Privacy Over Profits: Arattai’s Rise Shows Zoho’s Off-Wall Street Power

Zoho founder Sridhar Vembu has credited the company’s independence from Wall Street for the explosive rise of Arattai, its homegrown messaging app that recently topped India’s app store charts.

Key highlights:

- Arattai, meaning “chat” in Tamil, was quietly launched in 2021 but saw a meteoric rise in September 2025, with sign-ups jumping from 3,000 to 3.5 lakh per day.
- Vembu emphasized that Arattai’s development was possible only because Zoho isn’t publicly listed and doesn’t face quarterly profit pressures.
- The app is positioned as a spyware-free, privacy-first alternative to WhatsApp, resonating with users amid rising concerns over data security.
- Arattai has received endorsements from government officials under the Aatmanirbhar Bharat initiative and is designed to work efficiently in low-connectivity areas.
- Engineers are working round the clock to scale infrastructure for a broader rollout in November.

Sources: Financial Express, India Today, Economic Times.