Zoho CEO Sridhar Vembu warned software engineers: “High salary is not reproductive right…you can’t think it will stay forever”
Zoho CEO Sridhar Vembu warned software engineers that their high salaries should not be taken for granted, and it cannot be assumed that the salary will last forever.
Vembu said in a post on X that software engineers can “break” given the impending productivity revolution.
Zoho’s CEO warned in his position that high salaries for software engineers are not “certain birthrights.”
“I often say this to our staff: Software engineers are paid better than mechanical engineers, civil engineers, chemists or school teachers, which is not necessarily true, we can’t take it for granted, we can’t think it will last forever.
Vembu says software engineers need to remind themselves that they may be disrupted.
“It’s to remind ourselves of the attitude we might be “destroying” – the more we’ll be the more likely we will be, assuming we won’t,” he said.
Zoho CEO called his advice “necessary internalization.”
“The productivity revolution I’ve seen will be used for software development (LLMS+ tools) that can ruin a lot of software work. It’s a must for sober but internalizing.”
Sridhar Vembu’s post begins to have a serious conversation
Sridhar Vembu’s recent post has sparked serious conversations on the internet, with users saying factors like artificial intelligence will “flip” the current settings.
“AI and Deallarization will flip scripts. I think we are on the verge of this transition. Software developers, bankers and consultants get their fat salary from all the easy money. As those gradually disappear, civilian, mechanical and material engineers, those who build real things will rise,” one user said.
Another user highlighted the decline in job opportunities for software engineers, and many of the jobs of workers were replaced by young, low-paying workers.
User said: “It clarifies good salary. Now questioning the salary level of S/W engineers. More importantly, S/W engineers have reduced job opportunities. Young people who want to pursue this profession and lay off existing employees.”
Another commenter said that unless India starts to innovate, the country will be “digitally unemployed”.
“India will not start innovating, we will go from being the world backstage to digital unemployed. Will India continue to be an IT coolie country for foreign innovation, or will it eventually start to create?” he asked.
