Should the ultimate aim of every profession in society be to earn profits? Should professions like farmers, teachers, doctors and priests also be seen purely from the perspective of the market and profit? Sridhar Vembu has raised this question through a post on the social media platform X, sparking a serious debate on the modern economic system and the role of profits.
Sridhar Vembu, Chief Scientist of Zoho, questioned in his post, do we want our farmers, teachers, doctors, and priests to also be completely profit-driven? According to him, the modern financial system and economic principles are gradually encouraging almost every activity of human life to be seen through the lens of profits.
Vembu argues that if every activity of society begins to be evaluated only on the basis of economic gain, the result could be a world where the basic foundations of civilization are weakened.
Not everything can be measured by the market
According to Sridhar Vembu, markets and economic activities are given a lot of importance in today’s popular economic thinking. But his question is, what does the market that we consider to be the foundation of the modern economy itself depend on? He believes that behind the market lies a foundation of human civilization, spirituality, culture and social values, which is not driven by the rules of the market itself. That is, the market can flourish only when there are already systems like education, culture, food, family, spirituality and social trust in the society.
Farmers are not just a source of profit.
In Vembu’s view, the farmer’s job is not just to make the most profit in the market. The farmer is part of the basic system of providing food to the society. Similarly, the teacher is not just a person selling a service. He plays a role in passing on knowledge and values to the next generation. The work of a doctor cannot also be limited to just one financial transaction. At the same time, priests and spiritual institutions play a role related to the faith and spiritual life of the society. That’s why Vembu raises the question, should all these roles be driven only by profit motive?
So why do we need profits?
Sridhar Vembu does not seem to rule out profits entirely. An important part of his view is that profits should be the means, not the end goal. According to him, companies and markets can contribute to maintaining the broader social order on which the entire civilization rests.
Vembu talked about looking at this social foundation in four parts — Nature, Nature, Culture and Scripture. In his view, nature is related to food and life, nurture to education and care, culture to recreation and social expression, and scripture to spirituality. They make a strong argument that the purpose of profit should be to help maintain this foundation, not to replace this foundation itself.
Technology is a means, not a destination.
Sridhar Vembu also explained his vision for technology.
He said that he considers technology as a means to an end, that is, a means to reach a larger objective, not the end goal itself. This idea is especially important for technology companies. Today, the world is increasingly investing in technologies such as AI, Automation, and Digital Transformation.
But the question is, what is the ultimate purpose of these technologies? Is technology only for increasing the profits of companies or should it also be used to make society more self-reliant, capable and better?
Why is it necessary to debate the idea of Sridhar Vembu?
Vembu’s statement comes at a time when the world is constantly debating the role of privatisation and markets in sectors such as health, education and agriculture.
On the one hand, it is argued that profit incentives attract better talent, increase investment and encourage innovation. On the other hand, there is also a concern that if profit becomes the biggest objective in every field, then social interests may be left behind.
For example, if education is treated as a mere product and the student as a mere customer, the broader social purpose of education may be affected. Similarly, the weaker sections of society may be affected when only the ability to pay is given importance in the health system.
This is where Sridhar Vembu’s question becomes part of the broader economic debate.
Profits are necessary, but for what purpose?
Profits are important for any company. Without an economically sustainable model, a business cannot contribute to employees, customers, and society in the long run. But the question of Vembu is not on the existence of profits, but on its priority.
Should profits be the ultimate goal?
Or should the profits be used to create a system in which the education, culture, food, health and spiritual-social needs of the society are also strong?
That’s the difference between “Profit as a means” and “Profit as an end”.
This idea of Sridhar Vembu is not just about farmers, teachers, doctors or priests. This puts a big question in front of the modern economy:
Should every human activity be viewed through the prism of economic gain?
Markets and profits may be essential to modern society, but not everything important in society is produced by the market. Systems such as family, culture, education, faith, nature and social responsibility also form the foundation of the economic system.
Perhaps the real challenge is not to eliminate profits, but to ensure that profits remain a means of strengthening society rather than becoming an objective of society.
This comment by Sridhar Vembu brings this important debate to the fore again.
