Zoho CEO Sridhar Vembu Identifies Roles Resistant to Automation Risk

Financial Report: Artificial Intelligence and the Future of Work

February 27, 2026

Zoho Founder Sridhar Vembu has sparked debate with his recent post on X, arguing that many forms of meaningful work will remain untouched by artificial intelligence (AI) because they are driven by passion and purpose rather than financial incentives.

Vembu's Key Points:

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• AI may challenge individuals whose sense of self-worth is closely tied to economic output or intellectual status.
• Activities such as caring for children and the elderly, teaching, farming, forest conservation, temple rituals, and classical music are sustained by passion and purpose rather than financial incentives.
• People engaged in such work are unlikely to feel threatened by AI, and humanity may reorganise itself around these pursuits.

Counterarguments:

• Some critics argue that passion-driven work cannot survive without economic backing, citing historical examples such as Renaissance Florence.
• Others warn that if AI weakens economic engines, funding for pursuits like art and culture may dry up.

Vembu's Response:

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• He urges critics to move beyond a money-centric view and consider the potential for AI to increase the production of goods and services.
• He notes that once technology creates abundance without employment, societies will need political and economic solutions to distribute that surplus.
• He suggests two broad paths: one where people are encouraged to spend time in nature, culture, art, sports, spirituality, and caregiving, and another where mechanisms like Universal Basic Income are adopted.

Alternative Perspective:

• Another user argues that AI will create new kinds of work by enabling humanity to solve long-standing problems, such as rebuilding cities and improving quality of life.