In a recent interview, Sridhar Vembu, the founder and CEO of Zoho Corporation, addressed the recent decline of his company’s messaging app, Arattai, from the top 100 apps list. Vembu characterized this shift as a typical aspect of business evolution, brushing aside critics who might view it as a setback. He stated, “There’s nothing going wrong. I think, first of all, the idea that something went wrong is what is wrong. It is a normal course of events. Nothing goes straight to the moon. You have to go through these ups and downs.”
Vembu emphasized the importance of maintaining a long-term perspective in business, asserting that successful companies are those that can weather fluctuations. “The trick to companies that survive is they have a long-term view on this. In fact, I never thought the number one is anything big. I literally told our employees, this is a particular moment; it won’t last,” he remarked. He further expressed his indifference towards the opinions of critics, suggesting that their focus on Arattai’s ranking was a misallocation of time. “We are not wasting time. I am sitting and we are sitting and focused on code. So I said, don’t worry about it,” he added, indicating that Zoho perceives Arattai as a long-term project, with a timeline of five to 15 years.
Vembu: Zoho has long-term strategy
Vembu revealed that Zoho has invested a decade into developing messaging technology, rendering the app’s recent ranking drop relatively inconsequential. “Our strategy in all this, the messaging is very core. And we have been working on it for 10 years. So this one month is nothing for us. We will continue this and we have a really strong app. It’s getting stronger,” he stated confidently.
Looking ahead, the company is committed to rolling out frequent updates to enhance Arattai’s functionality. Vembu also underscored the necessity of credible competition in the messaging app landscape, arguing that it is essential for keeping monopolistic entities in check. “If we don’t have competition, you can’t keep the monopolist honest. The only thing that keeps a monopolist honest is competition,” he concluded, reinforcing Zoho’s dedication to fostering a vibrant and competitive market.
