‘Do not merely complain’: Zoho’s Sridhar Vembu shares the childhood lesson that changed how he approaches problems

What if, instead of complaining about a problem, you simply took responsibility for fixing it? For Zoho’s Sridhar Vembu, this mindset was instilled during childhood and eventually became second nature. From helping friends who struggled with mathematics to taking personal responsibility for finding solutions for the rural economy, Vembu says the lesson shaped the way he approaches challenges. In a post on X, he explained how a simple childhood habit continues to influence his work and outlook.

Sridhar Vembu’s childhood lesson about solving problems

Sridhar Vembu took to X and reflected on a lesson he learned from childhood: when something is broken, take responsibility for trying to fix it instead of merely complaining. He wrote, “From childhood, I was taught to have this attitude: when you see something broken, take the responsibility to fix it, do not merely complain.”

According to Vembu, the lesson did not mean that every problem could immediately be solved. Instead, he learned to accept situations that were beyond his ability while keeping the intention to return to them when he had the means to do something about them. He added, “If you cannot fix it, accept it but make a mental note ‘some day I will fix it when I can’.”

How teaching mathematics helped Vembu learn better

Vembu also connected this mindset to his childhood experiences with his friends. He recalled that when his friends struggled with mathematics, he would feel bad for them and teach them the subject. But helping others had another unexpected benefit: it strengthened his own understanding of mathematics. “As a kid, when my friends were not doing well in mathematics, I would feel bad and would teach them,” Vembu wrote on X. He added that teaching his friends “also made me understand the subject better myself.”

Childhood lesson becomes habit

For Vembu, the childhood lesson eventually became more than an occasional habit. He wrote, “Over the years, that becomes second nature.” The idea of taking responsibility for problems appears to have shaped the way he thinks about challenges beyond his immediate surroundings. Rather than waiting for someone else to take charge, Vembu says he has chosen to act when he believes he can contribute to a solution.

Vembu connected this childhood philosophy directly to his interest in finding solutions for the rural economy. He wrote, “I take it as my personal responsibility to figure out solutions for our rural economy.” Importantly, he acknowledged that nobody formally assigned him this responsibility. Instead, he chose it himself.

His post therefore connects a simple lesson from childhood with a much broader approach to work: identify a problem, take responsibility where possible and continue looking for solutions rather than limiting yourself to criticism.

Internet reacts

A user wrote, "Beautifully said. Responsibility need not wait for authority or appointment. When we see something broken, we can complain, accept it, or develop the capability to fix it. Learning, enabling others and creating solutions together is how individual responsibility becomes progress!" One commented, "That's is what is responsibility of every one sir who left villages to learn and earn at some point in life when they have enough it's time to get back to roots and make next generation ready to build something there only."

One user pointed out, "This is the difference between people who wait for a title and people who just start. You taught your friends math - you understood it better. You saw rural India broken - you appointed yourself to fix it. Most of us stop at “someone should do something". You never did.The ones who change things rarely wait to be asked."