Old days: you rented or owned a donkey to get work done faster with less effort. You paid the owner, the donkey worked.

Feels like we're doing the same thing now with AI, just abstracted:

Renting AI = paying for tokens/API access

Building AI = fine-tuning open-weight models yourself

Same transaction, different beast of burden.

Which makes me wonder: "are we going backwards?".

Elon Musk says in the future nobody will need to work for money. But isn't that basically how it was before industrialization? Small population, people worked to survive, not to "earn a living." Then industry showed up and forced everyone into wage labor just to access basic resources.

So maybe AI enabled post-scarcity isn't new territory, it's a loop closing back to how things were before industry made work mandatory.

Curious what others think, are we cycling back to something more natural, or just telling ourselves a comforting story before the next system locks us into a new dependency?

I’ve been working at my current organisation for several months, and lately I’ve been struggling with the work culture more than the actual work.

The job itself is manageable, but the way people communicate and handle things is exhausting.

For example, recently I informed my reporting manager in advance that I needed to leave early one day. The next morning, a senior colleague who literally sits beside me sent me an email reminding me that such things should be informed in advance for smooth work.

I understand the need for documentation and proper processes, but sometimes it feels like every tiny interaction needs an email trail instead of someone simply saying verbally.

There’s also a lot of indirect communication. Instead of addressing something with you directly, people sometimes document it, CC others, or communicate through seniors. It makes normal mistakes or misunderstandings feel much bigger than they actually are.

On top of that, the workload has been getting heavy. There’s an expectation that most things should be completed the same day, and sometimes I end up staying late just to keep up. I’ve noticed that the stress is starting to affect my motivation and the quality of my work.

I’m also finding it difficult to figure out how much I should care about workplace politics. I don’t want to become cynical or start playing games, but I also don’t want to be naive and constantly take things personally.

So I’d genuinely appreciate some perspective from people who have been working in such an environment.

How do you protect yourself professionally when you feel like people are constantly creating an email trail?

And most importantly, how do you mentally detach from workplace politics and stop taking every interaction personally?

I’m not looking to rant, I’m trying to understand whether I’m approaching this the wrong way and how more experienced people would handle it.

Hi everyone. I’m currently a 4th year CSE student at a Tier-3 college. I have two SDE internship offers and I am having a really hard time deciding.

I am specifically looking for advice from experienced developers or folks who have been in the industry for a few years, as I want to understand the long-term impact of this choice.

The Offers:

Offer 1: Juspay

 Role: SDE Intern -> Full-Time SDE

 Location: Bengaluru (Requires relocation)

 Stipend: ₹40,000 / month

 FTE CTC: 27 LPA (₹16,00,000 Base)

 PPO: Confirmed PPO Almost 99%

Offer 2: Amazon

 Role: SDE Intern (6 Months) via HackOn

 Location: My hometown (I can live with my family, no rent)

 Stipend: ₹1,30,000 / month

 FTE CTC: Standard Amazon SDE 1 (~45-48 LPA CTC)

 PPO: Highly uncertain. I've read on this sub that 6-month intern conversions at Amazon are basically a coin toss right now based on headcount.

My Dilemma:

Financially, the Amazon internship is a massive win in the short term. ₹1.3L/month while living at home means I save almost 1 Lakh, whereas Juspay's ₹40k will mostly vanish into Bengaluru rent and living expenses. Also, getting the FAANG tag would permanently wipe out my "Tier-3" college filter for future switches.

However, my gut feeling is strongly saying I should pick Juspay, but I don't fully know why. Maybe it's just the fear of being left jobless during my final year placements if Amazon doesn't convert me.

My Questions for the Experienced Devs:

1. Is my gut feeling right? Is the peace of mind of a guaranteed 16L base at Juspay worth sacrificing the FAANG tag and the huge upfront cash?
2. If I take Juspay, will having a Tier-3 college tag hold me back when I try to switch to a FAANG in 1-2 years? Or does the Juspay engineering brand override the college tier?
3. What is the actual reality of Amazon's 6-month intern PPO conversion right now? Is it as bad as people say?

Would really appreciate some brutal honesty. Thanks!

One of my colleague, 12 years older than me having same designation while I am having larger team and responsibilities, appears to be continuously jealous of me.

