Zoho founder Sridhar Vembu shares the life ‘spiritual principle’ that keeps him grounded: ‘I’m not that important’

Vembu, known for his simple lifestyle and grounded views, said he consciously avoids both flattery and criticism.

Zoho founder Sridhar Vembu spiritual principle

Vembu emphasised that feedback on Zoho’s products and services is always welcome

Zoho founder Sridhar Vembu shared an interesting insight into his company’s culture on Thursday, revealing that employees are strictly discouraged from publicly praising the leadership – including him. In a reflective post, Vembu explained that this long-standing rule is meant to keep egos in check and ensure humility remains central to Zoho’s ethos.

“One long standing principle within the company is that no employee is allowed to praise the leadership, including me, in public. We remind people of this rule periodically and it has become a core part of our culture,” he wrote.

Vembu, known for his simple lifestyle and grounded views, said he consciously avoids both flattery and criticism. “The spiritual principle I have tried to follow in life is to let neither praise nor abuse get to me,” he said, adding that he doesn’t read or watch any content about himself. “I am not that important to me and do not want to carry the burden of being important.”

Check out the post:

One long standing principle within the company is that no employee is allowed to praise the leadership, including me, in public. We remind people of this rule periodically and it has become a core part of our culture.

The spiritual principle I have tried to follow in life is to…

— Sridhar Vembu (@svembu) October 29, 2025

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He went on to describe life itself as the greatest blessing. Calling it the “ultimate gift,” Vembu said he often reminds himself to stay grateful just for being alive and conscious – “Satchitananda.”

While he avoids personal praise, Vembu emphasised that feedback on Zoho’s products and services is always welcome. “I do read critical feedback of our products or the company. They are important,” he noted. According to him, feedback, even negative, is a privilege, because the worst outcome for any product is to be ignored entirely. “The fact that people take the time to tell us is a gift we must be thankful for,” he added.

The post quickly went viral, sparking wide discussion online. One user shared how an author friend once said, “The purpose of life is not to become a ‘somebody’ but to remain a ‘nobody,’ so we have lesser distractions on our path.” Another commenter observed, “Praising has put our nation in big trouble and hindering the actual development. Many are living life out of mere praising in our country!” A third described Vembu’s words as “a powerful and humble leadership philosophy,” appreciating his stand against the culture of personality worship.