Former Engineer Reflects on Career at Zoho as Tech Firm Defers Annual Hikes
A former Zoho employee has shared his experience of working at the software company, describing his three-year tenure as a period marked by stress, anxiety, and a temporary loss of interest in programming. Kewal Agarwal, who began his career at Zoho in 2015 as a Member of Technical Staff, detailed his professional journey in a LinkedIn post, noting that moving to a smaller startup later helped him rebuild his confidence.
Agarwal joined Zoho in May 2015 and remained with the organisation until June 2018. During his time at the company, he was involved in software development for Zoho Books, contributing to its US edition as well as localized versions for the United Arab Emirates and Saudi Arabia. His duties also encompassed REST API development and banking integrations.
Despite his initial excitement upon securing the role, Agarwal stated that the experience proved challenging. Reflecting on his three years at the company, he characterized the period as "probably the worst period of my career," writing that he lost confidence in his skills, developed a dislike for coding, and struggled with constant stress and anxiety regarding his future prospects.
Transition to Startups and Career Progression
In September 2020, Agarwal joined MishiPay, a significantly smaller startup. He noted that despite the organization operating at a much smaller scale than Zoho, he managed to regain his professional confidence within less than a year of joining.
Following his role at MishiPay, Agarwal transitioned into product management. He worked at Gameskraft before joining Flipkart in November 2024, where he currently serves as a Senior Product Manager for Cleartrip.
In his post, Agarwal clarified that he does not hold Zoho or himself responsible for the difficulties he experienced. He explained that he was at the start of his professional life at the time, lacking both the maturity to navigate certain career decisions and the financial flexibility to take the risk of resigning. He also expressed continued admiration for Zoho founder Sridhar Vembu, concluding that even reputable companies may not suit every individual and that smaller organizations can offer positive turnarounds.
Zoho Defers Salary Increases Amid Rising Costs
Agarwal’s public reflection follows recent statements by Zoho founder Sridhar Vembu regarding the company's financial operations and compensation plans. In an October post on X, Vembu announced that the software firm would defer regular salary increases for its workforce this year due to escalating operational expenses.
Vembu cited a fourfold increase in server prices alongside expanding artificial intelligence usage as primary drivers of higher expenditure. These developments have increased the cost of operating data centres and onboarding new clients. In response, Zoho reduced its marketing budget and informed staff that routine annual pay raises would not be awarded this year.
While apologizing for the decision, Vembu stated that the company is aiming to avoid mass layoffs despite challenging conditions across the broader software sector. He noted that Zoho has maintained a freeze on overall employee headcount growth for the past 18 months, adding that the upcoming three to five years will be critical as the business works to adapt its model.
Addressing online criticism regarding the deferral of pay raises at a bootstrapped company with historical profits, Vembu explained that previously reported figures reflected past financial periods when salary increases were granted. He emphasized that current operational demands—specifically server infrastructure replacements and investments in AI technologies—have created cash flow constraints that required cost-cutting measures, including marketing reductions and paused salary hikes.
