Finsamudra Desk2mo ago

Why Sridhar Vembu is keeping Zoho private

The founder frames the choice as protecting long-term decision-making from quarterly pressure — 'a treadmill all the time.'

Startups1 min read

Not every successful company is built for the stock market. — Image: Finsamudra LinkedIn archive

Sridhar Vembu has reaffirmed why Zoho remains a privately held company, framing the decision not as avoiding scrutiny but as preserving the freedom to make long-term decisions without being driven by quarterly expectations.

One line stood out: running a listed company, Vembu said, can feel like being 'on a treadmill all the time.' Public markets, he acknowledged, provide capital, liquidity and governance discipline; private ownership offers the flexibility to invest patiently in research, people and infrastructure.

Why it matters

The public-versus-private question has no universal answer — both models have produced exceptional companies. The real differentiator, as Vembu frames it, is whether leadership can stay committed to a long-term vision while navigating the distinct pressures each path brings. For India's founders and BFSI operators weighing capital-raising routes, it is a useful counterweight to the default assumption that going public is the goal.

Sources

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Finsamudra Desk8 Aug 2026, 3:43 pm IST

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