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Zoho co-founder Sridhar Vembu sparked a debate online on Tuesday after he drew a connection between child vaccination and autism. This led to a heated exchange with Dr. Cyriac Abby Philips, an award-winning hepatologist known as ‘The Liver Doc’ on social media, who once again labelled Vembu as a “boomer uncle”. Liver Doc criticised Vembu for sharing a study that he claimed was “not peer-reviewed and not scrutinised”. What Zoho Co-Founder Said On Tuesday morning, Vembu shared a study asserting that vaccination is a “dominant risk factor” for autism. Vembu, whose son has autism, has been vocal about the condition. In his social media post, Vembu argued against child vaccination, suggesting it is linked to the rising incidence of autism. “Parents should take this analysis seriously. I believe there is increasing evidence that we are administering too many vaccines to very young children. This trend is spreading in India too, and we are observing a rapid increase in autism cases,” he wrote. Parents should take this analysis seriously. I believe 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 in India. https://t.co/AeiVaieYug — Sridhar Vembu (@svembu) October 28, 2025 Responding to a social media user, Vembu clarified that he is not against vaccines but is questioning the quantity administered to children today. The Liver Doc’s ‘Boomer Uncle’ Response to Sridhar Vembu The Liver Doc urged parents not to halt vaccinations if they want to prevent the return of polio or measles deaths, as seen in the US, attributing such outcomes to “boomer uncles in charge of US Health Departments who have turned anti-science”. Critiquing the study shared by Vembu, the hepatologist deemed its conclusions “not credible”. “The ‘authors’ are antivaxxers funded by an antivaxx organisation, publishing on their own antivaxx website. Not peer-reviewed, not scrutinised. The low-IQ authors have selectively amplified weaker associations while ignoring robust epidemiological data from millions showing no vaccine-autism link,” The Liver Doc wrote on X. For the public and patients, please do not stop vaccinating your children. You don’t want polio to come back. You don’t want measles to kill your child like it is doing in the US because boomer uncles in charge of US Health Departments have become anti science. The conclusions… https://t.co/PsCaeYQmw8 pic.twitter.com/RQM7dnIKBi — TheLiverDoc™ (@theliverdr) October 28, 2025 Further supporting his argument, The Liver Doc referenced a Danish study, claimed to be the largest on the topic, reiterating that no link was found between childhood vaccines and 50 different health conditions, including autism. Labeling Vembu as “boomer uncle”, The Liver Doc stated that he has previously called out Vembu’s “bullshit on medical and science”, and criticised his ventures – Arattai, a messaging app, and Zoho email. “Delete the post you lime soda without fizz,” The Liver Doc advised Vembu. War of Words Between The Liver Doc and Zoho CEO This is not the first disagreement between the two. Last August, Vembu’s advocacy for walking barefoot received sharp criticism from the doctor, who called it “pseudoscience”. Earlier in January, Vembu promoted the use of cow urine and cow dung, claiming they had “beneficial properties”. In response, the doctor urged him to “stop endorsing ancient pseudoscience and outdated therapies, and refrain from amplifying misinformation”, referring to an incident involving an IIT Madras professor.
