‘The risk is getting ever more real’: Zoho’s Sridhar Vembu issues a chilling warning about AI and jobs

From losing jobs to integrating Artificial intelligence (AI) for work, AI is certainly changing how people work. Is it also putting millions of computer-based jobs at risk? Zoho's Sridhar Vembu has raised concerns over how an individual "using AI can perform the work of 10 people." However, the IIT-Madras graduate believes that the impact will not just be widespread unemployment. It will help industries gain access to affordable digital talent and the economy may undergo a painful shift. His recent warning has sparked debate online among social media users.


Vembu took to X to explain why AI-driven disruption could affect almost anyone working on a computer. “Any job performed on the computer has this risk now,” he wrote, adding that “one smart person using AI can perform the work of 10 people.”


He stressed that this did not mean 90% of computer-based workers would become unemployed. Instead, he pointed to industries that previously could not afford software engineers or digital marketers but might now be able to hire them.

Vembu described the coming changes as an economic “rebalancing” that could be painful for workers and businesses. “The only thing we can do is to accept that it is coming and be prepared for it,” he said.

How did social media users react?

Some users compared the AI revolution to earlier technological changes. One person drew parallels with the Industrial Revolution, suggesting that although the transition took time, things eventually improved.

Another called for “universal high income”, arguing that companies benefiting from AI should help cover people's mortgages, education and healthcare. The user also stressed the importance of developing India's own chips and AI models, adding that “physical infra is the key here”.

Others were less concerned about widespread job losses. One user criticised what they described as “unnecessary fear mongering”, predicting that small and micro enterprises would grow as larger companies split into smaller businesses and more people started their own ventures. Another urged people not to fear AI but to embrace it, arguing that older generations often struggle during technological revolutions while younger people eventually learn to use new tools naturally.