Indian-origin CEO faces backlash for leaving startup to join Google after $3 billion deal falls through
His abrupt exit, along with co-founder Douglas Chen, left Windsurf in turmoil. The startup managed to secure a last-minute acquisition by another AI firm, Cognition, after a weekend of frantic negotiations. The company's new CEO, Jeff Wang, described the rescue as 'crazy'.
Venture capitalist Vinod Khosla sharply criticised Mohan, saying he would not work with him again. 'Windsurf and others are really bad examples of founders leaving their teams behind and not even sharing the proceeds,' Mr Khosla wrote on X.
Cognition CEO Scott Wu also weighed in, calling Mohan's move a breach of the founder's 'unspoken covenant' to stay with the company through difficult times. On social media, Mohan was labelled by some users as a 'generational villain'.
A user commented, "Founders cashing out while the team's left behind isn't just bad form, it's long term reputation damage."
Another user wrote on X, 'Yes. It's very disappointing to see this. They probably figured that's the only way to have some meaningful exit and hoped that the rest of the company would benefit from the 'investment'. Unfortunately, the folks who stay behind are often the ones left holding the bag… same with Scale AI, same with Windsurf.'
"Money and power always brings greed and selfishness," the third user wrote on X.
The fourth wrote, 'I agree. The founder lacked cojones. You're a top 5 company in a trillion dollar market. Go raise a big boy round and go to war. Instead you get intimidated and take a shitty deal to enrich yourself and screw over everyone else?'
The fifth labelled him a generational villain, "Varun Mohan is a generational villain at this point.. crazy saga. Also no word from him."
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Mint
22 minutes ago
- Mint
Breakout stocks to buy or sell: Sumeet Bagadia recommends five shares to buy today — 28 July 2025
Breakout stocks buy or sell: The Indian stock market extended its losing streak for a second consecutive session on Friday, July 25, as selling pressure persisted. Benchmark indices — the Sensex and Nifty 50 — posted significant losses, with mid- and small-cap stocks tumbling by up to 2 per cent. During the session, the Sensex dropped 786 points, nearly 1 per cent, to hit an intraday low of 81,397.69, while the Nifty 50 declined 1 per cent to reach 24,806.35. At the close, the Sensex had fallen 721 points, or 0.88 per cent, to settle at 81,463.09, and the Nifty 50 finished 225 points lower, or 0.90 per cent down, at 24,837. Sumeet Bagadia, Executive Director at Choice Broking, believes that Indian stock market sentiment has turned weak as the Nifty 50 index has slipped below the 50-DEMA support of 24,900. Speaking on the outlook of Indian stock market, Bagadia said, ' The key benchmark index may try to test 24,700 to 24,650 levels. However, the next crucial support for the 50-stock index is placed at 24,500. On the upper side, 25,050 may act as crucial hurdle. So, one should maintain stock-specific approach and look at those stocks that are looking strong on the technical chart. Looking at breakout stocks can be a good option." 1] Hubtown: Buy at ₹ 315.75, target ₹ 340, stop loss ₹ 305; 2] Home First Finance Company India: Buy at ₹ 1479, target ₹ 1600, stop loss ₹ 1425; 3] Nilkamal: Buy at ₹ 1796.8, target ₹ 1920, stop loss ₹ 1730; 4] Jagsonpal Pharmaceuticals: Buy at ₹ 263.3, target ₹ 285, stop loss ₹ 255; 5] Le Travenues Technology: Buy at ₹ 219.88, target ₹ 240, stop loss ₹ 212. Disclaimer: This story is for educational purposes only. The views and recommendations above are those of individual analysts or broking companies, not Mint. We advise investors to check with certified experts before making any investment decisions.
