A Reddit post by a user named @Regrets_only_ has gained traction online after the intern shared a troubling experience of being laid off just 23 days into an internship at a startup in Gurugram. The anonymous poster revealed they had left home and spent ₹30,000 from personal savings to relocate for the role, only to be dismissed abruptly. They said they worked 10 to 12 hours a day, including some weekends, before being told their position was no longer needed after a client backed out.
According to the post, the startup’s founder had assured the intern of close mentorship and a full-time role after three months, with a starting salary of at least ₹40,000. However, less than a month in, those promises collapsed.
“I was shocked… I regret believing the founder,” the intern wrote, calling the experience “a disaster.” Now unemployed and disheartened, they are struggling through a tough job market in Gurgaon’s competitive startup ecosystem. The post has since sparked debate on scial media. Here are some of the reactions.
Supportive responses poured in from fellow Redditors. “Something similar also happened with me. Please don’t let negative thoughts get into your head and start applying mindlessly on LinkedIn, though 90% of job listings are fake there, but you can very well get 2-3 calls a month if you keep applying daily,” one user commented.
Another added, “It happens. If you go back in time and think about it, you would still have accepted this offer. At that point in time this was the best decision you could take given the information. Talk to the founder and see if he has founder friends that are looking for someone like you. Don’t get disheartened. In this economy, you will have to fight harder, but you will find something eventually.”