"Give Me 50% Equity": Gen Z Employee's Reply To Startup Founder Over 7 pm Log-Off Triggers Work Culture Debate

A conversation between a startup founder and a young employee in Gurugram has triggered a wider debate about work culture and expectations in startups. The incident came to light through a LinkedIn post by Nishant Joshi, who shared the experience of his younger cousin working at an early-stage startup. According to the post, the employee logged off at 7 pm, which led to him being called into a meeting the next morning.

Joshi wrote that the founder gave a twenty-minute lecture on the importance of hustle, ownership and commitment, and told the employee that he needed to have a founder's mindset. The founder also asked him to treat the company like his own baby.
Responding to this, the employee stated that he would only consider the company his own if he was given a 50 percent equity stake. He added that he was currently working only as a babysitter, with his duties ending at 7 pm.

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According to Joshi, this incident highlights a major flaw in startup culture, where employees are expected to shoulder the same pressure and responsibility as founders, yet are not paid commensurately.

He questioned the concept of "founder mindset," saying that founders expect employees to endure the stress and sleepless nights of a CEO, while they are paid a starting salary of Rs 35,000 and are expected to build the entire business, while keeping the profits.

He further stated that founders must understand that they can't buy the dedication of a co-founder with an intern's budget. If they want employees to feel like their own, they must provide a genuine financial stake. Otherwise, don't be surprised when Gen Z employees log off on time, as per their contract.

Social Media Reaction

Social media users were amazed seeing the conversation that happened between the employee and the founder. One user commented, "It's a myth that Hours are counted by founders & CXO's they know who performs as per their commitment & assignment."

Another user noted, "You cannot buy a co-founders dedication on an intern's budget."

"Great point and completely agree that the person can log off at the scheduled time," added a third user.