Bengaluru Intern Quits Company After Securing Funding For Own Startup, Internet Amused

In an incident that highlights the vibrant startup ecosystem in Bengaluru, an intern quit his internship at a tech firm after he received funding for his own AI startup. Karthik Sridharan, CEO of Flexiple, took to X to share a screenshot of the WhatsApp conversation that he had with the intern. When Mr Sridharan enquired about the intern's absence on Friday, the latter casually mentioned meeting a venture capitalist. The intern then announced that his AI startup had secured funding, and he no longer needed the internship.

''Hey, sorry I took a leave because I had a meeting with a VC. My AI startup got funded. I don't need the internship anymore,'' he wrote. 

''This only happens in Bangalore,'' Mr Sridharan wrote while sharing the screenshot on X.

See the tweet here:

This only happens in Bangalore - pic.twitter.com/KtfB6dhJl5

— Karthik Sridharan (@KarthikS2206) September 1, 2024

The post has gone viral on X, with many users sharing their thoughts. While some were impressed by the intern's entrepreneurial prowess and congratulated him on securing funding, others were critical of his abrupt exit, deeming it unprofessional and inconsiderate to his former employer and colleagues. 

''Glad for the kid! Just hope someone guides him to get better at communications as well!'' wrote Abhimanyu Saxena, co-founder of Scaler.

Another user wrote, ''No matter how young/inexperienced someone is, basic communication skills and respect for others is needed.''

A third said, ''Absolute disrespectful to say. A simple gesture of giving a thank you for the opportunity and I would be moving out would have been professional.''

However, a fourth added, ''People in the comment section judge so quickly and get offended so easily. How do you conclude that the startup guy was chatting with a manager or boss? This might just be a casual chat between two interns or colleagues. The startup guy mentioned he took leave on Friday, and obviously, he doesn't need to announce this to the whole office. Since the other guy asked what happened, he explained.''

Bengaluru has solidified its position as India's undisputed startup capital, surpassing Delhi and Mumbai in terms of startup ecosystem strength, according to Startup Genome's prestigious Global Startup Ecosystem Report 2024.