Almost all startups are like that. It has nothing really to do with the startup but more to do with the ego and perspective of the manager in your team.

Consultant

Software Engineer

It hasn't become prominent now, It has been going on since ages.  
 Have seen so many old employees in all service based and MNCs surviving like that. Same thing is happening now with startups as well.

Not only startup in big corporates too this practice prevails

Product Marketing Manager

Software Developer

Tech Lead

Prominent now? Wasn't this older boomer culture? I can't believe we've regressed this far.

very prominent even now in India. lot of founders are lalas at heart.

Project Manager

It also depends on the team you’re in. Heard that you’ve to do the same if you’re in business team in Na’vi. You must do it to get approval from the business head.

Growth Manager

It has become very prominent in India now

Welcome to Indian Startups's Private Community

What are some startups in India where "bootlicking (chaatna)" work culture and only way to do well in the company

What are some startups in India where "bootlicking (chaatna)" work culture and only way to do well in the company- Grapevine

Sharing my experience: I am a founder of a small startup where I am the only employee. Recently, I received an offer from a head of another start up asking for money in return for work. I immediately refused due to business ethics. I work in life sciences sector. Sad that people curse politicians and they themselves stoop to lows for money.

Kick back offer culture I start ups. Is this prevalent in India.

Medical Expert

Bootlicking Ministers : The new way to succeed by Indian Startup Founders

Program Manager

Just a curious question, I like the idea of working for startups and building new teams, I am seeing massive layoffs and toxic culture news around , any good bets in-terms of work culture?

Are there any Indian startups with good work culture ?

Founder’s Office

I recently got an offer from a seed stage startup for a SDE2 role. They shared the offer in a 2 liner mail. Weirdly enough they have a probation period of 3 months which could also be extended to 6 months during which there'll be no paid leaves, nothing, and you cannot be late to the office any day.
I asked them to share the detailed offer letter with all these verbal probation clauses penned down and they've not replied for a week.
After getting the offer, they asked me to submit my adhar card, pan card, 10th, 12th marksheet, graduation certificate, passport, birth certificate, payslips, previous offer letter, resignation mail, proof of bonuses and all sorts of documents. 

It's funny how they think trust only works one way. I've withdrawn the application as there were too many red flags during the entire process. I really wish the Indian corporate system had an open culture where trust is bidirectional and not act like we're at the mercy of their job.

Funny interview at a startup

How much chamchagiri / bootlicking is prevalent in your company..  

For me - my seniors wouldn't stand a chance if they leave the same company.

Just curious??

After going through so many posts on grapevine..I feel like all the startups in India are toxic only 😕😕

Really want to know which are the startups worthy of joining? Preferably in product roles

Non toxic startups in India?

Product Manager

The startup culture is so toxic these days, they literally treat people like slaves now. Hiring krte time team team krenge lekin fir attitude aisa ki jaise mazdoor ho jo dihadi lene aagye ho roz, idk if its the case everywhere but i experienced it in 2 startups in NCR.

Toxic startup culture

I've been observing a concerning trend lately on this platform, and I believe it's high time we rethink the way we treat startup founders. Take a moment to consider the dedication and courage it takes to leave a secure job and venture into the world of entrepreneurship. 

I feel Companies like Dukaan, AppX etc were unnecessarily mocked here based on one side of opinion,
I've had the privilege of working closely with a startup's CTO for the past two years, and it's been an eye-opening experience. Startups are like fragile ecosystems where every member plays a crucial role. However, what I've noticed is that sometimes employees who find it challenging to keep up with the dynamic startup environment tend to cast blame on the founders and the company culture.

Let's remember, every startup is a journey of learning, growth, and innovation. Founders make mistakes, learn from them, and strive to create something meaningful. They invest their time, energy, and resources into building something from scratch. Instead of mocking them, we should applaud their courage and determination.
But, what's even more disheartening is the toxic behavior exhibited by some employees here on Grapevine. It's disheartening to see individuals intentionally targeting someone's reputation due to personal grudges. Instead of resorting to negativity, let's try to understand the challenges startup founders face. Put yourself in their shoes; empathize with the pressure, uncertainty, and sleepless nights they endure to bring their visions to life.

We should strive to be a community that supports and uplifts one another, especially those who are trying to make a difference in the business world. Let's promote constructive criticism and empathy, recognizing that we all have our unique journeys, struggles, and successes.

#SupportStartups #EmpathyMatters #GrapevineCommunity 🌟

Embracing Empathy and Entrepreneurship on Grapevine 🌱

Backend Engineer

Which are the Indian startups (early/growth/maturity stage) or foreign startups with Indian offices that have good product culture with well-defined processes?

Indian startups with really good product culture

Welcome to IT Company Discussion's Private Community

Indian managers will make the work culture toxic even if they are in good international companies. Indian branches of the same company will be shity because of these insecure managers.

