Summary:
- Manager with 6+ years’ experience says fresher-turned-TL was “ordering” him on Day 2
- Job role reportedly mismatched — customer calls & SQL basics instead of operations
- Reddit post sparks debate on toxic startup culture & blurred hierarchies
Day 2 Shock: “Do This, Sit There”
A newly hired operations manager with over six years of corporate experience has taken to Reddit to share his frustrating experience at an Indian startup, and the post has since gone viral.
On his second day, he claims a fresher-turned-team lead — with just 7 months at the company — began issuing him orders like where to sit and what tasks to complete. The fresher justified his authority by citing proximity to the director and his “longer” experience at the startup.
The manager described the experience as “demeaning” and “unexpected”, raising questions about how senior talent is treated in startup hierarchies.
A Role That Didn’t Match The Promise
Beyond the awkward power dynamics, the manager revealed that the actual work was far from what he was hired for. Instead of managing operations, he was asked to handle customer service calls and start learning SQL basics.
When he approached HR for clarification, the response was casual: “This is a growing startup, things are different here.” For the manager, this raised a serious doubt — had he been hired as a manager or a trainee?
Reddit Reacts: Toxic Culture Or Startup Reality?
The viral post drew hundreds of comments, with opinions split. Many users flagged it as a classic case of toxic startup culture, where juniors exploit blurred hierarchies to assert control. Others defended the scenario as a reality of startup chaos, where adaptability often outweighs titles and past experience.
The manager ended his post with a dilemma: “Should I adapt or just leave?” — sparking a broader discussion on whether India’s fast-growing startups are failing to build respectful, scalable work cultures.
