Zoho’s Sridhar Vembu Faces Backlash Over Advice for Young Entrepreneurs to Marry in Their 20s

Zoho Corporation co-founder Sridhar Vembu recently stirred discussion when he advised young entrepreneurs, both men and women, to get married and have children in their 20s. He framed it as a “demographic duty to society and their ancestors”.

His comments came in response to a post by Upasana Konidela, who shared that during an interaction with students at IIT Hyderabad, more men than women raised their hands when asked if they wanted to marry soon, noting the women seemed “far more career-focused”.

Strong reaction from Namita Thapar

Namita Thapar, Executive Director at Emcure Pharmaceuticals and a Shark Tank India investor, responded strongly to Vembu’s advice. Sharing her thoughts on X, she said that leaders with influence have a responsibility to use their voice wisely and focus on “REAL issues”, rather than offering personal life guidance like “marry in your 20s”, which she compared to the earlier “70-hour work week” advice.

She pointed to two urgent statistics she believes deserve priority from business leaders: 57% of women in India suffer from anaemia, and less than 20% are part of the formal workforce, numbers that have barely changed in years.

Thapar urged leaders to do their “duty” towards women by addressing challenges around their health, participation in the economy, and ambitions, highlighting that societal expectations around marriage and children often place a greater burden on women founders and professionals.

A leader with influence has a huge responsibility to use his/ her voice responsibly to take up REAL issues. 10 min back, i was shocked to read about this “marry in your 20’s” gyan.. similar to another favourite number of mine - “70” hour work week !! Since u love numbers so much,… pic.twitter.com/it0yrVm4T6

— Namita (@namitathapar) November 20, 2025

Broader debate: culture, economy and choice

Vembu’s remarks have stirred a wide debate on social media, with many pointing out that the decision to marry or have children early is deeply influenced by economic factors, including rising costs of living, career demands, and work-life balance, rather than just demographics.

Some supporters argue that early family formation has benefits. Others counter that advocating it broadly ignores individual choice, women’s careers, and the changing context of modern society. Thapar’s intervention highlighted that tackling structural issues, women’s health, workforce participation, and nutrition may have a longer-term impact than promoting a single life trajectory.

Analysts note that in India and globally, marriage and family formation are shifting later. Delayed marriage and fewer births have been observed for decades, linked to education, employment, urbanisation and changing gender roles.

What Startups and Young Entrepreneurs Should Take Away

For budding founders reading this:

• Balance is personal: There’s no one “right” timeline for marriage, children or business growth. Your stage of life, market conditions, financial runway and personal goals matter.
• Consider structural supports: If you’re looking to start a family while building a business, think ahead about support systems, work-life integration, cash-flow stability and partners.
• Messaging shapes culture: Whether you’re giving advice or following it, your perspectives influence peers. Leaders in the startup ecosystem can emphasise enabling environments (health, equity, flexibility) rather than prescriptive life-stages.
• Focus on what can be changed: Thapar’s call to address workforce participation and health signals areas where founders can build impact within company culture, hiring, wellness and diversity.