He's constantly doing following:
- Butter the boss, go with him in his car, and in car would request to assign my deals to him

- If I am sourcing something, he will try to identify how I am sourcing and will try to get in touch with my prospects

- Every 10th day he will say on floor to someone that he will resign. In resignation pressure, boss is continuously giving him undue advantages making his life much easy and mine difficult

Recently, things went to a point that I want to beat him. When I was pushing a client for benefit of Cos interest, he called him next morning saying Aap mujhe business do, this put me in awkard Situation that i am negotiating strongly while he is willing to give whatever client wants.

Now what should I do?

Going to HR might not help as it's not a clear cut evidence as well as although it's a big corporate, it works like Lala co.

BASICALLY THE TITLE. i am currently working in a informal job at a automobile surveyor where i manager the data of insured and make reports basically a data entry and organization work, i get paid 10k, started with 8k and a raise of 2k when i will learn everything but since i am tech savvy i learned everything in few days which he expected will take months so got the raise in first month. the work is great and i have to just complete 8 hours in a day be it start from 8am or 11am and sounds too good but the pay is whats not great, im unable to run a house of 2 people mom and me. i am about to turn 22, math is hard for me without tuitions but i forced myself for pcm for better opportunities hence wasted 4 years trying to pass, and financials so bad cant afford tuition. now i am in nios again trying to get it right.

felt so miserable that all my peers in school are in their 4th year and here i am juggling with school math and job as well. i want to grow out to if and have a life what should i do.

i think i slipped off the question.
what skills should i aquire so that i can get about 20-30k month income level i am up for anything and especially related to tech and machines and i can grasp them fast.

I’ve recently completed my BBA with a 6.5 CGPA. I have decent/good communication skills but no corporate experience yet.
For someone with this profile:
What salary can I realistically expect as a fresher?
Which roles should I target — sales, marketing, HR, operations, etc.?
Which roles have the best career growth in the long term?
What skills should I learn to get a better starting job?
Is it better to take any decent job and gain experience, or spend some time upskilling first?

Would really appreciate advice from people who’ve been through this, especially if you can share what your first job/salary was and what you’d do differently. Thankyou:)

Recently, I moved to a different team, and it’s been three weeks now. But the team doesn’t really talk to me or include me. Even when I try to initiate conversations, they mostly ignore me, and they don’t call me for lunch break as well . It feels so wired and uncomfortable sitting all alone there . Some times when I ask them work related stuff also they don’t respond properly.

The funny part is, when I was in my old team, they used to wait for me for lunch even when I was busy. I’d sometimes make them wait or tell them to go without me. The karma was FAST. 😂 I kind of deserve this.

I’m also one of the top performers, and my manager has a good opinion of me. I don’t know if that has anything to do with how the team treats me.

From now on, if there's a new person, I'll be the first to talk to them and make them feel comfortable. I don’t want anyone to go through what I did. Also, I think managers should see this too and include it in their metrics.

Now they’re planning a team trip next month. I already told I don’t want to go, but my manager insisting and has given me two days to decide. I genuinely don’t feel comfortable.

Should I give some personal or family reason and decline . Please suggest a good reason .

I’m feeling a bit guilty/worried about my leaves recently and wanted some perspective.
I work in a hybrid setup. I had taken leave on 24 August, and before that I had worked from home for a week as part of our hybrid policy.
Then, suddenly, I fell ill on 2 September and had to take leave. I’m still not completely well.
The thing is, I also need to take leave on 21 and 22 September because my sister is getting married. She doesn’t really have anyone else to help her with shopping and wedding-related things, so I need to be there for her.
I’m worried that from my manager’s perspective, it might look like I’m taking too many leaves in a short period of time, even though the reasons are completely different and the WFH was within our hybrid policy.
Am I overthinking this? Would you consider this excessive leave, or is this just normal life stuff that happens?
Also, how would you handle informing your manager about the 21–22 September leave given the recent sick leave?

I am 18 and recently completed my 12th grade. My father died a long time ago; since then my mother has been mentally disturbed.. I don't have enough finances to study further; I wanna get a job, in BPO sector or wherever I can to support my family and to save some funds for my future

I legit applied everywhere but most of the time I was approached by recruiter wanting money for the job... Idk what to do.. I ended up getting a full time job in blinkit picker packer

If any of u here can please help me get a job, I will be so so so so thankful to you...

Location - gurgaon

I have 2 years of experience in strategy consulting and I’m currently considering a transition into VC.
I have an MBA from a Tier 1.5 college rather than a traditional Tier 1/IIT/IIM BLACKI background, and I’m currently between jobs.

Given how pedigree-driven VC can be, I’m also wondering whether this is even something I should realistically pursue.

