‘I am sorry’: Sridhar Vembu gets startup's acquisition pitch leaking rival offer, then AI agent's apology email

Zoho founder Sridhar Vembu took to X and disclosed receiving insider buyout details in an acquisition pitch from a startup founder. Later, another email landed in his inbox, an apology from the AI agent.

Zoho's Sridhar Vembu reveals getting startup buyout details

“I got an email from a startup founder, asking if we could acquire them, mentioning some other company interested in acquiring them and the price they were offering,” Vembu wrote on X. 

He then quoted the bizarre email he received from the startup’s AI agent apologising for leaking the confidential information. “Then I received an email from their ‘browser AI agent’ correcting the earlier mail saying ‘I am sorry I disclosed confidential information about other discussions, it was my fault as the AI agent’.”

I got an email from a startup founder, asking if we could acquire them, mentioning some other company interested in acquiring them and the price they were offering.

Then I received an email from their "browser AI agent" correcting the earlier mail saying "I am sorry I disclosed…

— Sridhar Vembu (@svembu) November 28, 2025

Netizens respond

Sridhar Vembu’s post immediately started an online debate with users expressing their concerns over the use of AI in business communication without any human intervention.

“Drama in the deal room with a machine stepping on toes. Treat it as a process failure, not just a quirky apology. Pause negotiations. Ask for a human-signed confirmation of intent and a clear chain of custody for any disclosed facts. Confirm whether automated tools are authorised to speak for the team. Notify counsel about potential confidentiality breaches. Decide if you want to press for damages or use this as leverage. Want me to draft a short reply that demands firm confirmation and preserves your options?” read a comment from Stanley Wei, founder of Pine AI. 

Another user wrote, “If you were also using an AI agent, all conversations will be between agents only, and mistakes will remain between agents if agents were forgiving within their fraternity.”

“This is exactly the new kind of chaos AI is introducing into business communication. We’ve officially entered the era where Humans negotiate, AI accidentally spills the deal terms, and then AI tries to clean up the mess. It’s funny, but also a reminder. AI can assist in communication,

But it can also miscommunicate, over-share, or break confidentiality if not properly controlled,” replied a third. 

A fourth user called it a “wake-up call”. 

“This is exactly the scary part of using AI to handle emails. If we let an AI send messages on our behalf, it can share things that any founder would know should stay private. AI can help draft, but a human should always read and send the final email,” added another user.

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