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Sridhar Vembu compares big tech firms like Google to the East India Company, warning of their power over nations and urging digital independence.
Sridhar Vembu Raises Concerns Over Big Tech’s Global Dominance
Zoho founder Sridhar Vembu has sparked a trigger after stating that big tech companies today are “bigger than most sovereign nations,” drawing a comparison with the historic East India Company.
In a post shared on social media platform X, Vembu wrote, “Big tech is bigger than most sovereign nations. ‘East India Company’ is the way to think about them.”
The remarks came in the context of Google’s staggering fundraising of $32 billion in 1 day and issued a 100-year bond worth $1 billion, which is longer than India’s longest at 40 years.
Comparing Corporate Power To Colonial-Era Influence
The comparison to the East India Company — a British trading corporation that exercised administrative and military control over large parts of the Indian subcontinent — signals concerns about the scale and influence of modern multinational technology firms.
It poses a striking similarity to the current scenario, where big tech companies are becoming a dominant force in geopolitical ethos.
In January, commenting on France’s decision to move away from US-based video conferencing platforms such as Zoom and Microsoft Teams in favour of a domestic alternative called Visio, Vembu described the shift as “ironic.” He suggested that Europe was only now beginning to recognise the scale of digital concentration in the hands of a few global firms.
France’s move to adopt a homegrown video meeting solution was widely seen as part of a broader push toward digital independence. Reacting to the development, Vembu argued that nations should not wait for strategic vulnerabilities to emerge before building domestic capabilities.
He stressed the importance of reducing reliance on foreign-owned platforms, especially in critical communication and collaboration tools that underpin government and enterprise operations.
Vembu framed the issue in terms of long-term strategic autonomy, stating that countries must assert stronger control over their data, infrastructure and core technology systems.
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February 15, 2026, 13:43 IST
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