Startup Founder Faces Backlash Over Rs 10,000 Internship Offer To Tier 1 College Student

Last Updated:December 03, 2024, 12:38 IST

Vinayak Sarawagi, the founder, expressed disappointment about the mentality of the students after the rejection.

Vinayak Sarawagi, a software engineer turned entrepreneur, caused quite a stir and heated debate on social media concerning expected wages. Sarawagi advertised an internship in his startup with a Rs 10,000 monthly stipend, only for a student from the Tier 1 college to reject it. The conversion, which went viral on X, has elicited diverse opinions concerning the perceived worth of education and the actuality of start-up funding.

The screenshot of the WhatsApp chat between Sarawagi and the student showed that the candidate considered the offer low wage because of their educational status. The student said: “I am sorry it won’t work for me being from a Tier 1 college this is too low for me.”

Sarawagi expressed disappointment about this mentality, alleging this reflects one of the dominant issues in the job market where the college’s reputation directly determines the bargaining power of a college-goer in terms of salary. He took to X to air his views on the matter, using the caption, “I thought this mindset was going away, but sadly it’s not.”

As the post gained traction on the platform, it sparked various responses. Some users accused Sarawagi of paying what they deemed a paltry amount for what a Tier 1 college student should receive, by calling him out for exhibiting ‘zamindari’ (feudal attitudes). On the other hand, some people came to his defence highlighting the nature of startups that work under the limitations of cash.

“Founder gets sad when someone from a tier-1 college refuses to join at Rs 10,000 per month. Zamindaari nahi jaayegi is desh se (Feudal mindset won’t leave this country),” an X user said.

Sarawagi, in his defence, stated that he is paying interns from his savings. He added that the internship was a very flexible position and had provisions for remote work and would allow the candidate to accommodate work with the college timings as well.

“I know the stipend is low. Hence I try to offer other comforts like flexible hours. Many other people are paying much more than I am. So calling me a zamindar without knowing it all is not cool,” Sarawagi said.

He said that after he advertised the job position in a group, the candidate contacted him. The entrepreneur then spoke with the student over the phone, explaining the job’s expectations, the monthly payment, and the fact that it would be remote with flexible hours because the candidate attends college during the day.

The debate quickly spiralled into the startup’s founder’s lack of professionalism, as indicated by the social media post of the screenshot of the employment rejection. Users stated Sarawagi could not express his dissatisfaction since he made the candidate’s chat public without their authorisation.

A user commented: “You said ‘Cool’ to the candidate, then posted the screenshot of the DM on social media (probably without discussing it with them), and now you expect someone to repost your public post after discussing it with you!”

“And you posted this here without asking the intern. I’m glad the student knows his worth and is assertive. If anything I’m happy for him. I don’t get this “mindset” you’re unhappy about. Good luck with your startup”, another comment read.

The startup is building a NodeJS framework, as per the founder.