₹5 crore for founder, ₹500 for intern’: Bengaluru founder’s viral post slams startup intern culture | Trending
In India’s startup capital, where multi-crore fundraises grab headlines and job titles often sound like startup buzzwords, a viral LinkedIn post is shedding light on the relentless, underappreciated grind of interns.
Amid a sea of content glorifying “hustle culture” and entrepreneurial wins, Bengaluru-based founder Shubham Londhe struck a chord with a brutally honest post that’s now gone viral.
Titled “BENGALURU TECH LIFE,” his post explores the sharp divide between startup founders and their interns, not just in pay, but in how value and effort are acknowledged in the ecosystem.
Read his full post here:
Londhe points out that while a founder might earn ₹5 lakh a month, an intern typically takes home a ₹15,000 stipend. Yet the demands placed on the intern can be just as intense. He describes a typical scenario where a founder sends a voice note at 2 AM asking for an urgent fix, expecting a quick turnaround. The intern, who’s already been managing pitch decks, building minimum viable products alone, and handling customer support on weekends, is still told they lack the “hustle mindset.”
The outcomes of this dynamic are equally lopsided. While founders often go on to raise millions, $5 million in this case, and get profiled in glossy features and business magazines like Forbes, the intern’s reward is often far more modest. Londhe illustrates this with a scathing contrast: a ₹500 Amazon voucher and a performative shoutout on LinkedIn calling them a “ninja.” He sums it up in four words, “Modern startup karma.”
How did users react?
The post struck a nerve, generating thousands of reactions and comments from professionals across industries. One LinkedIn user called it “modern slavery, rebranded with pizza parties and LinkedIn claps,” adding, “All hustle, no equity, but hey, you’re a ninja, right?” Others offered a sobering reality check, “First of all, no one hires interns quickly. And even if they get a job, it’s unpaid, or maybe ₹5K, ₹10K, ₹15K. But they still do it for experience.”
While a few voices defended the cycle, noting that “the CEO was also once an intern,” others warned that this model might not be sustainable. “I’m not sure how long this approach can survive. That intern they’re underpaying today might be their strongest competition tomorrow,” one user noted.
The overwhelming takeaway from Londhe’s post is not just about the pay gap or late-night demands, it’s about recognition. In a city that celebrates unicorns and billion-dollar valuations, Londhe’s post shifts the focus to the unsung foot soldiers of India’s startup boom: the interns who learn on the job, build under pressure, and rarely receive credit beyond a line in a LinkedIn post.
By refusing to sugarcoat the experience, Londhe has sparked a larger conversation about what fairness, growth, and acknowledgment should look like in modern work culture, especially in an ecosystem that claims to value hustle.
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