Overview

• On August 4, 2025, Vembu publicly cautioned students and parents against taking large loans for foreign or domestic degrees, calling such debt unwise.
• He highlighted a student’s ₹70 lakh loan at 12% interest for a small US master’s program to demonstrate escalating financial risks.
• Zoho has imposed a hiring freeze to uphold its no-layoff policy while it restructures for the AI-driven era.
• Cooling U.S. tech hiring and stricter H-1B visa rules are casting doubt on the return on investment for expensive degrees.
• Vembu urged private companies to fund employee training programs and accept alternative credentials instead of requiring formal degrees.