“Golden Cuffs”: The CEO recalls why he left the promising H 1B profession in the United States to build in India

Kumar Vibbo, founder and director of the executive of Godugal Technologies, has participated in a profound personal reflection in his early career in the United States and the decision to change life, which ultimately rose one of the biggest technical success stories in India.

In an explicit publication on LinkedIn, the younger brother of Sarrad described how his H-1B-1-visa has turned as a gateway to the opportunity-to what he calls “the golden hand”.

“In 1995, I was working in Qualcomm in San Diego on the H1B visa. On paper, I was in the most free country in the world. But in reality, I felt besieged,” Vimbo wrote. “I couldn’t change the jobs freely due to the visa restrictions. Friends plans for life decisions like marriage about the timelines of the green card. I kept asking myself: Why is there nothing on the American shelves in India?”

Vembu said this feeling of restriction and disappointment, it has become a turning point in his career. “On one evening, I took what many considered a” crazy “decision: I left my job in the United States and returned to Chennai to start something of my own. If we look back nearly 30 years, this decision is classified as it has become in the end Zoho, where today more than 19,000 people used hundreds of startups.”

Freedom in theory, restrictions in practice

Vembu, who moved to the United States in 1994, recalled his time as an Intel advisor before moving to Qualcomm. While the employment was “technically”, the visa conditions restricted its professional movement. “I felt it was a soft bond. Sometimes, I felt like modern slavery for me,” I admitted. “I was in the most free countries in the world, but I had no personal freedom to change jobs if I didn’t like.”

He also described how conversations revolve around friends about green card files, marriage tables, and constant negotiation on life options on visa restrictions. “The idea of ​​staying longer to get a green card was strangled,” he said.

“Why not India?”

A pivotal impact from his older brother, Sridhar Fimbo, who will indicate during the shopping trips in San Diego how none of the products were made on the shelves in India. Kumar said: “The question – why there is nothing in India – was chasing me.” “The spark that Dr. Ashok Jongonwoala sparks to make India depend on themselves on technology pushed me more.”

At the level of engineers in the United States and India, he felt that the young workforce in India was more hungry, more ambitious, and ready to push more effort for success. “The ordinary engineer in India had more leadership and ambition more than I saw in the United States. I felt that I was a fish of water in America, and this perception made my life miserable.”

Risks that pay off

In November 1995, Vembu returned to Chennai. This step, although it is risky, started on a journey that eventually led to the emergence of Zoho, who is now a global leader. “Was it risky? Certainly. Was it worth it? More than I was imagining,” he said.

For VEMBU, his story is also an invitation to others to think beyond professions associated with visa. “If someone’s choice may lead to this, imagine the possibilities when more of us choose freedom to visa restrictions.”