Zoho’s Arattai Messaging App Records 100x Traffic Surge, Sridhar Vembu Promises Major Upgrades

New Delhi: Zoho’s homegrown messaging platform Arattai has experienced an explosive surge in usage, reflecting growing demand for indigenous digital services under the Aatmanirbhar Bharat initiative. According to Zoho founder Sridhar Vembu, traffic on the app grew 100-fold in just three days, with new user sign-ups skyrocketing from 3,000 per day to 350,000 per day.

The unexpected growth has prompted Zoho to scale up rapidly. “We are adding infrastructure on an emergency basis for another potential 100x peak surge. That is how exponentials work,” Vembu said in a social media post. He added that the company has “all-hands-on-deck” fine-tuning the backend and addressing technical issues in real time.

Arattai was originally set for a major release in November, with expanded features, higher capacity, and a marketing campaign. However, the exponential adoption has accelerated those plans. “We have a lot more planned for Arattai, please give us some time. Thank you for your patience and support! Jai Hind,” Vembu stated.

The surge also sparked renewed discussions around a potential Zoho stock market listing. Vembu dismissed such speculation, stressing that Zoho’s independence from quarterly financial pressures allows it to pursue long-term, “foolish” projects like Arattai.

“Arattai would very likely not have been built by a public company that faces quarter-to-quarter financial pressure. Even our employees had doubts that Arattai would ever gain traction,” he explained.

Highlighting Zoho’s unique philosophy, Vembu described the company as “an industrial research lab that also makes money to fund itself.” The firm invests heavily in R&D across compilers, databases, operating systems, security, chip design, robotics, and AI, with minimal focus on short-term profits. He compared the model to Japan’s development phase, underlining a culture of frugality akin to ISRO scientists.

The rise of Arattai has also drawn political support. Ashwini Vaishnaw, Union Minister for Railways, IT, and I&B, publicly endorsed Zoho’s productivity suite, announcing his move to Zoho Docs and urging citizens to embrace indigenous digital platforms.

The sudden rise of Arattai marks a turning point for Zoho in the competitive messaging space, with the company positioning itself as a Swadeshi alternative to global tech giants while doubling down on its long-term research-driven vision for India’s digital ecosystem.