The Delhi-based founder of business consultancy firm UAbility said that his nephew earns an impressive ₹40 LPA salary at the age of 24 — but his parents are worried since his remote startup job makes it look like he is barely working. Rohan Dhawan cited the example of his nephew to talk about how AI has changed the way employees work, and how the older generation in turn needs to change the way it measures productivity.
“Kuch karta hi nahi”
In a LinkedIn post shared yesterday, Rohan Dhawan said that his nephew works as a remote developer at an AI startup. The startup is backed by Y Combinator and his 24-year-old nephew earns ₹40 lakh per annum working for them.
“Met my nephew last week. 24 years old and earning ₹40 LPA. Remote dev at a YC-backed AI startup. Exceptional kids but his parents looked tense,” Dhawan revealed.
The Delhi-based founder said that the techie’s parents were concerned because he worked only three to four hours a day. His short workday fueled worries that he may be doing something illegal.
Dhawan said that his nephew’s parents pulled him asked and said, “Beta, ye kuch karta hi nahi. 2-3 ghante laptop kholta hai aur band kar deta hai. Kuch illegal toh nahi kar raha? (He doesn’t do any work. He just opens his laptop for 2-3 hours, then shuts it. Is he doing something illegal?)”
How AI is transforming workplaces
Dhawan said that his nephew’s parents were concerned about him despite the fact that he was earning twice as much as most people his age. They correlated success with time spent working, even in a day and age where AI has compressed eight hours into three or four hours of work.
He also reflected on the fact that the 24-year-old’s parents would have been reassured had he been burning the midnight oil at a company like Infosys or TCS.
“Had he been at a TCS/Infosys, burning 12-hour days for half the salary – that would’ve made them proud,” wrote Dhawan. “This kid is 24, earning more than most people twice his age, and the family concern is that he’s not suffering enough.”
He used the incident as an opportunity to reflect on how AI is changing modern workplaces.
“We’re currently in an era where AI has genuinely compressed 8 hours of work into 3-4 hours of focused effort. A sharp developer today with the right tools can out-execute someone grinding 12-hour days the old way. That’s just the reality of 2026,” said the Delhi-based entrepreneur.
Dhawan concluded by saying the younger generation is “embarrassed about finishing work early” and pretends to be busier than they actually are as he called for change.
“Output should matter more than optics. Results should matter more than hours. Please don’t doubt your kids. Doubt your own measurements…” he concluded.