Mint
22 minutes ago
- Mint
Stocks to buy on 28 July—recommended by leading market experts
On Friday, Nifty 50 declined 0.9%, closing at 24,837, its lowest level in a month, as persistent selling in IT and midcap stocks dragged the index lower. This marked the fourth consecutive weekly loss for the benchmark, making it the longest losing streak of the year so far. Market sentiment remained weak throughout the session, with the index failing to hold above its key support levels. IT stocks were the major laggards, reflecting concerns over global demand and margin pressures, while midcaps saw broad-based profit booking. On the other hand, certain PSU banks and pharma stocks showed relative strength, offering some cushion to the broader market. Here are the best stock picks for today, recommended by leading market experts. Best stock recommendations for today by MarketSmith India Three stocks to buy as recommended by Ankush Bajaj Best stocks to buy today, recommended by NeoTrader's Raja Venkatraman PUNJABCHEM: Buy CMP and dips to ₹1,260 | Stop: ₹1,250 | Target: ₹1,460-1,520 AUTOAXLES: Buy CMP and dips to ₹1,860 |Stop: ₹1,845 | Target: ₹2,075-2,130 GREENPANEL: Buy CMP and dips to ₹302 | Stop: ₹298 | Target: ₹355-370 MarketSmith India is a stock research platform and advisory service focused on the Indian stock market. Trade name: William O'Neil India Pvt. Ltd. (Sebi Registered Research Analyst Registration No.: INH000015543) Ankush Bajaj is a Sebi-registered research analyst. His registration number is INH000010441. Raja Venkatraman is co-founder, NeoTrader. His Sebi-registered research analyst registration no. is INH000016223. Investments in securities are subject to market risks. Read all the related documents carefully before investing. Registration granted by Sebi and certification from NISM in no way guarantees performance of the intermediary or provide any assurance of returns to investors. Disclaimer: The views and recommendations given in this article are those of individual analysts. These do not represent the views of Mint. We advise investors to check with certified experts before making any investment decisions.
Mint
22 minutes ago
- Mint
Indian stock market: 7 key things that changed over weekend - Gift Nifty, US-European Union trade deal to gold prices
Indian stock market: The domestic equity market benchmark indices, Sensex and Nifty 50, are expected to open on muted note on Monday, following mixed cues from global markets. Asian markets traded mixed, while the US stock market ended higher last week, with the US stock futures rising after President Donald Trump signed a framework trade agreement with the European Union. This week, investors will focus on key stock market triggers, including on developments in the US-India trade deal, US Federal Reserve meeting, auto sales data, IPO activity, Q1 results, trends in crude oil prices and other key domestic and global economic data. On Friday, the Indian stock market ended sharply lower, extending losses for the second consecutive session. The Sensex crashed 721.08 points, or 0.88%, to close at 81,463.09, while the Nifty 50 settled 225.10 points, or 0.90%, lower at 24,837.00. 'We expect the market to remain in consolidation mode amid continued uncertainty around India-US trade deal, a mixed Q1FY26 earnings season so far and intensifying FII outflows,' said Siddhartha Khemka, Head - Research, Wealth Management, Motilal Oswal Financial Services Ltd. Here are key global market cues for Sensex today: Asian markets traded mixed on Monday as investors await more details of the US-China trade talks. Japan's Nikkei 225 fell 0.52% while the Topix index declined 0.44%. South Korea's Kospi index dropped 0.11% while the Kosdaq was flat. Hong Kong's Hang Seng Index futures indicated a stronger opening. Gift Nifty was trading around 24,86 level, a discount of nearly 14 points from the Nifty futures' previous close, indicating a muted start for the Indian stock market indices. US stock market ended higher on Friday amid optimism over the US-European Union trade deal, with the S&P 500 and Nasdaq notching record high closes. The Dow Jones Industrial Average gained 0.47% to 44,901.92, while the S&P 500 rose 0.40% to end at 6,388.64. The Nasdaq closed 0.24% higher at 21,108.32. For the week, the S&P 500 rallied 1.5%, the Nasdaq gained 1% and the Dow surged 1.3%. Tesla share price rallied 3.52%, Deckers Outdoor shares jumped 11%, while Intel stock price tanked 8.5%. Charter Communications shares slumped 18% and Paramount Global stock dropped 1.6%. Centene shares rose 6.1%. The US struck a framework trade agreement with the European Union, imposing a 15% import tariff on most EU goods. US President Donald Trump and European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen announced the deal, which will be effective from August 1. The US dollar eased, while the euro gained following the US-European Union trade deal. The dollar index, which tracks the greenback against major peers, fell 0.1% to 97.534. The dollar was little changed at 147.68 yen. The euro stood at $1.1763, up 0.2%, while Sterling traded at $1.34385, down almost 0.1%. Gold prices fell to their lowest in nearly two weeks, as a framework trade agreement between the United States and European Union reduced appetite for safe-haven assets, Reuters reported. Spot gold price fell 0.1% to $3,332.39 per ounce, after touching its lowest level since July 17, while US gold futures eased 0.1% to $3,332.50. Crude oil prices rose after the US reached a trade deal with the European Union and may extend a tariff pause with China. Brent crude futures gained 0.34% to $68.67 a barrel, while US West Texas Intermediate crude was at $65.37 a barrel, up 0.32%. (With inputs from Reuters) Disclaimer: The views and recommendations made above are those of individual analysts or broking companies, and not of Mint. We advise investors to check with certified experts before making any investment decisions.
