"We're Not Machines": Indian Techie Rants About Outsourcing Work Culture, Asks US Clients To Chill

A viral Reddit post has sparked renewed debate about outsourcing culture and work expectations in India's tech industry. In an impassioned rant, a techie criticised American clients for expecting world-class performance from Indian workers while offering low salaries. Titled "To my American friends who outsource to India, please chill," the now-viral post earnestly called for empathy from those who benefit from India's booming IT sector but often disregard the workers powering it.

"Hey folks, if you're outsourcing work to India and feel like breathing down our necks every minute, take a breath. Please. Here's the ground reality: The average new IT grad here makes ₹7 LPA (~$8,000/year). Yet we're expected to perform at Google-level output, on that salary. Time zones, endless meetings, last-minute deadlines... we're dealing with it all too," the techie wrote.

See the post here:

To My American Friends Who Outsource to India Please Chill
byu/Particular_Arm1407 indevelopersIndia

The anonymous IT graduate shared his frustration at being expected to deliver Silicon Valley-calibre work for a mere Rs 7 lakh ($8,000) annual salary. The techie highlighted gruelling hours, late-night meetings due to time zone differences, and unrelenting pressure, making the job unsustainable. He further urged US clients to ease the relentless pressure and focus on building true partnerships.

"We're not machines. We care about the work. But mutual respect and realistic expectations matter. Timelines are important for both sides. So instead of constant pressure, let's build partnerships. We're doing our best, and we know you want the best. Let's meet in the middle with some empathy," he added. 

Many Redditors empathised with him, but some disputed the salary claim, pointing out that graduates from Tier-2 cities and non-elite colleges often earn far less, sometimes just Rs 15,000- 20,000 a month. Many argued that the root issues stem from middle management or the outsourcing companies, not just American clients.

One user wrote, "It's not them. Indian companies lie to foreign clients and sell you to them as a 5-year experienced dev, even if you are just a fresher with 6 months internship/training."

Another said, "More than Americans what I think is Indians living in America should understand this more."

A third commented, "As an Indian manager in the US, this is only true for the non-US-born Indians. Indians born in the US, like me, hate this micromanaging shit. Our parents micromanaged our lives, so we are fighting back by trying to be as chill as possible."

"7LPA is your salary, but what does your company bill your client? Let's say the company bills 20 LPA in your name. So the client will expect an output worth 20 LPA. So the expectation set by our Indian companies is high," a fourth added.