Zoho founder Sridhar Vembu has once again joined the global conversation on artificial intelligence, offering a thought-provoking perspective on careers that are likely to remain relevant despite rapid advancements in AI. In a detailed post on X, Vembu avoided presenting a typical “AI-proof jobs” list focused on technical roles or future-ready degrees. Instead, he highlighted human-centric professions and pursuits driven more by purpose, creativity, and real-world impact than by paycheques alone.
Vembu opened his remarks by challenging the way modern society defines self-worth. He argued that when individuals equate their value solely with economic output or intellectual status, the rise of AI could spark a profound personal crisis. As machines grow increasingly capable of performing tasks traditionally associated with prestige and income, many white-collar roles may lose their exclusivity.
However, he maintained that certain forms of work remain largely insulated from such disruption, as they are grounded in care, culture, and community rather than in productivity metrics or status-driven measures of success.
In his post, Vembu cited examples such as caring for children, educating young minds, tending to the elderly, returning to farming after leaving a lucrative career, serving as forest rangers out of a deep love for nature, performing daily rituals as local temple priests even without an audience, and practicing classical music regardless of crowd size.
He argued that individuals who choose such paths are not primarily driven by financial gain – and that is precisely why AI cannot erode their sense of purpose. According to Vembu, as technology increasingly takes over efficiency-focused and productivity-driven roles, society may gradually reorganize itself around more meaningful, value-based pursuits.
This viewpoint prompted a strong reaction from an X user, Vishnu Agarwal, who contended that passion-driven pursuits cannot thrive in an economic vacuum. He referenced Renaissance Florence, where artists and musicians prospered largely because affluent banking families such as the Medicis created surplus wealth that sustained cultural and creative endeavors. Agarwal cautioned that if AI undermines core economic engines, the surplus resources that support art, culture, and caregiving may eventually diminish.
In his reply, Vembu shifted the focus away from money itself. He argued that AI and related technologies are poised to deliver a dramatic surge in productivity, leading to an abundance of goods and services. The real issue, he suggested, will not be production but consumption – specifically, how people will access and benefit from that abundance if technological progress creates surplus without generating sufficient jobs or incomes.
To illustrate his argument, Vembu cited ancient temples – monumental structures built by thousands of artisans who were supported through food, clothing, and shelter made possible by societal surplus and distributed under the authority of the ruling king.