Noida Entrepreneur Fired Employee Over "What Next" Query, Sparks Debate

A workplace incident shared by a startup founder has sparked debate online about responsibility and leadership in senior roles. Nitin Verma, the Noida-based founder and CEO of InstaAstro, said that he once fired a senior employee after the employee asked him what to do next. He explained that the experience changed how he understands ownership at work and what he expects from senior professionals.

In a LinkedIn post, Verma said that the employee had been hired so that he would no longer need to manage that part of the business himself. He said that he fired someone because the person asked him what to do next, adding that it was a senior hire brought in specifically so he would not have to think for that function anymore.

Check Out The Post Here:

He explained that there was no micromanagement, no daily check-ins, and no approval bottlenecks in place. However, when the employee approached him with the question, he saw it as a lack of ownership.

Verma said he responded by asking the employee what he thought should be done. He said the employee replied that he knew better, and he then asked why he had hired him, adding that the conversation ended in silence.

Reflecting on the incident, Verma said that it made him realise that ownership cannot be taught. He said that ownership cannot be given to someone, and that people either come with it or never find it.

He further said that autonomy without initiative can lead to confusion rather than productivity, adding that freedom without ownership is just confusion.

Verma concluded that he could not build a company on people who need to be told what to think. He added that for senior professionals, the job is to come in every morning and ask what needs to be done, saying that this is what seniority actually means.

Social Media Reaction

The post received mixed reactions on LinkedIn. One user commented, "I had to fire a director for this exact reason last quarter."

Another user noted, "It takes courage to step into a vacuum and start building."

"Building a business requires proactive partners, not just well-paid order takers," added a third user.