Pune founder asks candidate ‘tune kiya kya hai’, expects him to work 16-hour shifts

A job seeker’s harrowing experience at a Pune-based startup has gone viral after he detailed a “toxic” interview process on Reddit. After waiting four hours for the founder to arrive, the candidate was met with a blunt dismissal of his professional background, with the founder allegedly saying, “tune kiya hi kya hai”. The situation escalated when the startup allegedly demanded 16-hour shifts from 6 AM to 10 PM, while flatly refusing to discuss the salary package and labelling the desire to know about compensation as the “wrong mentality.”The candidate’s post about the founder’s behaviour has angered social media. (Representative image). (Unsplash)“Hustle Culture = Don’t dare to ask about salary,” a Reddit user wrote. The individual posted that they recently appeared for an interview at a Pune-based startup.Also Read: Indian-origin tech founder maken for delivery worker in US, says ‘SF is cooked’. Internet reactsRecalling the experience, the candidate posted, “I was asked to arrive at 9:30am. I did but the office was still not open. When I entered the office, I saw ‘Time For Hustle’ written on the wall. I knew exactly what it meant and what kinda place I’m in but still I went in for the interview (after waiting for almost 4 hours for the founder to arrive).”The individual continued, “Firstly, they completely chose to ignore my experience saying ‘tune kiya hi kya hai (what have you ever done)’ and whatever you have ever done doesn’t matter. Your resume doesn’t matter (then why did they as for it). You designations don’t matter. Secondly, when I asked them about the position and timings they said it’s flexible from 6am to 10pm. Then I asked what will be my shift timing. They said that the shift timing is 6AM – 10PM.”When the candidate followed the standard interview protocol inquiring about the salary, the founder’s response was allegedly nothing short of shocking.“Then I asked how much are they gonna pay me. They said are you gonna work for the money? I’m like ‘Duh!’ They said they don’t want that mentality. Then I still asked them what is the package. Still they said the same thing.”The founder allegedly said that he works over 14 hours each day and never complains, advising the candidate, “You are young so you should work hard. It will make you more stronger.”How did social media react?An individual shared, “I am in the last leg of my career (10 years to retire), honestly, I saw these kinds in my time as well. I even started working at such places because I was desperate, but ran like a rabbit just after a few days. Then they kept calling (we used to have landlines those days) and wondering why I stopped showing up.”Another added, “I’m hating this corporate exploitation, working for 14+ hours daily and unpaid on weekends for some peanuts.” A third joined, “Should have asked for ESOPs for each OT hustled.”Also Read: Bengaluru founder responds to backlash over ‘unpaid’ job ad: ‘Meant to assess skills…’A fourth wrote, “Tell the founder, ‘Fine, give me your profit share, and I will also not care about money’. He is the founder; he will work 24 hrs if required, you are just an employee. Should have just got up and left when they addressed you as ‘tune’.”(Disclaimer: This report is based on user-generated content from social media. HT.com has not independently verified the claims and does not endorse them.)