A recent LinkedIn post by Tushar S, the CEO of Vaani Research Labs, has sparked a lively debate about hustle culture in the startup scene. In his post, Tushar praised his co-founder, Abhinash Khare, for his relentless work ethic at their AI startup in Bengaluru. While some people admired this dedication, many others criticized it, arguing that it promotes unhealthy work habits in India’s growing tech industry.
In his post, Tushar shared that Abhinash often works late into the night, with his bed only three feet from his computer. He explained that Abhinash starts coding right after waking up at 8 AM, skipping any morning routine.
“It’s been almost seven months of coding until 2 AM, waking up at 8 AM and diving right back into research papers and code,” Tushar shared in the now-deleted LinkedIn post. “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.”
Tushar’s post was meant to honor Abhinash’s hard work in building their voice AI startup, but it quickly received backlash. Many users criticized Tushar for promoting what they called a “toxic work culture” that pressures employees and glorifies unhealthy work habits. While the post initially got thousands of likes and comments, the negative feedback soon outnumbered the positive ones.
“This kind of grinding is a toxic work culture, and I don’t see any point in praising it publicly,” one LinkedIn user wrote. “I totally understand how hard it is to bootstrap a startup, but it’s important to focus on sustainable and organic growth rather than grinding to a slow death.”
Another user said, “This is the new way of praising toxic culture. A well-rested mind and body can do wonders. As a co-founder, you should try to reduce the workload on him, even if he wants to do it. Think in the long term.”
After receiving a lot of criticism, Tushar decided to delete the post, admitting it may have conveyed the wrong message. He explained that he didn’t intend to promote an unhealthy work ethic but that running a startup with limited resources often leaves them with few choices. In a follow-up, Tushar said, “Many of you expressed concern for our health and work-life balance. We appreciate your responses. No one wants to work non-stop for months, but sometimes it’s unavoidable when resources are scarce.”
