Sridhar Vembu.
Credit: X/@helfulai
Zoho co-founder Sridhar Vembu sparked a debate online over his advice to young entrepreneurs that they should marry and have kids in their 20s.
Vembu gave his advice while sharing a video posted by entrepreneur Upasana Konidela. The caption mentioned that Upasana was interacting with the students at IIT Hyderabad, and how to her one question the responses differed between the men and women.
"When I asked, 'How many of you want to get married?' — more men raised their hands, than the women! The women seemed far more career-focused !!!! This is the new - Progressive India," she wrote in the caption.
Sharing her post, Vembu wrote, "I advise young entrepreneurs I meet, both men and women, to marry and have kids in their 20s and not keep postponing it."
"I tell them they have to do their demographic duty to society and their own ancestors. I know these notions may sound quaint or old-fashioned but I am sure these ideas will resonate again," he added.
The internet is however divided.
"You are telling ambitious 20 somethings to pause building their company to have kids early. What do you say to the ones who tried that, had 3 kids by 28 and are now divorced, broke, and watching their less encumbered peers lap them in wealth and impact Mr Vembu?" a user commented.
Another user wrote, "While I respect your advice, I believe the choice of when (or if) to marry and have kids is deeply personal. Focus on career/personal goals in your 20s is equally valid. No one has a 'demographic duty' to prioritise family planning over their own timeline."
"Everyone talks about a person's demographic duties, but no one cares about the person's emotional, aspirational and financial needs. In a world where the collective doesn't care about the individual, the corollary becomes true as well," comment a third.
"I don't agree with this. Your 20s are too early. You need space to explore yourself," commented a fourth.
Some netizens however supported Vembu's point of early marriage and having kids in their 20s.
"Pure synchronicity! As a founder with 2 young kids, I couldn't agree more. Family isn't distraction; it’s the anchor. Navigating a startup journey is much sustainable when you have that support system built early on," a user commented.
Another user wrote, "This is time-tested wisdom. We must analyse why our ancestors put a system in place that worked so well over thousands of years."