‘Not Immediately’: Byju Raveendran Assures Disgruntled Employee That Pending Salaries Would Be Paid

Byju Raveendran, the CEO and co-founder of bankrupt edtech firm Byju’s, has assured an employee that salaries left unpaid for three months would eventually be credited.

The 45-year-old CEO took to LinkedIn earlier this week and spoke out for the first time in months, addressing the company’s financial crisis and legal battles.

Refuting claims that his family made a fortune by selling shares, he disclosed that all the money was reinvested into Byju’s.

Raveendran also called for a “thorough investigation” into alleged collusion and fraud involving the firm’s lender Glas Trust, consultancy firm EY, and former resolution professional Pankaj Srivastava, alleging they played a role in Byju’s downfall.

Employee reminds Byju about unpaid salaries

While Raveendran reiterated his innocence and promised to come back “stronger than ever”, an employee remarked that “passion doesn’t pay bills” and demanded to clear unpaid salaries.

The employee, Kaushik Lade, reminded Raveendran of his responsibility towards employees who stood by the company even in bad times.

“We hear your passion, but passion doesn’t pay our bills. While you speak of sacrifice, we—the employees who built BYJU’S—have been left stranded without salaries for three months,” he wrote.

“Our PF remains unpaid. We stood by this company, gave it our best, and now we are fighting just to survive. Please don’t let the people who made BYJU’S suffer in silence. Words inspire, but actions matter,” the employee added.

Byju Raveendran responds to disgruntled employee

The Byju’s founder assured the employee that pending salaries would be paid eventually, but not “immediately.”

He added that he was fighting not just for himself but also for his employees.

“Bills will be paid, comeback will be made, dues will be cleared. Not immediately, but eventually. I am not fighting for just myself. Till then, you have to rely on my words. Till then, you have my word,” Raveendran wrote in response.

Interestingly, Kerala’s Byju Raveendran was an engineer who followed his passion to become a small-town teacher and then founded India’s most valuable ed-tech company. 

Founded in 2011, Byju’s turned out to be India’s most popular online learning platform.

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