A LinkedIn post highlighting the intense work habits of the co-founder of an AI startup has once again sparked a heated discussion about hustle culture. Tushar S, the CEO of Vaani, a startup working on human-like Voice AI systems, mentioned the bed of his co-founder Abhinash Khare is just three feet from the computer. Abhinash works late into the night, often until 2 AM, and wakes up at 8 AM to start work almost immediately. He jumps straight into coding, skipping the morning routine.
While Tushar acknowledged that glorifying this kind of work is harmful, he added that Abhinash is ready to push boundaries for their startup and reach their goals.
“My cofounder. His bed is 3 feet away from his computer systems, and he jumps straight to the screen as soon as he wakes up. No water, no morning routine, straight to work to build Al infrastructure for our homegrown start-up Vaani Research Labs. It’s been almost 7 months of coding until 2 AM, waking up at 8 AM and diving right back into research papers and code. I am aware that the priorities might be a little off and neither glorifying the hustle, but he’s willing to push the boundaries because we know what’s at stake,” he said.
“Building a start-up is tough, building a start-up without any resources or funding is tougher. Building a start-up by quitting a high-paying (and I mean CRAZY high-paying) job with no external backing? That’s next-level. I’ve seen Abhinash do all of this, quietly, tirelessly and with that messy hair we all love. He’s the real engine behind Vaani. While most people talk about the hustle, my cofounder lives it. He’s proof that passion, grit, and a bit of madness are what it takes to build something groundbreaking. Here’s to all the co-founders who are the silent warriors behind every great idea. Entrepreneurs, investors, hustlers-you know the grind. This is what it looks like in real life,” the co-founder added.
However, Tushar was criticised by other LinkedIn users for promoting toxic work culture. The post was taken down by Tushar following the criticism online.
Reacting to the post, a user wrote, “Good rest, enough movement daily is a must for all of us, more so if we are working hard and intense. What you described above is a health hazard, please request him to rectify his routine immediately.”
Another person commented, “This kind of grinding is a toxic work culture and I don’t see any point in praising it in public. I totally understand how hard it is to bootstrap a startup but at the same time it’s important to focus on sustainable and organic growth rather than grinding to slow death.”
One more added, “At least I got more clarity on what I really don’t need to do in my life.”
After receiving a lot of negative and concerning feedback, the co-founder explained that their team is small, and his partner. Because of this, they are yet to establish a company culture. They are currently focused on raising funds and improving their business. The goal is to create a better company environment that will benefit everyone in the future.
Comments
0 comment