ABP Exclusive | Sridhar Vembu’s Zoho Responds To Claims Of 300 Trainees Being Let Go Without Notice

"The post in question appears to conflate our internship programme with employment. These are distinct: internships are learning engagements that do not automatically guarantee a full-time role. From the 2026 intern cohort, over 30% of candidates have already received offers or are currently under evaluation for full-time employment. This is in addition to the freshers who were hired, and will be joining as employees after completing their course. 

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Sridhar Vembu’s IT company, Zoho, has reportedly laid off around 300 trainees without prior notice. The development came to light after an anonymous user, claiming to be among those affected, shared details of the incident on Blind. The affected fresher said the sudden decision came as a major shock, especially since their family depended on the income.

Zoho Cuts 300 Trainee Roles Without Prior Notice

“Recently got laid off from Zoho without any prior notice,” the user wrote on Blind. They further claimed that nearly 300 trainees were abruptly asked to leave.

The affected fresher suggested that the layoffs may have come shortly after a discussion within the company about trainees replacing full-time employees. “Shortly before this happened, a full-time employee had commented, ‘You are planning to replace us with trainees?’ It’s hard not to feel like that may have played a role in what followed,” the fresher added in their post.

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The trainee also shared that they had chosen Zoho over major IT firms such as Tata Consultancy Services, Cognizant, and Capgemini, and were excited about the opportunity. 

“At those companies, I might have had at least some stability, even if it meant being on the bench for a while,” the Blind user went on to express.

They added that the layoff had deeply affected them personally. “I come from a financially struggling background, and this job wasn’t just a career step. My family was depending on it,” the trainee said.

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The trainee also addressed senior employees at Zoho, urging them not to see freshers as replacements. “To Zoho seniors, freshers aren’t here to replace anyone. We are here to learn, contribute, and grow alongside experienced professionals,” the impacted individual wrote on Blind.

Message To Sridhar Vembu 

In a direct message to Sridhar Vembu, the trainee expressed disappointment over the situation.

“It’s disheartening to see messaging around supporting rural talent and hiring from small towns, while actions like laying off hundreds of young employees without explanation tell a very different story,” the post read.

ABP Live has reached out to Zoho via email for a comment. It will be included in this article as and when we receive one. We could not independently verify the veracity of the claim. 

‘This Is Outrageous,’ Say Blind Users

Since being shared, the post has drawn reactions from users across the tech industry, with several expressing concern over the reported layoffs. One user who claims to work at Google commented, “Mid-level engineers are trying hard to keep their positions secure. You need to play the game and not react emotionally.”

The OP shared a response to this comment and said the situation was not about competition but about the lack of warning.

“There’s a difference between playing the game and being blindsided without notice after relocating for a job,” they replied.

Another user, claiming to work at Goldman Sachs, wrote, “300 people? Using freshers as pawns? Hang in there.”

A user from Hewlett Packard Enterprise added, “This is outrageous. The community deserves clarity on why 300 careers were disrupted so abruptly.”

Another commenter summed up the sentiment, saying, “Freshers often get caught in the crossfire of internal politics.”