Zoho’s Sridhar Vembu warns of LLM-led job disruption in software development

Sridhar Vembu, founder of software-as-a-service (SaaS) firm Zoho, has sounded an alarm over the potential disruption in software jobs driven by the adoption of large language models (LLMs) and modern tooling.

In a post on X (formerly Twitter) on Sunday, Vembu wrote, “The productivity revolution I see coming to software development (LLMs + tooling) could destroy a lot of software jobs. This is sobering but necessary to internalise.”



Not taking software privilege for granted

Vembu urged the software community to acknowledge that their privileged position could change. He noted, “The fact that software engineers get paid better than mechanical engineers or civil engineers or chemists or school teachers is not some birthright, and we cannot take that for granted.”

He further added that customer willingness to pay for software products should not be assumed as a given.

Global concerns on AI-led job losses

Vembu’s remarks align with growing global apprehensions about AI-induced job displacement. In April, the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD) stated that up to 40% of jobs worldwide could be affected by AI.

Similarly, a report by McKinsey & Company estimated that 400 million to 800 million jobs could be displaced globally within the next five years, with 14% of the global workforce potentially needing to transition to new careers.

India’s rising AI concerns

In India, similar fears have been echoed by Microsoft’s Work Trend Index 2023, where 74% of Indian workers expressed concerns that AI could make their jobs redundant. The Economic Survey 2024-25 also raised this issue, highlighting the rapid progression of AI technology and its disruptive effects on the labour market.

Vembu’s cautionary message comes at a time when businesses are increasingly integrating AI-powered tools to boost efficiency, raising questions about the long-term impact on traditional software development roles.