Employee Shares Harrowing Tale Of Startup Betrayal: "Tossed Me Aside To Save Money"

An Indian employee shared a sour experience of joining a small start-up and recounted a nightmarish experience of overwork, underpayment and ultimate betrayal. In a Reddit post, the employee revealed that they were promised a package of 7 LPA, but 4 LPA was "shares" that they could only cash out after three years.

For 2.5 years, the employee worked for 15-hour days, weekends included, amid dwindling team numbers and escalating pressure. They added that deadlines grew, with salary cuts followed - their fixed Rs50,000 plummeted to Rs30,000 under "performance-based" deductions.

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"For 2 years I gave everything. After 2.5 years, things turned toxic. Most of the team left, and suddenly it was just me and one other person doing everything," the employee said in the post.

"I was working 15-hour days, weekends too, pushing myself past exhaustion, and still the boss kept saying "not enough". Tasks that would take months were forced into 2-week deadlines. Meetings turned into arguments. No guidance, no respect, just constant pressure."

The employee revealed that they were desperate to clear a Rs 5 lakh debt, and hence they clung to hopes of the Rs 4 lakh shares payout after three years. But one month shy of vesting, they were fired for not initiating a task for one hour.

The manager later admitted the truth: the owner axed them to avoid paying the shares, prioritising cost-saving over three years of sacrifice.

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"Imagine giving your all and still barely surviving on 30k a month," the employee wrote.

"I can't describe how betrayed I feel. Almost 3 years of my life, countless sleepless nights, my health, my peace of mind - all wasted. And when I was no longer "useful," they tossed me aside just to save money."

Got betrayed in a startup company due to a toxic employer
byu/OkLavishness811 indevelopersIndia

The employee also urged others to be cautious. "If anyone reading this is joining a startup that dangles shares or huge "variable pay" in front of you - please be careful. Don't fall into the same trap I did," the employee wrote.

Reddit users reacted with outrage and sympathy. One user wrote, "Been there I worked for such company left soon as they said they wont pay variable for some bs reason. Never consider stock as ur money don't count on it."

"I also work in a startup and I feel start-up culture is the best.. but after reading your story I got to know the other side of the startup," another user wrote.

"Don't join startups without an active HR Department. With a HR dept most of this wouldn't have happened or at least they wouldn't have let it happen," a third user wrote.