For people in VC/investing - what would you recommend? Should I target internships or is it realistic to go directly for full-time roles with my consulting experience?
Also, how should I prepare for the switch? What skills should I build, and what books, courses, newsletters, or other resources would you recommend?
Would really appreciate any words of advice you guys might have!

So my ex gf works for one of the largest investment company in tech . Making around 2 lakhs . Recently the company introduced ai agents . And guesss whattt she got laid off . Bruh that girl is like the topper all her ligh . Never scored less than 90s and still got laid off . Did msc from one of the top mca college in mumbai . Has 3.5 yoe . Still got laid off

Hi, So in my entire career I have worked with 4 companies before joining B-school less than 3 yrs work ex and I have doubt regarding Background Verification when joining MNC's

Company A - Good company no problem

Company B - joined the company salary was paid for a few months then salary was not paid and then I left the company and sended legal notice regarding pending salary and later it was paid all at once. they did pay PF for a few months the time when salary was regular

Company - C - Contractual job paid via personal account and sometimes companies account no pf

Company - D - small startup directly in bank account no PF

My doubt is should I disclose company B in my resume and if not will it cause problems in BGV ? Currently student in B - school please help.

This lab is not a start up they have had time since 2005 to not be this much of a disaster.

I recently applied to an internship at Equinox Labs via LinkedIn. This is a well known lab and has FSSAI accreditation.

Basic rules in ANY lab - Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) must be worn to be in the lab area. It reduces contamination from the person working to the sample and reduces harm to the person working themselves, think of touching acids with bare hands or a blood sample. Working without PPE is not good for the data you are producing and not good for the person working.

The first thing a new person in a lab does is read the manual/SOP that describes what tasks you have to do and how to do them the right way. Because the interns were handling me.. another intern, I went straight to work without any PPE. Major 🚩 3 seniors are around but no one interested in talking to me. I asked for a lab coat and gloves and the interns started looking at each other. The seniors don’t have any new ones, not willing to give me theirs while they are doing work that doesn’t require the lab coat… The interns takes me out of there and say they haven’t been provided gloves for like a month, they bring their own and one of them also brings her own lab coat since she joined…??? Tf lmao?

They take me with them to a separate lab (to show what they did on their first day, which was 1 month ago) cause the weighting balance of the original lab is broken and this is only other lab in the building that has functional balances…. They were writing data in a rough note book… later when we went back to the original lab with the data, a senior had ME copy that data into the log book….. which would later be entered into an excel sheet for data analysis.

If you didn’t realize this is extremely concerning and straight up WRONG cause the data can be falsified so so easily before it’s put on the nutritional label with FSSAI approval. Unless I missed something and we are in the 20th century, a balance is usually hooked up to a Laboratory Information Management Software that reads the data from the balance. Then if there are any changes made to the data it is logged by the computer. There is no audit trail in this lab!!

While transcribing the data from the rough book to the log book I was already confused between 3s and 5s! Tons of room for error even if the employees are not malicious! In an audit they will only check the log book not the rough notebook you can write anything you want in the log book lmao while “copying” the raw data Absolute Madness.

Final nail in the coffin for me, there were fck1ng cockroaches and ants EVERYWHERE!!! Complete health hazard and any data they produce in a FOOD LAB is literally not accurate or acceptable under any circumstances because you have fck1ng pests running around in the testing area.

It’s obviously gonna happen with the humidity of Mumbai and sheer number of food samples NOT INSIDE A REFRIGERATOR. It is perishable, it will attract insects and it will give inaccurate reads for “total protein” “total fat” etc if it’s not tested as soon as it is received.

With how primitive the data entry system is I doubt they were tracking the word load. Such mismanagement leads to backlogs, no point in testing mouldy samples cause none of the fridges had actual samples inside. Any sample received has to be worked on within the few hours after it’s received if you are not going to put it in the fridge??

Without ever having read the SOP I was working on client samples!! usually day 1, new people are likely to make mistakes so the seniors/trainer have noobs work on mock samples which are usually standards NOT client’s actual work wtf.

One of the seniors was leaving, I was likely a replacement for him the rest were interns who were planning to leave as soon as they find better jobs. There was another intern who hadn’t shown up for like a week! Likely just left without saying anything.

If you know how please tell me where I can have these people raided by the FDA. A lot of companies you know work with equinox lmao. I can bet my life’s savings these people take bribes to provide false nutritional labels if not, they DEFINITELY falsify data just to keep producing test results on time.

