'Another Indian Who Thinks He’s God': Gurugram-Based Founder Fires Employee in 2 Minutes Over WFH Request

Viral: Ever had one of those mornings where you just can’t make it to work, and hope your boss understands? For one employee in Gurugram, that simple ask turned into a termination, within minutes.     

A startup founder from Gurugram has sparked a fierce online controversy after firing an employee just two minutes after they requested to work from home for a day.

Nikhil Rana, who owns The 15, a networking platform for startup founders, posted a screenshot of a WhatsApp conversation to LinkedIn. During the chat, the employee informed him that they would be unable to attend to the office and asked if they could work remotely instead.

Rana's retort came quickly and decisively. Within two minutes, he informed the employee that they had been sacked, and that the same day would be their last.

Instead of keeping the chat private, he elected to make it public, emphasizing his opinions on work ethic and startup culture.

‘No notice period, no nonsense’: Founder explains his stance

In his LinkedIn post, Rana made it clear that he does not believe in notice periods, calling them “theatre” and “a waste of time.”

He went on to describe the kind of people he wants on his team, those who take ownership, can be relied upon, show high agency, don’t wait for ideal conditions, and can simply “make it happen.”

In a remark that drew particular attention, he added that skills have “taken the last seat,” arguing that they are now commoditised and no longer the primary differentiator.

Internet reacts: ‘Toxic’, ‘ragebait’ or ‘startup reality’?

The post quickly snowballed into a heated discussion, with professionals across India weighing in, many sharply critical, while some defended his approach.

One user wrote, “Ah yes, what an inspiring take! ‘skills have taken a back seat.’ Exactly what anyone wants to hear. Why bother building expertise when you can just be on-call 24/7, shape-shifting to every founder’s whim, and calling it dedication? Clearly, the real benchmark now is how well you can function like a machine, but guess what - the only thing built for nonstop availability is AI, not people. And if this is being spun as some clever marketing gimmick, that’s even worse, it’s not bold or aspirational, it’s a pretty toxic that deserves to be called out and shut down.”

Another commenter took a more personal jab, saying, “Let me know if you need help buddy. I have good therapist friends specializing in unresolved childhood trauma.”

A third questioned the scale of Rana’s operation, “Is that why there are only 2 people listed in your company?”

One user used sarcasm to critique the mindset, “Good for him, May God Bless him. Dear Nikhil aap galat timeline mai aa gaye, aapko british raj mai hona chhaiye tha. Brown sahab ke taur par bahut grow karte aap.”

Another dismissed the entire episode as provocation, “Ragebait karre ho Nikhil.”

Concerns about fairness also surfaced, with one comment reading, “Accountability seems to be one-way traffic here. Employees get judged, founders get justified.”

And perhaps the harshest take came from a user who wrote, “Another Indian who thinks he’s God because he employs a person.”

Missing context or a clear message?

Not everyone rushed to condemn. Some advised caution, noting that the entire picture may not be seen. One user questioned whether the employee's previous performance, the nature of the role, or the importance of the issue had been overlooked. Nonetheless, the episode has sparked a conversation about startup work culture, limits, and what "commitment" truly means in today's workforce. For the time being, Rana's piece remains popular, if not as a recruiting philosophy, then as an epicenter in the current discussion between hustle culture and fundamental workplace empathy.

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