Ashneer Grover Mocks Sridhar Vembu's "Come Back To India" Pitch, Calls It "Delulu"

Entrepreneur Ashneer Grover sharply dismissed Zoho founder Sridhar Vembu's appeal for Indians in the US to return to India, calling the idea "delulu" (delusional). Responding to Vembu's "open letter" on X that urged the diaspora to contribute to India's technological growth with "missionary zeal," Grover cited harsh economic and environmental realities as reasons for them to stay put.

In an open letter, Vembu urged all Indian-origin professionals living in the United States to come back home and help build India's future. His remarks, posted on X amid rising anti-immigrant sentiment abroad, reignited a nationwide conversation about reverse migration and national duty.

In response, Ashneer Grover countered that the suggestion was impractical, urging people to be "scientific" and look at the numbers. He also remarked that "record-breaking heat in India is clearly making people dizzy."

"What delulu! Record-breaking heat in India is clearly making people dizzy. Just DON'T be scientific in your approach. Look at numbers - $1 = ₹94. Temperature = 50°C..." he wrote. 

See the tweet here:

What delulu ! Record breaking heat in India is clearly making people dizzy. Just DON'T - be scientific in your approach. Look at numbers - $1 = ₹94. Temperature = 50C. https://t.co/NlaG4CwKUw

— Ashneer Grover (@Ashneer_Grover) April 27, 2026

The exchange sparked a heated debate on social media regarding "brain drain" and nation-building. Supporters of Vembu echoed his vision for a self-reliant India and the importance of patriotism and slammed Grover for his mocking tone. One user wrote, "Not a good look, Mr. Grover. I would rather trust the likes of the honest and humble Vembu than an attention seeker like you. Calling hard work and nation-building “delulu” while chasing clout? Now that's delulu."

Another commented, "Says someone who made a career of getting rich on other people's money - A K A - investors (from foreign countries). Atleast Vembu has bootstrapped Zoho to a billion dollar company, without other people's money.."

"Sir, just because of high temparature & weak rupee, you want to dump India? You made your entire wealth here with your passion & hardwork. This is not something expected from one of India's most successful startup entreprenurs," added a third. 

Meanwhile, some supporters of Grover agreed with his "realist" stance, pointing out that infrastructure, work culture, and quality of life must improve before expecting professionals to return.  A fourth user stated, "Vembu thinks that NRIs can save India if they come back. There is no lack of talent in India. There are structural, systemic and cultural issues, which is holding india back. All these issues are solvable. But those in power won't do it, as they are beneficiaries of status quo."

Notably,  Vembu himself returned to India after working in the US to build Zoho into a global SaaS powerhouse from rural Tamil Nadu. He argues that India's startup, R&D, and manufacturing ecosystems now offer opportunities that didn't exist a decade ago.