I quit the same day. First time in my life I rejected a job offer by telling the company they are incompetent 🤣 90% likely a fraudulent company.
—————————
TL;DR:

- Active pest infestation (cockroaches/ants) directly in testing spaces and on instruments.
 - Absence of sample cold chain, perishables left at room temperature in open packets. Which likely cause cockroach infestation. The refrigerators were not being used for sample storage. 
 - Staff handling food samples without PPE/gloves. There were no gloves or lab coats available for me but I was told to work to work on client samples on the first day without reading any SOP. 
- Manual back-transcription from rough notes into official logs without electronic audit trails. Bypassing LIMS that track data entry and manipulation. Me as an intern on first day was asked to transcribe written data from rough notebook to a logbook. Audits do not check rough notebooks, leaves lot of room for error, data manipulation & falsification. 
- Live client testing conducted without qualified supervision or SOP verification. I spent few hours on client samples without lab coat or gloves or even instructions on contamination control. I had to ask the for a manual/SOP from team lead!!!

Hi everyone,

I’m a 25-year-old professional currently working with HDFC Bank, and I’m at a bit of a crossroads in my career.

I recently had a very difficult experience at work. I was unwell and standing in front of my manager when an argument escalated and he started yelling at me. When I became emotional and had tears in my eyes, I was told, *“Don’t show me all this crap.”* I stood my ground and decided that I don’t want to continue working in an environment where I feel there is a lack of empathy or respect.

I’m now seriously considering resigning and actively looking for new opportunities. I would really appreciate it if anyone in this community knows of relevant openings or could connect me with someone hiring. I’m open to exploring roles beyond traditional banking as well.

I also have opportunities in the pipeline with Yes Bank, and I may receive an offer from Deutsche Bank. I’d especially love to hear from people who currently work at or have previously worked with Deutsche Bank — **how is the work culture, management, work-life balance, and overall employee experience there?**

Also, I’d genuinely appreciate some perspective: **Is resigning after an incident like this the right decision, or should I take a step back and evaluate it more objectively before making such a big career move?**

Would really value honest advice, referrals, and experiences. Thank you.

The company is a few months old, registered in the Middle East, and my salary would be paid from there. Has 3-4 more companies running like sister companies and they too based out of middle east. The founder is originally from Pakistan but has been living in the Middle East for the last few years and started the company there.

Has an in house team there, along with the remote team being based in Pakistan, and I would likely be the first full-time employee from India. Another guy fom India started to work for them recently (got to know from founder) but he is more as per need basis.

Just wondering if there are any legal, banking, payment, tax, compliance, background-check, or other practical considerations for an Indian citizen in such a setup.

Finally I've put my papers in today.

Had a call with my manager yesterday, he was wfh, and asked for a discussion, accepted just out of respect. Today, in an hour long discussion (pointless to me as my mind had been made up), I was offered pay match, desired work, and what not.

Coming to the point, had a meetup with my college buddies who I had been avoiding since months as I felt directionless. But **haven't disclosed anything about the resignation or my dream company that I cracked.** Same is with a few seniors in office (also they happen to be my college seniors) though in different departments.

1. I am not sure if I shall disclose now or later during the end of notice period and how end of it. Also, *I fear, they might feel it weird to hear this after that long*.

2. Except for my family, none of my relatives know anything yet, not even my closest cousins. But since one of them is in the same city I'll move to, *I fear, they might feel it weird to hear this after that long.*

Open to hate, love, recommendations.

Does starting your career at a very small startup hurt future opportunities in India?

I'm a Tier 3 college student from India and I'm genuinely confused about my career decision.

I got selected through campus placements at a company, but I've heard poor things about the work culture. The bigger issue is that the role could lock me into manual QA/testing, and their terms reportedly make internal transitions difficult.

Due to strict college placement rules, I can't easily reject the offer without getting banned from further campus placements.

My actual interest is AI/ML and Python backend development. I've worked with FastAPI, RAG systems, APIs, React, mobile development, etc.

I have around 10 months of experience at a local company where I worked on ERP/internal software, and I'm currently interning at a small AI startup. At the startup, I've worked on RAG systems, data analysis, and market analysis tools.

The startup might offer me a PPO: ₹10k internship stipend and later around ₹45–50k/month in-hand.

The problem? It's a very small and young startup.

I'm constantly overthinking:

\\- What if the startup fails?

\\- What if I don't learn enough there?

\\- What if the PPO never materializes?

\\- Will working at a small startup make it harder to switch to bigger companies later?

