At the age of 14, Ayyadurai developed a system called 'EMAIL' for the University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey. This system digitized the interoffice mail system, prompting his claim as the 'inventor of email'.

Ayyadurai began publicly asserting his claim as the inventor of email, launching marketing campaigns and websites to promote this narrative. This led to significant media attention and widespread debate.

Numerous historians, technology experts, and journalists have disputed Ayyadurai's claim, arguing that email's development was a gradual process involving many contributors and that electronic messaging existed prior to his 'EMAIL' system. Ray Tomlinson is often credited as the inventor of network email.

Ayyadurai sued Techdirt for defamation over their reporting on his claims. This case highlights the legal battles and public scrutiny surrounding the controversy. He eventually dropped the lawsuit.