Monday 7 April 2025
Why is this Indian CEO Receiving the Tag of Being the Worst Rated Founder?
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The Startup India communitys recent poll on Reddit is garnering notable attention. The poll initiated a significant discussion regarding the leadership qualities in the Indian Startup Ecosystem. A good number of users responded to the poll, revealing the communitys picks for the Best and Worst Founder of Indian startups.
The Reddit community has named Byju Raveendran, the worst Indian founder. The CEO is receiving thedubious distinction for fostering atoxic work environment, scamming customers through unethical business practices, and damaging the Indian startup ecosystems reputation. Interestingly, the voting was competitive with Bhavish Aggarwal of Ola who is receiving criticism for issues with Ola Electrics services.
However, Raveendran emerged victorious, reflecting widespread disappointment from the users.
Users are criticizing Raveendrans leadership for cultivating a toxic work culture. Reddit users voiced concerns regarding the employee treatment, claiming instances of exploitation and a lack of transparency within the company.
Comments on the post underlined the large-scale layoffs, delayed salaries, and sharp decline in the value that Byjus has gone through. The repercussions have affected the workforce as well as various customers. One Reddit user aptly expressed displeasure, writing, “He screwed everyone whom he hired… he spoiled the Indian startup reputation abroad.”
Many disgruntled users expressed their disappointment. Comments like, He scams families of their savings under the pretext of education, reflect the emotions of many.
The CEO Byjus, is dealing with various legal and financial challenges also. The allegations include fraudulently transferring $533 million to offshore accounts linked to him. Although the CEO denies the claims.
Furthermore, Byjus is presently going through debt obligations in both India and the US and is now undergoing insolvency proceedings. The accusations have resulted in a significant decline in the companys value.
On the contrary, Sridhar Vembu of Zoho has been voted as the Best Founder by Reddit users. The reason why Vembu is named the best Indian founder is because of his contribution to creating jobs in his hometown. He is also receiving appreciation for introducing quality products and creating an great business model
The comments read, He created a company in his village providing so many jobs to people in his hometown. Although Zoho pays less compared to the industry standards, still their products are great.
Another user added, Undoubtedly Vembu. He operates from a village in Tamil Nadu, scaled it to theglobal level, and is now giving tough competition to Google and Microsoft. He made his startup unicorn without even taking VC funding.
The users so far have selected the most underrated, most overrated, the best, and the worst Founders of India.
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