Where is the support to build in India? Harvard grad questions Sridhar Vembu's call

After Zoho founder Sridhar Vembu urged Indians in the United States to return and build India amid immigration uncertainty, Simran, a Harvard graduate, says she has already returned, but questioned whether the country offers enough support to those willing to build here.After Zoho founder Sridhar Vembu urged Indians in the United States to return and build India amid immigration uncertainty, Simran, a Harvard graduate, says she has already returned, but questioned whether the country offers enough support to those willing to build here. (Photo: AI-create-collage/X/simransurii)New Delhi,Oct 16, 2026 11:11 ISTSridhar Vembu’s call for Indians in the United States to return and help build India has prompted a question from someone who says she has already done so: what support does the system offer those who come back?In a post on X, Simran, an entrepreneur based in Mumbai said she returned after her Harvard programme wanting to build in India. She still wants to, but her experience has shaken her faith in the system.Her post comes in reply to Vembu’s appeal to Indians facing uncertainty in the US to return home. His message came after a US move to suspend several technology companies from a key employment-based green card process. It has renewed a wider debate about whether India can attract people with global education and experience and give them the conditions needed to put their skills to work.‘WHERE IS THE CONDUCIVE ENVIRONMENT?'Simran said she works in artificial intelligence and healthcare but has struggled to get clear guidance on the regulatory steps for a clinical validation study. She also described resistance to adopting AI in education, saying institutions would not engage with her work. Getting police support over basic civic issues had also been difficult, she said."Who is accountable for giving founders clear regulatory answers? How do educators evaluate new technology responsibly? Where does a citizen turn when local authorities don’t help?" she wrote, asking Vembu what governance reforms he would push for and how people like her could help bring them about.RETURNING IS ONLY THE FIRST STEP “I came back after my Harvard programme wanting to build in India. I still do,” Simran wrote, questioning whether the country offers the environment needed to turn that intention into action.She said she believes in the message “Come back, let’s build”, but asked how the system could support those who respond to it.Vembu’s original post said Indians had made a major contribution to America’s technological strength, but many now faced the prospect of uprooting lives they had built there. He urged them to see the uncertainty as a chance to help shape India’s future.Simran’s reply shifts the debate from whether Indians should return to what happens after they do. She points to the need for clear rules, institutions willing to engage with new technology and public services that respond when citizens seek help.- Ends