Sridhar Vembu's Arattai Tops App Store Charts in India
Zoho's indigenous messaging application, Arattai, has unexpectedly gained significant attention after reaching the number one position on India's app store rankings. The application, which had a quiet debut in 2021, has become a widely discussed topic as increasing numbers of users seek secure alternatives to international messaging services that are free from surveillance software. Its branding as a "made-in-India, privacy-focused" platform appears to have resonated well with consumers.
Zoho's creator, Sridhar Vembu, mentioned that the reception has exceeded the team's expectations by a considerable margin. He disclosed that daily registrations for Arattai surged from 3,000 to 350,000 within a span of just three days.
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He further acknowledged that development teams are operating continuously to resolve technical problems and prepare the application for a more extensive launch scheduled for November.
However, this expansion has revived a longstanding debate about whether Zoho should go public on India's stock exchange, allowing regular investors to benefit from the company's achievements. Investor Venkatesh Alla was among those who openly advocated for this approach. Vembu, though, presented a contrasting viewpoint. He argued that had Zoho been a publicly traded entity, Arattai would likely never have been developed.
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“Arattai would very likely not have been built by a public company that faces quarter-to-quarter financial pressure,” he said.
Calling the app a “hopelessly foolish” project that even employees doubted, he added that Zoho built it because it believed India needed such engineering strength.
“This kind of long-range R&D simply cannot survive quarter-to-quarter market pressures,” Vembu noted.
He also highlighted Zoho's organizational culture, characterizing it as profoundly cost-conscious, particularly within its founding team and executive leadership. Vembu drew parallels to ISRO scientists' approach, emphasizing their concentration on overarching objectives rather than pursuing immediate gains.
Vembu further elaborated that Zoho functions not merely as a software enterprise but resembles a self-sustaining research facility. He enumerated initiatives spanning various domains including semiconductor design, compilers, operating systems, robotics, artificial intelligence, and cybersecurity. He acknowledged that many of these ventures are unlikely to yield rapid profits but remain essential for developing long-term competencies.
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For end-users, Arattai provides standard functionality including messaging, calling, voice recordings, media exchange, and Android TV compatibility. Its primary attraction centers on its privacy commitment. The organization has guaranteed against commercializing user information and has implemented complete end-to-end encryption for voice communications. Chat encryption remains under development.
The sudden demand has not been without problems. Users have reported delays in OTP delivery and syncing glitches. Vembu acknowledged these issues, saying the company is expanding its infrastructure and fine-tuning the app. “We have all-hands-on-deck working flat out,” he said.