Indian-origin founder criticised for publicly calling out ex-employee's motivational post

An Indian-origin startup founder's attempt to set the record straight over an ex-employee's post on social media has divided users, some of whom criticised him for commenting on a former subordinate's motivational post.

The controversy began when Namya Khan shared a post on X reflecting on her experience of being fired from her first job in 2023. In the post, she recounted being told by her product manager that artificial intelligence might soon automate her role, just a month before she was fired.

Despite the setback, Namya described how she turned this into an opportunity by starting her own agency. “Your worst day can be your biggest turning point,” she wrote, in a post that resonated with many users.

While she never named the company or individuals involved, one of the startup’s co-founders, Keswin Suresh, accused her of misrepresenting the situation, claiming that her job loss had nothing to do with AI and everything to do with performance.

“The truth is simple. The work was sloppy, deadlines were missed, and basic execution was consistently off,” he wrote, blaming her for “content marketing wrapped in victimhood.”

Co-founder faces backlash

Suresh's post triggered criticism online, with many users arguing that his public statement was unnecessary and unprofessional, particularly since Namya had not named or shamed the company. Many others, however, backed Suresh for calling out posts that distorted the truth for a few likes and views.

"Sorry to say, but this is not how a founder reacts. Demeaning your ex-employee was not needed here given that she does not names any organisation here," said one of them.

Another user claimed that his post did more damage to his company's image than hers could. "If your intention was to retaliate because she was giving your company a bad name, you miscalculated. You just made your startup look way worse than she did," they wrote.

A third user, however, defended Suresh. “Hats off to you for telling the truth. Far too many people lie about their reality here on X, and many of them are believable as well. It’s sad that people can turn their lack of skills and discipline into a sob story to farm engagement,” they said.