Zoho founder Sridhar Vembu issued a passionate call for Indian-origin talent to return home, responding to new research that highlights Indian immigrants as the most fiscally beneficial group to their host countries.
“India sent her best,” Vembu posted on X, reacting to a study by economist Daniel Di Martino that shows Indian immigrants and their descendants contribute an average of $1.7 million to the U.S. federal budget over 30 years.
Vembu added, “I hope India retains its best in the next generation. India also should attract some of the talent that left.”
As political rhetoric targeting immigrants grows louder in the West, Vembu struck a more personal and patriotic tone. “From the migrant perspective, why stay where you are not welcome? Bharat Mata wants you, needs you and welcomes you! Come home, let’s create a strong and prosperous Bharat,” he urged.
Vembu’s message followed Di Martino’s own frustration with anti-immigrant sentiment online, despite the data clearly showing Indian immigrants lead other major nationalities in positive fiscal impact.
The thread also surfaced a sobering counterpoint—an Indian user replied to Vembu, citing systemic barriers like reservation quotas as a reason many educated families left. “It is tough for folks to believe they are wanted when some of us left due to reservation politics,” the user wrote. “My above average but not super smart kids don’t stand a chance with a 69% reservation policy + 7.5% horizontal reservations in my home state. I love my India, but hate the politics.”
The exchange highlights the complex push and pull factors shaping India’s brain drain. While global hostility may push immigrants to reconsider their place abroad, domestic structural issues—especially around access to education and opportunity—remain a deterrent to returning.