Indian managers of no use

Welcome to Software Engineers's Private Community

They have no life
They have nowhere to go
They have no one to be with
They have no passions outside work either

And they make your life hell as they become the baseline for comparison for all sorts of management from appraisal to work distribution.

Feel free to disagree with me, but I’m genuinely pissed today. How do you deal with them? I have a decent life outside work but lose most of it while trying to catchup to such people so that I don’t get fired.

Sorry for the title.

How the F do I deal with overworkers?

I'm also like this brother. But why I work like this? 
 I come from a small village in India . Haven't got proper education or exposure. Not born with silver spoon and this is the only way to feed our family. We too have emotions like you, but sacrificing everything for our future and family. I strongly disagree with @Elon_Musk. Usually, only people who don't work hard do like that.

Product Designer

MNC worked but didn’t liked the culture. Thinking to work in a startup and hoping for a good culture. Work life balance can not always be good ik.

Want to join startup

I recently worked at a startup and it was terrible. 

To be honest, I still worked at one of the better ones but it just sucked. 

Some of the clear downsides I see 

- Survival mode leads to chaos. You can be treated anyway and asked to leave whenever  even though you left big opportunities to be here 
- Brand loss to find next job (Big problem)
- Trying to make you feel unworthy(Doesn't bother me but I have seen people lose self confidence)
- Loss of opportunity to build real skills like building sustainable teams for the long run

I think over all working at a startup especially early teams is a losing proposition. Do it only if -
 - you know the founders/team well 
- you know the industry and market well and it is a bet you personally believe in
- you are secure enough in life that if you go back to your job, you will easily get employed 


For middle class kids, startups are the worst bets one can take.

Working at startups is terrible

Ashleel hai ye launda

Senior Consultant

I am a 6 yrs experienced Software developer and part of a mid-stage startup. This is my third job; I have been working here for 3 years. I was involved here as one of the core engineers at the start in developing the overall platform, After that, my growth as an engineer stagnated for 2 years . 

Constant importance and priority are given to business requirements and hacky work getting pushed to production in the name of fast iterations and business impact every week. 

My engineering manager lacks proper engineering skills and doesn't respect engineers even after their impact on the company and constantly keeps saying the engineering team doesn't contribute to the revenue of the company despite us pushing work that improves business positively. 

Last year around November, around 80% of the engineering team was subtly suggested to start looking out for work (basically a soft layoff) because management was too scared of a social media backlash

Due to all this,2 years' worth of technical debt has accumulated on the overall codebase and apart from giving justification for every code improvement that we try to make there, we still have to work on business/product requirements. 

My growth as an engineer has stopped and I am worried about missing out on the latest developments in the tech industry, especially with AI in the picture, and want to make my skillset somewhat AI-proof. I have come back to hands-on coding this year , so that's a positive start. I am considering taking a 3-4 month break after resigning from my company to study, develop side projects, develop a portfolio etc

Has anyone else been in this boat ? How did you come out strong?

Side Effects of working at startups

Come at me, I'm not scared. There is a reason why FAANG engineers are top-rated VS some random startup engineer.

Here are the reasons why I think that Indian Startup culture is pure cringe:

1. The random use of the following emojis- 🚀💰📈📊💡
2. Fake enthusiasm for every little thing - "Wow! 25M people ordered condoms WOWOW!!!🚀"
3. Claim that you are a verb("company name"): "I am a (Zoman, Flipster, Swiggster or whatever)" but no one really knows about it outside of your company.
4. The HR is a proper softie in the name of Employee wellbeing but will end up being a sadist the moment layoffs happen.
5. Think hard if you really want to work in a place that is your LinkedIn feed on Steroids.

Indian startup culture is the cringiest thing ever

Bruh you high? 
 Have you not seen the infinite amount of cringe generated by so-called faang engineers on blind?  
 Startup or faang, shit is the same everywhere.

Founder

A friend of mine is working at a leading financial services company with over 100k employees. 
He feels like he'd want to be part of something smaller, create more impact and help it grow rather than be just a part of the crowd.

Where should he start? How can he find the suitable people and jobs?

How does someone get into the startup culture?

Associate

I go through multiple posts every day. Every one is cursing their company. The bosses are bad. Managers suck. Company is fraud. Is it always the company, managers , bosses at fault. How can we create better work environment in Indian Startup’s.?

Cursing the Indian Startups

Welcome to Office Gossip's Private Community

Hello all! 
I am working as HR Head in a growth stage startup in Bangalore. So many people here talk about compensation, culture, growth etc. Happy to answer questions related to HR/Culture/Startups.

What are some startups in India where "bootlicking (chaatna)" work culture and only way to do well in the company

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