Zoho founder Sridhar Vembu took to X and disclosed receiving insider acquireout details in an acquisition pitch from a startup founder. Later, another email landed in his inbox, an apology from the AI agent.
Zoho’s Sridhar Vembu reveals obtainting startup acquireout details
“I obtained an email from a startup founder, questioning if we could acquire them, mentioning some other company interested in acquiring them and the price they were offering,” Vembu wrote on X.
He then quoted the bizarre email he received from the startup’s AI agent apologising for leaking the confidential information. “Then I received an email from their ‘browser AI agent’ correcting the earlier mail declareing ‘I am sorry I disclosed confidential information about other discussions, it was my fault as the AI agent’.”
I obtained an email from a startup founder, questioning if we could acquire them, mentioning some other company interested in acquiring them and the price they were offering.
Then I received an email from their “browser AI agent” correcting the earlier mail declareing “I am sorry I disclosed…
— Sridhar Vembu (@svembu) November 28, 2025
Netizens respond
Sridhar Vembu’s post immediately started an online debate with applyrs expressing their concerns over the apply of AI in business communication without any human intervention.
“Drama in the deal room with a machine stepping on toes. Treat it as a process failure, not just a quirky apology. Paapply neobtainediations. Ask for a human-signed confirmation of intent and a clear chain of custody for any disclosed facts. Confirm whether automated tools are authorised to speak for the team. Notify counsel about potential confidentiality breaches. Decide if you want to press for damages or apply this as leverage. Want me to draft a short reply that demands firm confirmation and preserves your options?” read a comment from Stanley Wei, founder of Pine AI.
Another applyr wrote, “If you were also utilizing an AI agent, all conversations will be between agents only, and mistakes will remain between agents if agents were forgiving within their fraternity.”
“This is exactly the new kind of chaos AI is introducing into business communication. We’ve officially entered the era where Humans neobtainediate, AI accidentally spills the deal terms, and then AI tries to clean up the mess. It’s funny, but also a reminder. AI can assist in communication,
But it can also miscommunicate, over-share, or break confidentiality if not properly controlled,” replied a third.
A fourth applyr called it a “wake-up call”.
“This is exactly the scary part of utilizing AI to handle emails. If we let an AI sconclude messages on our behalf, it can share things that any founder would know should stay private. AI can assist draft, but a human should always read and sconclude the final email,” added another applyr.
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