Zoho co-founder and CEO Sridhar Vembu has once again found himself in the middle of a heated online debate — this time over a post linking child vaccinations to autism. The comment sparked a sharp response from Dr Cyriac Abby Philips, popularly known as “The Liver Doc”, who accused Vembu of spreading misinformation based on an unverified study.
On Tuesday, Vembu shared a research paper claiming that vaccination is the “dominant risk factor” for autism. “Parents should take this analysis seriously,” he wrote on X (formerly Twitter). “There is increasing evidence that we are giving way too many vaccines to very young children. This is spreading in India too, and we are seeing a rapid increase in autism.”
Vembu, who has been vocal about his son being on the autism spectrum, later clarified that he wasn’t opposing vaccines but questioning the number administered to children at an early age.
Liver Doc responds
However, Dr Philips — an award-winning hepatologist known for debunking medical misinformation — strongly criticised Vembu’s claims. “The ‘authors’ are antivaxxers funded by an antivaxx organisation. The study was published on their own website — not peer-reviewed or scientifically scrutinised,” he wrote.
He went on to add, “Low IQ authors have selectively amplified weak associations while dismissing robust epidemiological data from millions showing no vaccine-autism link.”
The Liver Doc further cited a large-scale Danish study, considered among the most comprehensive analyses on the subject, which found no connection between childhood vaccination and autism or any of 50 other health conditions.
In a post addressed to Vembu, Dr Philips urged parents to continue vaccinating their children if they “don’t want polio to come back or measles to kill kids again,” while taking a jab at Vembu as a “boomer uncle” and advising him to “stay in your lane” and delete the post.
This is not the first time the two have clashed publicly. In August last year, Dr Philips criticised Vembu’s advocacy of walking barefoot, calling it “pseudoscience.” Earlier, in January, Vembu had also drawn criticism for promoting the supposed “beneficial properties” of cow urine and cow dung. The doctor had then urged him to “stop endorsing ancient pseudoscience and outdated therapies” and avoid amplifying misinformation.
The latest exchange has reignited the ongoing conversation around scientific accountability, misinformation, and the responsibility of public figures when discussing health-related topics online.
While many users supported Dr Philips for calling out misinformation, others felt the debate could have been handled with more civility.
Vembu has not yet responded to the latest round of criticism.
