New Delhi: Any “smart person” can easily outperform 10 workers on a computer using AI, according to Zoho co-founder and chief scientist Sridhar Vembu.
“Any job performed on the computer has this risk now: one smart person using AI can perform the work of 10 people,” he wrote in a post on X on Thursday.
Vembu added that this should not be seen as a threat to the current workforce, but as a rebalancing across the economy.
“This does not mean 90% of people working on a computer will have no work at all,” he wrote. “Industries that previously could not afford to hire software engineers or digitial marketers could afford them now, for example.”
He acknowledged that the “rebalancing” is painful, adding that the only thing one can do is “to accept that it is coming and be prepared for it.”
In replies to his post, he said that operating AI and giving an accurate command is a “meta level skill.”
“AI requires us that we state what we want clearly (for which we need to know what we want!), break up complex problems into manageable chunks to feed AI, detect when AI is drifting and bring it back on the rails. These are meta level skills,” he wrote. “These skills are precisely what system architects have needed. AI boosts their productivity substantially now.”
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‘Preparing for mass layoff’
Critics suggested that the post read like groundwork for possible layoffs at Zoho.
“This guy is preparing for a mass layoff at Zoho. He’s only trying to build a case through all these tweets,” a user said. “So much for ‘come to Indian, let’s build together’.”
Other users pointed out the expense of AI infrastructure.
“Uncle to enable that 1 smart person, what is the cost of AI infra and tech? The AI cost bubble is beginning to crumble worldwide, high debts, losses! Unless its affordable debt free tech, it is not sustainable!,” a user wrote. “Stop this hypocrisy and give some hikes to your employees, all 10 will be needed in future!”
(Edited by Aamaan Alam Khan)