A Chennai based entrepreneur is being praised on LinkedIn after sharing how he fired an underperforming employee — and then spent weeks helping them secure a new job — prompting widespread praise for what users called a rare example of empathy in leadership.
Karthick Raajha, founder and CEO of San Francisco-based Revv Growth, said in a LinkedIn post that he had to let an employee go after repeated feedback and multiple chances failed to improve performance.
“They were not doing the work, and it had gone on too long,” Raajha wrote, adding that the decision to terminate was “clear” after sustained underperformance.
But, what stood out — and sparked the viral response — was what followed.
“After I let them go, I spent two weeks helping them find their next job. Made intros. Fixed their resume. Took a few calls on their behalf,” Raajha said.
‘Not a bad person, just wrong fit’
Addressing why he would support someone he had just let go, the founder framed the decision as a distinction between performance and personal worth.
“Not being right for one role does not make someone a bad person,” he wrote. “The fit was wrong. The timing was wrong. Maybe I hired wrong in the first place. That part is on me.”
The founder-CEO also pointed to his own experience of being fired multiple times, describing the financial stress and stigma that often follow job loss. “I know what it does to you… the resume nobody will even open. I would not wish that walk on anyone,” he said.
‘How you fire people says more than how you hire’
In the LinkedIn post, Raajha also emphasised the importance of dignity in exits, arguing that letting someone go and treating them humanely are not mutually exclusive. “You can let someone go and still treat them like a human being,” he wrote, adding: “How you fire people says more about you than how you hire them.”
He also noted that such decisions are closely watched within organisations, particularly by employees who remain after layoffs or terminations.
Strong reactions on LinkedIn
The post triggered a wave of engagement on LinkedIn, with many users contrasting Raajha’s approach with more transactional workplace practices. Several commenters described the gesture as a defining trait of leadership rather than management.
“Kudos to you. This is exactly what differentiates leaders from managers,” one user wrote, adding that empathy often falls outside formal performance metrics but remains essential. Another commenter said: “Letting someone go and treating them with dignity afterward aren’t in conflict. That’s often where leadership actually shows up.”
Others highlighted how rare such perspectives are in hiring and layoffs, where candidates are often judged solely on outcomes.
“Knowing that being laid off is not a reflection of an individual’s potential is something you don’t get to see easily,” a user noted, adding that leaders who recognise this are “rare.”