivity and user experience, with use cases like summarizing information, generating insights and reports, and suggesting actions to users. Second, AI is being used internally across functions—marketing, sales, support and IT to optimize workflows. Third, Zoho is applying AI in software development, mainly as an advanced alternative to search, though usage varies by developer. Lastly, the company has a small research team working on foundational AI models and ideas, aiming for long-term noted that pattern matching is already a strength of AI models. With the continuous scaling of data and advancements in emerging methodologies, these systems are expected to become even more proficient. However, they cautioned that the challenge ahead may shift from creating code to mastering how best to use such powerful tools, indicating that the core skillsets required in tech could soon undergo a major transformation. Many found the discussion deeply thought-provoking, appreciating how it sparked optimism and curiosity about the possibilities ahead for developers and AI alike.


Time of India
5 days ago
- Time of India
Zoho's Sridhar Vembu asks the question every techie fears: Will JavaScript, C, HTML/CSS survive AI?
The world of software development has changed dramatically over the past few decades, but some of its most fundamental building blocks remain stubbornly outdated. As tech continues to evolve at breakneck speed, one big question looms: Are we simply patching old systems instead of reimagining them for the future? In an era where AI is reshaping everything from healthcare to art, Zoho founder Sridhar Vembu is urging developers and innovators to pause and reflect on where software is really headed, especially over the next 100 years. In a thought-provoking post on X (formerly Twitter), Vembu shared a series of questions that he uses to challenge himself when working on long-term software problems. He wondered whether we'll still be relying on core technologies like the C programming language , which is considered powerful but inherently unsafe, and SQL, which, despite being widespread, he calls a poor interface for true relational algebra. He also pointed out the overly complex nature of modern web development, where just building a browser interface often involves juggling three to five different languages. Vembu believes AI won't render these concerns irrelevant — in fact, it might do the opposite. According to him, artificial intelligence could actually help accelerate the shift away from these legacy systems , pushing the industry to reimagine the very foundations of computing. His questions aren't just philosophical, they serve as a rallying cry for the tech community to think boldly, beyond incremental updates, and start building for a more robust and secure digital future . by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like Villas For Sale in Dubai Might Surprise You Villas In Dubai | Search Ads Get Rates Undo — svembu (@svembu) Netizens react The discussion sparked by Sridhar Vembu's post led to a wave of thoughtful responses online. Some users raised concerns about whether humans will still be capable of fixing critical systems in the future, especially if AI becomes inaccessible or breaks down. Others imagined a future where today's interfaces dissolve into seamless, immersive experiences, and data is clearly split between user-owned and global. Many agreed that much of the current tech stack persists due to inertia rather than optimal design, and with accelerating change, the next 100 years could bring either a tech-driven utopia or dystopia.


Time of India
6 days ago
- Business
- Time of India
Zoho founder Sridhar Vembu shares his Amma's question that has 'put pressure on him'
Sridhar Vembu , the billionaire founder of Zoho Corporation , sparked widespread relatability on social media with a heartfelt tweet about his mother's probing questions regarding his work and AI involvement. The May 25 post detailed how his mother asked in Tamil : "What is this AI, AI everyone is talking about? Are you doing it? You are traveling and speaking at so many events, do you give enough time for work?" When Vembu responded that "speaking at events is also work," his mother remained skeptical, prompting him to add, "Now the pressure is really on." The tweet, shared from Tenkasi, Tamil Nadu , has garnered thousands of interactions and highlighted a generational divide in understanding modern tech roles. This comes as Vembu transitions in his career. In January 2025, he stepped down as Zoho Corp CEO to become Chief Scientist , focusing on AI research initiatives. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like Trade Bitcoin & Ethereum – No Wallet Needed! IC Markets Start Now Undo Vembu's post resonates Indian parents' expectations Vembu's exchange with this mother struck a chord with users who shared similar experiences. One user replied, "Typical Tamil Amma Questions My mother asked once me in tamil 'Does working in laptop is real job?'" while another quipped, "Indian mother's expectations will only end after a government job sir." A user added, "You forgot one important line - 'are you eating properly and on time,'" while BlueChalkMusings shared, "Sounds like my mother. She says you are always on laptop, and take few calls here and there. Are you really working?" Meanwhile, a user offered a more reflective response: "There's a quiet wisdom in every mother's question—gently reminding us of balance, grounding, and truth… a mother's love remains the most human and divine intelligence." AI Masterclass for Students. Upskill Young Ones Today!– Join Now


