Zoho founder Sridhar Vembu says farmers, doctors, teachers shouldn’t be profit-driven: ‘No one ever becomes a …’

Zoho founder Sridhar Vembu has once again questioned the idea that every profession should be driven by profit, arguing that some of the most important jobs in society are built on duty, service and personal commitment. In a post on X (formerly Twitter), Sridhar Vembu pointed to farmers, doctors, teachers and priests as examples of professions where money is often not the main reason people choose the work. His comments came a day after he questioned whether society really wants these professions to become profit-driven. Vembu argued that these professions form an important foundation of civilization and that businesses have a role in supporting them rather than treating profit as the only measure of value.Sridhar Vembu says farmers do not choose farming for moneySridhar Vembu began his latest post by asking readers to consider why people choose certain professions. “Ask a farmer who made a choice to be in farming and they would tell you it is their love of farming,” he wrote.He argued that farmers are unlikely to describe money as the main reason they entered agriculture. Instead, he said, farmers may leave the profession when they can no longer afford to continue.Vembu also used doctors as an example. He said doctors are expected to follow professional and ethical rules that put patients first. According to Vembu, doctors who enter the profession mainly for money are not respected by their peers.He made a similar argument about teachers. “No one ever becomes a teacher because the money is good,” Vembu wrote. Vembu also included priests in the same group, arguing that people do not generally train for such roles because they expect financial rewards.Sridhar Vembu says economics may view this behaviour differentlySridhar Vembu then turned his criticism toward economic models. “Economic models would consider all of that behaviour irrational,” he wrote. However, he argued that this willingness to pursue work for reasons beyond money is essential to society. “Yet without that deeply evolved character trait in humanity, civilization itself would collapse.”The Zoho founder's comments build on a broader argument he made in his previous X post about profit, capitalism and society. A day earlier, Vembu had asked: “Do we want our farmers, teachers, doctors and priests to be profit-driven?” He argued that modern finance and economic theory often pushes people toward making more activities profit-driven.Get the latest technology news and updates. Download the TOI App.