'Indians won't find respect until...': Sridhar Vembu on US mathematician's take on anti-India sentiment in US

Zoho founder and chief scientist Sridhar Vembu has responded to American mathematician Eric Weinstein’s take on the rising anti-India sentiment in the US, saying India must build on the talents of its own people to earn true respect globally.

In a post on X on Saturday, Vembu said India’s development should not depend on which political ideology is in power elsewhere in the world. He argued that the country’s priority should be to build its own companies and strengthen its economy.

"Until India develops, based on the talents of our own people, we will not find true respect in the world, no matter whether right, left or centre is in charge anywhere. The racist shows us a mirror and asks: 'If your nation is smart, why do you want to come here.' I do not hate him, I want to respond by building," he wrote on X.

Vembu also said some Indians might agree with those expressing racist views and end up believing that India will never develop. He added that he did not hate them either, reiterating that the response should be to build.

"Companies and nations are built by people who believe it can be done. The urgent national priority is to build, build and build," the Zoho chief scientist wrote.

SEE WHY | Why are Indians facing backlash over US tech jobs? How H-1B visas became a flashpoint

What Eric Weinstein said about anti-India sentiment

In his post, Weinstein flagged growing hostility towards Indians, Hindus and Indian Americans, urging those who shared such sentiments to unfollow him.

The discussion comes amid growing scrutiny of Indian professionals in the US tech sector, with tighter H-1B visa restrictions affecting tech hiring, housing demand and local economies that depend on international talent.

JD Vance on H-1B workers

The anti-India sentiment in US hit peak when the Trump administration suspended major tech and IT companies from the Permanent Labour Certification (PERM) green card program. While announcing the decision earlier this month, US Vice President JD Vance accused Microsoft and other major technology companies of exploiting the H-1B visa system to replace American workers with lower-paid foreign employees, calling them "indentured servants".

Outlining the wage differences between Americans and foreign workers brought in on temporary visas, Vance said that foreign professionals who came into the country on H-1B visas earn $20,000 less on average compared to US citizens in identical positions.

He said, "If you were brought in by one of these foreign outsourcing firms, you're making $48,000 less than an American citizen in a similar position."

Vance further added, "So I'm sure that everybody here understands the game that is being played. You bring in indentured servants from outside the country, you lay off American workers and, if you're a corporation, you make a ton of money by undercutting the wages of American workers, replacing them with people who frankly shouldn't be in the United States of America to begin with."

DON'T MISS | H-1B vs PERM explained: What the US suspension means for Indian IT workers

Tech companies push back against JD Vance's claims

Responding to Vance's claims, Microsoft said that 80 per cent of the around 6,000 applications filed in the last fiscal year were meant to extend or change the status of existing employees.

The company further said that it pays H-1B employees comparable wages to local workers in similar roles.

"We pay our employees some of the highest compensation in the tech sector, and our wages are among the highest of all H-1B filings. We pay our H-1B employees the same as any other employees doing comparable work," the company said.

It added that petitions are filed only for workers who meet strict program requirements.

Tata Consultancy Services (TCS) noted that the green card freeze would not affect their ongoing client work or core hiring. Moreover, Wipro said that the US government's announcement of PERM suspension is unlikely to have any material business impact.

"The recent announcement by the U.S. Department of Labor regarding the suspension of new PERM applications for certain companies, relates to a specific permanent residency pathway and is distinct from broader skilled talent mobility programmes such as the H1B Visa. We don’t anticipate any material business impact from this announcement," Wipro said in a statement.

It added that over 80% of its workforce was locally hired as part of a long-term localisation strategy.

India slams Vance's 'indentured servants' comment

The Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) rejected Vance's remarks regarding foreign tech workers, calling the description of H-1B workers as "indentured servants" unwarranted and deeply offensive.

"We believe that such descriptions are unwarranted and ignore the fact that Indian professionals in the United States are highly educated and skilled contributors to its economy and innovation ecosystem," the MEA said. Addressing the terminology, the MEA highlighted the historical contributions of immigrants.

"Indeed, the history of the United States itself has been shaped by generations of immigrants whose labour, enterprise and innovation have contributed to its growth and prosperity. Resorting to terminology that carries painful historical and colonial legacy connotations is deeply offensive," the statement added.

DO CHECKOUT | US green card curbs: India slams Vance's 'indentured servants' remark for colonial undertones