While many startup founders can’t get enough of hustle culture, many netizens have stopped romanticising working odd and unreasonable hours and celebrating the culture of workaholism. Recently, a post shared by an entrepreneur sparked yet another debate on the dismal state of work-life balance in India Inc.
Taking to LinkedIn, Tushar S, the CEO of Vaani Research Labs, penned a gushing post, praising his co-founder Abhnash Khare’s relentless work routine. He waxed poetic at how his colleague did not hesitate to work overtime and overnight, prioritising company growth over anything else.
In his post, Tushar explained how Abhinash’s workday frequently stretches into the early hours of the morning, with his bed positioned merely three feet from his computer. He shared how Abhinash immediately starts coding at 8 AM, skipping any typical morning routine.
"It’s been almost seven months of coding until 2 AM, waking up at 8 AM, and diving right back into research papers and code. I am aware that the priorities might be a little off and neither glorifying the hustle, but he’s willing to push the boundaries because we know what’s at stake..” he wrote.
While the founder of the AI startup was quick to assure followers that he was not trying to promote toxic work culture, the netizens were far from amused.
“This kind of grinding is a toxic work culture, and I don’t see any point in praising it publicly,” one LinkedIn user commented. “I totally understand how hard it is to bootstrap a startup, but it’s important to focus on sustainable and organic growth rather than grinding to a slow death.”
Another slammed the founder for glorifying unhealthy work practices. “This is the new way of praising toxic culture. A well-rested mind and body can do wonders. As a co-founder, you should try to reduce the workload on him, even if he wants to do it. Think in the long term.”
The backlash caused Tushar to delete the post and shared a post, clarifying that he did not intend to promote poor work-life balance. "Most of you have shown concern about our health and work-life balance. We're overwhelmed and grateful to see the responses. Of course, nobody wants to grind day in, day out for months, but sometimes you just have no choice and no resources," he wrote.
Taking to LinkedIn, Tushar S, the CEO of Vaani Research Labs, penned a gushing post, praising his co-founder Abhnash Khare’s relentless work routine. He waxed poetic at how his colleague did not hesitate to work overtime and overnight, prioritising company growth over anything else.
In his post, Tushar explained how Abhinash’s workday frequently stretches into the early hours of the morning, with his bed positioned merely three feet from his computer. He shared how Abhinash immediately starts coding at 8 AM, skipping any typical morning routine.
"It’s been almost seven months of coding until 2 AM, waking up at 8 AM, and diving right back into research papers and code. I am aware that the priorities might be a little off and neither glorifying the hustle, but he’s willing to push the boundaries because we know what’s at stake..” he wrote.
While the founder of the AI startup was quick to assure followers that he was not trying to promote toxic work culture, the netizens were far from amused.
“This kind of grinding is a toxic work culture, and I don’t see any point in praising it publicly,” one LinkedIn user commented. “I totally understand how hard it is to bootstrap a startup, but it’s important to focus on sustainable and organic growth rather than grinding to a slow death.”
Another slammed the founder for glorifying unhealthy work practices. “This is the new way of praising toxic culture. A well-rested mind and body can do wonders. As a co-founder, you should try to reduce the workload on him, even if he wants to do it. Think in the long term.”
The backlash caused Tushar to delete the post and shared a post, clarifying that he did not intend to promote poor work-life balance. "Most of you have shown concern about our health and work-life balance. We're overwhelmed and grateful to see the responses. Of course, nobody wants to grind day in, day out for months, but sometimes you just have no choice and no resources," he wrote.
