Kochi, 11 July (H.S.):

Kerala's technology sector has suffered another setback with Kochi-based ecosystem development company Talrop shutting down 21 of its companies across the state, leaving more than 300 employees jobless and awaiting salary arrears reportedly pending for between four and 11 months.

The development comes just days after mass layoffs at US-based medical coding firm CorroHealth Infotech in Kerala, intensifying concerns over employment uncertainty in the state's technology and IT-enabled services sector.

Hundreds of former Talrop employees marched to the company's headquarters at Thrikkakara on Saturday, demanding immediate payment of their pending salaries. The protest followed the company's announcement a day earlier that it was winding up its ecosystem operations as part of a strategic transition driven by the rapid rise of Artificial Intelligence (AI).

In a statement posted on its official Instagram page, Talrop said it had decided to shut down its ₹250-crore ecosystem company after more than a decade of operations, describing the move as the beginning of Talrop 7.0.

According to the company, operating its ecosystem at its previous scale required an annual expenditure of nearly ₹100 crore. It said its future growth strategy would focus on shifting from a community-driven model to an institution-driven approach better suited to the AI era and long-term global expansion.

Talrop said its ecosystem model had played a key role in fostering innovation, entrepreneurship, technology development and community building over the past decade. However, it maintained that the model was no longer designed for the rapidly evolving AI landscape.

The ecosystem phase was our launchpad. The institution phase is our future, the company said, adding that the restructuring was intended to strengthen its long-term institutional capabilities.

Employees, however, alleged that the management had failed to pay salaries for several months before announcing the shutdown. Protesters claimed many staff members had not received wages for between four and 11 months and demanded immediate settlement of all pending dues. They also accused the company of abandoning its workforce without adequate notice or financial support, calling for accountability over the sudden closure of its ecosystem operations.

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Hindusthan Samachar / Arun Lakshman