India, Feb. 26 -- Zoho founder Sridhar Vembu has advised entrepreneurs and engineers in Tamil Nadu to learn Hindi for career advancement. In an X post that has proven to be deeply divisive on the social media platform, the Indian billionaire said not knowing Hindi is a "serious handicap."

His comments sparked backlash from a section of the internet that argued against imposition of Hindi.

In an X post shared on February 26, Sridhar Vembu said that many of Zoho's rural engineers in Tamil Nadu work with clients from Delhi, Mumbai, and Gujarat. For these engineers, not knowing Hindi is often a hindrance in conducting business

"Rural jobs in Tamil Nadu depend on us serving those customers well. Not knowing Hindi is often a serious handicap...