Overview
- In a post on X, Sridhar Vembu told young entrepreneurs to marry and have children in their 20s, calling it a “demographic duty” to society and ancestors.
- His remarks responded to Upasana Konidela’s IIT Hyderabad video noting fewer women signalling interest in marriage and framing egg‑freezing and financial independence as tools to choose timing.
- Critics cited unstable incomes, high housing costs, weak work–life balance and maternity‑leave penalties, with some men pointing to divorce, custody and alimony risks.
- Vembu engaged with commenters, acknowledging cost‑of‑living concerns but arguing cultural factors also deter family formation, adding that “life is not a race.”
- Coverage contextualised the exchange with research showing Indians are marrying and having children later, including Pew data on rising median age at first marriage and fewer 30–34‑year‑olds with children.