What if America cuts off Google and ChatGPT? Zoho's Sridhar Vembu says India must prepare

Zoho founder Sridhar Vembu has called for a 10-year “National Mission for Tech Resilience,” warning of India’s deepening dependence on U.S. technology platforms, from apps to operating systems and chip manufacturing.

Reacting to a post by industrialist Harsh Goenka on X, Vembu backed concerns over India’s vulnerability if U.S. tech access were suddenly revoked. “We need a 10-year National Mission for Tech Resilience. It can be done,” Vembu wrote, echoing fears that a hypothetical ban—such as one by Donald Trump—could cripple India's digital infrastructure.

Goenka’s original post asked Indians to imagine a scenario where platforms like Google, Instagram, X, Facebook, and ChatGPT were cut off. “Frightening, no! Just think about the consequences seriously and what could be Plan B for us,” he wrote.

In response, a tech analyst with over 15 years in U.S.-India digital trade flagged the potential for “catastrophic economic fallout.” According to NASSCOM estimates for 2025, a sudden cutoff could devastate India’s $200 billion digital economy, disrupt more than 500 million users, and wipe out up to 60% of ad revenue.

The analyst suggested accelerating a Plan B that includes Indian-made alternatives: Zoho and Nextcloud for cloud services, Arattai for messaging, and open-source AI models like Bhashini. “We've built UPI in five years; sovereignty in 18 months is feasible,” they noted.

India’s reliance on U.S. tech giants has long been debated, but recent global tensions and discussions around digital sovereignty are amplifying calls for localized solutions.