A LinkedIn post by startup founder Karthick Raajha has set off a broader discussion online about how much risk employees should take on in early-stage companies and where professional loyalty should be drawn.
In his post, Raajha, founder and CEO of Revv Growth, recounted an incident in which a senior employee chose to leave after receiving an offer that doubled her salary at another firm.
He said he attempted to retain her by matching the offer, despite the financial strain it placed on his company at the time.
According to Raajha, the startup was profitable but not in a position to comfortably offer such steep hikes.
He noted that matching a 100% salary increase was “next to impossible” at that stage, but the company still went ahead with the counteroffer. The employee, however, declined.
He claimed the decision was influenced by concerns about the company’s future, with the employee reportedly telling HR that the firm might not survive in the long run.
Raajha said the company has since seen strong growth, expanding threefold over the past year and projecting further scale.
He attributed this progress to the persistence of the founding team, adding that early-stage success often depends more on the founders’ drive than on metrics such as revenue or pipeline.
The post drew mixed reactions from users on LinkedIn, with some questioning the tone and others backing the founder’s perspective.
Netizens argued that employees are justified in prioritising financial security and career stability, especially when working with early-stage ventures.
Some said the post appeared to single out the departing employee unfairly. Others pointed out that employees and founders operate under different risk frameworks, with founders typically bearing long-term uncertainty.
Raajha responded to the criticism, saying the intent of his post was not to criticise the employee’s decision but to highlight the broader realities of building a business.
A section of users offered a more balanced view, suggesting that misalignment between a founder’s vision and an employee’s expectations is common in startups.
They noted that while founders take on significant risks, employees often focus on managing their own professional and financial stability.