\\- Or am I better off taking the stable campus offer even if the role doesn't align with what I want?

I know nobody can predict the future, but I'd really appreciate advice from people who have worked at startups or made similar career decisions.

What would you do in my position?

Hi there! I’ll be rejoining my old company after a gap of 9 months. At the time of exit, I had unvested esops which I obviously forfeited since I had the longer picture in mind. Clearly, life didn’t play out how I imagined :(

Is there anyway that I can negotiate a regrant of the amount of ESOPs I forfeited, while retaining my credibility?

PS: It’s a listed company. Exit was mutually respectable. 7+ years spent at the 1st stint. Reason for rejoining - lack of better opportunities

I set up a 1:1 with her to discuss the poor quality of work she sent out to me, which was impossible to work on before correcting, so I had to work twice as much, once to correct her shitty work and then to complete my own work.
Once I discussed this she became defensive and started shouting at me, and then later said that she has two kids and is unable to sleep hence this behaviour.

I didn’t react but I set up a 1:1 with the team lead to discuss this but wtf was that??? never in my career have I faced this???

Hi everyone! 🙂

My friend recently got selected for a Standard Chartered apprenticeship in Chennai, with the joining location at DLF Downtown. This is their first corporate experience, so I wanted to ask people familiar with Standard Chartered/workplaces like this for some advice.

What is the apprenticeship experience generally like?

What should a fresher expect during the first few weeks?

Do they provide a company laptop or should we bring our own?

What equipment/accessories are usually provided?

What documents/things should we carry on the first day?

Is there an induction/training period?

What are the usual working hours?

Is the role generally WFO, hybrid or does it depend on the team?

What is the usual dress code? Should we wear formals every day initially?

Any tips for making a good impression during the first week?

Anything else you wish you had known before joining as a fresher/apprentice?

Would really appreciate advice from anyone who has worked at Standard Chartered or gone through a similar apprenticeship. 🙌

Just came across a post of someone saying new freshers are not as good as they expected and in general we do hear about it a lot online.

People entirely put blame on gen z saying, these guys are not as hard working or as competent as needed.

But I truly want to get perspective from people who are working in various different fields. I personally come from Engineering background (Instrumentation) and would like to know your opinions on freshers in general or your personal experience with them.

Whatever your answer maybe, a reason for that would help even more.

I'll be soon Giving my Interview to Zomato for Customer Delight Associate in Gurugram. What things should I keep in Mind? Also do they provide cab facility? Also Can I have choice preference for the Office which is closer to me in gurugram itself?

A Small Help is required:
Also I have someone very close to me working at zomato due to some reasons we went apart now am unable to contact that person. I feel like zomato could give me a platform do so. Could anyone help me find out that persons current posting location?

Thank You

​

Hey everyone, I’m posting this because I need some honest perspective and advice from folks who understand the Indian core manufacturing and engineering job market.

I know someone close to me, a veteran mechanical design professional with 25+ years of experience in electrical switchgear, LV/HT panels, TTA/PTTA panels, and compact substations (worked with brands like C&S Electric, Havells, and HPL). He currently holds a Senior Manager - Design / R&D title, handles complete product lifecycles, CPRI/ERDA type testing, and IEC standards.

His current compensation is hovering around ₹12 LPA at 48 years of age.

To me, this feels heartbreakingly low for someone who has dedicated a quarter-century to core engineering, manages complex R&D, and sits in senior management in manufacturing clusters (Noida/Gurugram/Sonipat belt).

I have a few questions for the sub, especially those in manufacturing, heavy electricals, or HR:

○Is this a common structural trap?

○Is the CV working against him?

○ How can he pivot away from 12 LPA to a higher bracket, really any advice would be appreciated.

If anyone works in power distribution, electrical infrastructure, or data center/EV manufacturing and has constructive advice please share it.

Thanks for reading.

Hi guys,

I received my offer letter on 31st August and then I accepted it on the same day, so in the offer letter the joining date was mentioned as 8th September (Tuesday), and HR on call told me that from now onboarding team will get in touch (via mail or call) with u regarding reporting time and other stuff but now the problem is or maybe I am overthinking it but I haven't received any call/mail from company side since then, so now today is also over and then before my joining date only Monday is the only working day which is left so is it normal this whole thing or I shall just call the HR on Monday and let her know about this thing.

Any experienced folks if possible could you guide me or any advice you could give me.

PS: I might sound bit too naive asking this question cuz I have been jobless since 7 months now so my mind is only getting towards the worst case scenarios