Time of India
23-05-2025
- Business
- Time of India
AI may turn legacy codebases into liabilities: Zoho founder Sridhar Vembu
The foundations of modern software development may be under threat as generative artificial intelligence evolves rapidly, according to Sridhar Vembu , founder of software-as-a-service company (SaaS) Zoho . In a series of posts on social media platform X, Vembu said that large, existing codebases, long considered prized assets, could soon become burdens. 'If AI makes us 100x productive, why not rewrite the whole thing with AI help?' Vembu asked, highlighting a potential shift in enterprise software strategy. With generative AI tools now able to write new code at high velocity, companies may find it more efficient to start from scratch rather than maintain legacy systems. — svembu (@svembu) This view counters a common concern in the tech industry that AI is currently poor at navigating complex, existing code structures. Vembu acknowledged the limitation but suggested it will not last. 'It is not there yet, but perhaps not for long,' he said. 'Viewed that way, large existing codebases may no longer be assets,' he said. 'They may be liabilities.' He pointed to AI-powered tools such as Zoho Creator and Google AI Studio, which are now capable of building standard CRUD (create, read, update, delete) applications with minimal human input. Having recently stepped back from his role as chief executive officer to focus on research, Vembu has been vocal about AI's growing role in software development. He has predicted that generative AI could eventually handle up to 90% of coding tasks, especially boilerplate code that consumes much of a developer's time. However, he noted that essential complexity, such as innovative and creative work, would still require human input. Discover the stories of your interest Blockchain 5 Stories Cyber-safety 7 Stories Fintech 9 Stories E-comm 9 Stories ML 8 Stories Edtech 6 Stories The Zoho founder warned developers not to count on high salaries or long-term job security. As AI reshapes the software development landscape, he urged the industry to stay vigilant or risk becoming obsolete.


Time of India
23-05-2025
- Business
- Time of India
Sridhar Vembu has a scary warning for techies, says coders may become liabilities than assets soon if...
Billionaire and Zoho's Sridhar Vembu in a recent post on his social media account flagged a warning for coders, saying the artificial intelligence could render them as liabilities. "AI code capabilities are getting better and better. One criticism is "AI is now quite good at generating new code but it is not as good in helping us with a large existing code base" and that is valid. Now I have started to wonder if the answer is "If AI makes us 100x productive, why not rewrite the whole thing with AI help?" Of course it is not there _yet_ but perhaps not for long. Viewed that way, large existing code based may no longer be assets, they may be liabilities. Scary thought," said Vembu in a post on X. Check his post here: Play Video Pause Skip Backward Skip Forward Unmute Current Time 0:00 / Duration 0:00 Loaded : 0% 0:00 Stream Type LIVE Seek to live, currently behind live LIVE Remaining Time - 0:00 1x Playback Rate Chapters Chapters Descriptions descriptions off , selected Captions captions settings , opens captions settings dialog captions off , selected Audio Track default , selected Picture-in-Picture Fullscreen This is a modal window. Beginning of dialog window. Escape will cancel and close the window. Text Color White Black Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Opacity Opaque Semi-Transparent Text Background Color Black White Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Opacity Opaque Semi-Transparent Transparent Caption Area Background Color Black White Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Opacity Transparent Semi-Transparent Opaque Font Size 50% 75% 100% 125% 150% 175% 200% 300% 400% Text Edge Style None Raised Depressed Uniform Drop shadow Font Family Proportional Sans-Serif Monospace Sans-Serif Proportional Serif Monospace Serif Casual Script Small Caps Reset restore all settings to the default values Done Close Modal Dialog End of dialog window. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like War Thunder - Register now for free and play against over 75 Million real Players War Thunder Play Now Undo — svembu (@svembu) How did people react to Vembu's post: "As a developer after using the Gemini 2.5 model, I feel like my job is at stake. What else I can do as a developer?" said one user. In response, Vembu replied "I felt the same way. Join the club!" Live Events "I have seen so many good technical teams recommend this option at one stage or another. The risk was higher, and might take months to see the results. Now its faster, so i guess this risk is low now to do rewrites," said one user. "I actually did something similar recently -- instead of trying to fix a spaghetti codebase I used AI to rewrite the entire repo from scratch. Gemini 2.5 Pro is really good at that," added another user. "With the deepest respect, Mr. Sridhar — your insight pierces through convention. What was once seen as a strength — legacy code — may soon anchor us to the past. If AI can amplify human potential a hundredfold, why not reimagine from first principles? You've not just posed a question, but gently shattered an industry's quiet assumption. This is not just a shift in technology — it's a philosophical reset. Grateful for your relentless clarity in a world clouded by comfort," said another user.