Sridhar Vembu, the chief scientist at Zoho, took to the social media platform X on Thursday to share his views on the potential of human resources to be made available in rural India. He urges young engineers and new founders to scout talent in what is essentially an endless pool of resources.
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Exploring the Rural Population
To quote him, “If you are a smart ambitious engineer or entrepreneur with a long-term horizon’, rural India is a great place to build your dream. Unlike rural areas in developed countries, rural India still has youthful demographics - in fact, better demographics than major cities in India, which rely on migration from rural areas for their talent.”
In the average rural district in India (Tenkasi being typical) you have about 20,000 kids born a year. Think deeply about this number! What can you build with that talent? There are over 600 such rural districts in India! Why not go to the source for the talent, he questions.
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Netizens Reactions
While the majority of X users agree with Mr. Vembu, the one point of contention appears to be the lack of schooling in rural India. “As someone who's seen the impact of AI in emerging markets, I totally agree with your take on rural India. We've seen incredible adoption of Jenova AI in tier 2/3 cities, especially because our platform supports multiple Indian languages. Most ppl don't realize that the next wave of innovation isn't just coming from Bangalore or Mumbai - it's brewing in places like Tenkasi where young minds are hungry to learn and build. The demographic dividend is real!” adds an X user.
Another user comments, “Your vision for rural India inspired us to start Vonnue Innovations in Wayanad. Now 100+ engineers strong, working with clients like Grab, The Economist, SES Satellites, Bosch and more. Embracing Malayalam in standups made a difference. Grateful for the inspiration”. Others noted that moving to a rural area of India can present a unique set of challenges.
While there was a plethora of positive comments, someone added - “A lot of times, we learn from other people by observation, by seeing them perform their work - the others coming from places and environments much different than one's. I don't think this is possible in a rural setting. Having internet access and collaborating remotely with people from other backgrounds helps, but not to the extent of working in person with people different from one. Of course, I'm speaking from the perspective of an employee and not a founder or an executive.”
With all that being said, Mr. Vembu truly believes, the "long-term horizon" part is extremely important. If you want an exit in 3 years, try to engage the talent in their native language.
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