'India has a big f***ing talent problem,' Bengaluru CEO claims applicants used AI for simple coding tasks

A Bengaluru-based IITian CEO remarked that India has a big “talent problem”, which sparked an online debate. After going through a heap of applications for a backend engineering role for his startup, Umesh Kumar, the founder, vented his frustration on the social media platform X.

Bengaluru CEO claims applicants were unable to do simple coding tasks

“India seriously has a big f***ing talent problem. We got around 1,000 applications in just 2-3 days,” he wrote, “and guess how many were actually decent? We asked for a basic, simple coding task. The submissions? Mostly absolute trash. AI-generated crap everywhere.”

Kumar was shocked to find that candidates failed to meet even the most basic expectations. “Code that doesn't even run. Running code, libraries needed for the code to work are even missing. Honestly, forget high standards; is it too much to ask for code that actually compiles?” he wrote.

Kumar also compared his company’s hiring process with big tech firms. “Here’s our process straightforward: 1. Simple coding task 2. CEO call (15 mins) 3. CTO call (45 mins) 4. Paid one-day trial with the team. Offer. Done.”

He informed that the role pays well – a Rs 50 lakh base salary, plus perks like relocation and food – and that, at that level, “expecting code that actually runs is justified.”

India seriously has a big f***ing talent problem. We got around 1000 applications for a backend engineering role in just the last 2-3 days, and guess how many were actually decent? < 5.

We asked for a basic, simple coding task. The submissions? Mostly absolute trash.…

— Umesh Kumar (@itsumeshk) June 30, 2025

Netizens react

The post went viral on X, crossing over three lakh views.

Many fellow recruiters echoed Kumar’s experience. One user wrote, “I totally get you, Umesh. I’ve manually reviewed 300 resumes in the last 2 months, 15 were decent, 2 got the offer.”

Another user said, “Its gonna get a lot harder to find great talent with students using AI in college.”

A third person commented, “Been happening since 2002. I remember interviewing dudes who’d remembered every axiom and design pattern off by heart but couldn’t actually code anything.”

“There are good talent out there. When you post a role, LinkedIn without a proper corporate Recruiter account is already limiting who can view, hence what you need is Discovery of Talent who haven't seen it (Recruiters reaching out). Second, think of the role to be remote with travel as needed. Your budget is not a constraint here at all,” a fourth user shared.

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