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IITian CEO Says Indian Techies Are Unwilling To Work Hard Despite Rs 1 Cr Salary; Sparks Work-life Balance Debate

Varun Vummadi, the co-founder of tech company Giga ML, recently took to X (formerly Twitter) and criticized Indian engineers for not being willing to work hard despite high salaries of Rs 1 crore.

By Naina Yadav
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Varun Vummadi, an alumnus of IIT Kharagpur and co-founder of San Francisco-based tech startup Giga ML

Varun Vummadi, an alumnus of IIT Kharagpur and co-founder of San Francisco-based tech startup Giga ML

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In the past few months, there has been a lot of discussion around “work-life balance.”

It has included various industry leaders like co-founder of Infosys Narayana Murthy and L&T Chairman SN Subrahmanyan. 

While the former suggested that the young Indian workforce work for 70 hours a week, the latter said Sundays should be used for work as well. 

In a video that went viral on the Internet, he said, “What do you do sitting at home? How long can you stare at your wife? How long can wives stare at their husbands? Go to the office and start working.”

In the context of mental health and employee well-being, these remarks are especially critical because they come from industry leaders and have the potential to set a precedent.

Now, another CEO has brought the debate of work-life balance back into the spotlight.

Varun Vummadi, an alumnus of IIT Kharagpur and co-founder of San Francisco-based tech startup Giga ML, has criticized Indian engineers for not working hard enough.

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‘UNWILLING TO WORK HARD’

Taking to X (formerly Twitter), Varun Vummadi stated that despite offering base salaries of Rs 1 crore, engineers are not willing to put in working hours on Saturday. They still prefer a two-day weekend. 

Calling it a “pattern,” he said that these are engineers who have working experience of three to eight years. 

In his words, “I’ve noticed a pattern in hiring engineers for our Indian office. Even with a base salary of Rs 1 crore, many are unwilling to work hard. A significant number of engineers with 3–8 years of experience are reluctant to work six days a week.”

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NETIZENS REACT

Varun Vummadi’s remarks have received mixed reactions from netizens. 

Some people defended Indian engineers by saying that they do not worship money. Others were surprised that people are unwilling to work on Saturdays even with a base salary of Rs 1 crore.

One user commented, “Narayan Murthy made it uncool to work hard by preaching to work hard. They don't wanna validate him.”

Another wrote, “Weird way to phrase that a lot of 26-32-year-olds prefer having a two-day weekend in their lives. Sounds pretty normal to me.”

“People are finally realising the importance of prioritising health above all else,” a third user stated.

Offering a solution, one X user responded to Varun Vummadi's post and commented, “Why not hire two engineers and expect reasonable working hours from them?”

One user also stated, “You can’t buy cracked folks. They appreciate money, don’t worship it!”

Varun Vummadi responded, “You can’t buy in SF. But you can in India – majority of cracked engineers in India are heavily motivated by high salaries.”

For those unaware, “cracked engineers” are referred to engineers who are exceptionally talented in their field and have the skill set that is considered higher than that of the average engineer.

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