Founder makes Forbes, intern 'ninja' gets Amazon voucher: Bengaluru entrepreneur's post on startup hustle strikes a chord online
Bengaluru entrepreneur
's
satirical LinkedIn post
has gone viral for all the right—and wrong—reasons.
Shravan Tickoo
, founder of Rethink Systems, a community-led SaaS platform aimed at helping operators and founders collaborate more effectively, recently shared a humorous take on the lopsided power dynamics between
startup founders
and their interns. While he has long been known in product management circles for his sharp wit and teaching insights, this time, his sarcasm struck a far deeper chord.
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A Satire Too Close to Reality?
In his now widely shared post, Tickoo painted a grimly funny picture of 'Bengaluru Tech Life,' where founders earn hefty salaries while interns slog through weekends, build minimum viable products, manage customer support, and still face accusations of lacking the elusive 'hustle mindset.'
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The punchline?
"Founder raises $5M + gets featured in Forbes. Intern: ₹500 Amazon voucher and a LinkedIn shoutout: 'Big shoutout to our ninja!' MODERN STARTUP KARMA 😂"
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The contrast was as humorous as it was haunting, and for many LinkedIn users, it hit uncomfortably close to home.
Between Laughs and Laments
Responses flooded in. Some users called the post 'too real,' describing the
intern experience
in India's startups as a form of 'modern slavery,' thinly masked by free pizza and claps on LinkedIn.
'This is not sustainable,' one commenter wrote. 'Terms like 'best learning opportunity' and '
hustle culture
' are often just buzzwords used to justify unpaid or underpaid labour.'
Another laughed and wept at the same time: ''Ninja' is so on point 😂😭'
But not all reactions were in praise. One LinkedIn user pushed back, arguing that Tickoo's satire undermined the blood, sweat, and sleepless nights that startup founders endure. 'This wasn't funny, it was tone-deaf,' they wrote, urging Tickoo to use his platform more responsibly. 'Many aspiring entrepreneurs look up to influencers like you. Misinformation can be detrimental.'
Whether Tickoo's post was a wake-up call or a cynical oversimplification is a matter of perspective. What's undeniable is that the post has sparked a larger conversation about
fair compensation
, toxic startup work cultures, and how often the youngest contributors are overlooked in the glitter of founder success stories.
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