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India Today
a day ago
- Business
- India Today
Bengaluru techie hospitalised after CEO's outburst on video call, shares traumatic post
A harrowing account shared on Reddit by a Bengaluru techie has sparked concern around workplace abuse in India's tech startup techie, in the post shared on the Reddit account r/IndianWorkplace, described their traumatic experience after working at a 'small event discovery startup' in Bengaluru as a junior data scientist, claiming that they suffered relentless psychological harassment during their the post titled 'I had a complete breakdown during a work video call because my CEO kept screaming - still dealing with the trauma,' the techie recounted seven months of mental torture under a non-technical CEO who 'micromanaged everything, imposed unrealistic deadlines, and yelled constantly'. Writing about their 'psychological torture', the Bengaluru techie added that their CEO had 'zero technical background but believed he was a data science expert'.'He'd create these completely unrealistic deadlines from thin air, change project requirements whenever he felt like it, and then lose his complete mind when reality didn't match his delusions,' the techie said, adding: 'Every. Single. Day. This chap demanded I explain every minute detail of my work directly to him. If my explanation wasn't flawless, or if he couldn't understand something technical, he would completely explode. I'm talking about full-scale screaming sessions where he'd destroy me both professionally and personally.'advertisementDespite working 12-14 hour days, weekends included, the techie said they were constantly belittled and publicly humiliated. Things, however, took a dark turn during a Google Meet, held a week after their resignation.'I tried desperately to address his points professionally, but he just kept escalating. Yelling louder and louder. The verbal attack was so brutal that I literally couldn't breathe properly. My chest started tightening, I began struggling for air, and I completely collapsed in my chair. Thank God, my mother heard the chaos from the adjacent room and rushed me to the hospital immediately,' they the trauma didn't end with the resignation. The company's HR - a one-person department – had a rather cold response to the medical emergency, portraying basic legal obligations like final settlement and experience letters as favours.'Then they intentionally delayed my Provident Fund paperwork for months, ignoring my respectful follow-ups. It felt like deliberate sabotage designed to harm my career opportunities. Anyone who's worked in India knows how crucial smooth PF transfers are, and toxic companies love creating obstacles in this process,' the techie added.'I still get flashbacks. This man made me question my skills, my worth, everything,' the employee said, adding that the CEO even brought a young intern to tears in a similar the entire post here: The Bengaluru techie concluded their post with a message of solidarity for those suffering in silence: 'If someone consistently makes you feel worthless, the issue is with them, not you. Your mental health is more important than any salary.'Tune InMust Watch
NDTV
a day ago
- Business
- NDTV
"Collapsed In My Chair": Bengaluru Man Lands In Hospital After CEO's "Brutal" Verbal Abuse
In recent months, Reddit has become a popular platform for employees to share their job struggles and workplace concerns. Several subreddits have emerged where employees anonymously share their stories and also connect with others who face similar challenges. Recently, one employee took the platform to share his toxic workplace experience. In his post titled 'I had a complete breakdown during a work video call because my CEO kept screaming - still dealing with the trauma', the original poster (OP) claimed that he faced constant harassment from the CEO during the few months he spent at the company. "Survived 7 months of relentless psychological harassment at a Bengaluru startup where the non-tech CEO micromanaged everything, imposed unrealistic deadlines, and yelled constantly. Finally suffered a complete breakdown so severe during a Google Meet that I collapsed breathless and was rushed to the hospital. Company and HR continued their vindictive behavior even after I resigned," the Redditor wrote. I had a complete breakdown during a work video call because my CEO kept screaming - still dealing with the trauma by u/energized_maverick in IndianWorkplace The employee shared that he joined a small events discovery startup in Bengaluru in 2024. As a Junior Data Scientist, he had hoped that it would be an amazing learning experience. But the user claimed he faced months of "psychological torture" at the hands of the CEO, who believed himself to be "some kind of data science mastermind" despite having zero technical background. "He'd (the CEO) create these completely unrealistic deadlines from thin air, change project requirements whenever he felt like it, and then lose his complete mind when reality didn't match his delusions," the employee wrote. "Every. Single. Day. This chap demanded I explain every minute detail of my work directly to him. If my explanation wasn't flawless, or if he couldn't understand something technical, he would completely explode. I'm talking about full-scale screaming sessions where he'd destroy me both professionally and personally," the Redditor continued. The employee said that he believes that the CEO was specifically targeting him because he is "quiet and physically thin". He also claimed that the CEO bypassed his reporting manager and made him deal directly with him. "For seven consecutive months, I worked 12-14-hour days. Weekends included. I took exactly TWO sick days the entire period. Not once did he acknowledge this commitment. It was always criticism, always fault-finding, always something I was supposedly doing incorrectly," he wrote. Eventually, the employee said that he could not take the harassment any more and submitted his resignation. A week later, during an online meeting, the CEO started attacking him verbally. "The verbal attack was so brutal that I literally couldn't breathe properly. My chest started tightening, I began struggling for air, and I completely collapsed in my chair," the employee said. Thankfully, his mother heard the chaos and rushed him to the hospital immediately. His ordeal, however, did not end here. "Even after resigning, the torture continued. The HR department handled by a single person was equally malicious. She had the audacity to frame my medical emergency as some kind of charity they were providing by paying my final actually claimed that providing my experience letter was a "gracious gesture" on their part. Like they were performing charity by fulfilling basic legal requirements," the user wrote. Concluding his post, the OP said that he shared his experience because he wanted other people who are facing similar harassment to know they are not alone. "To anyone currently trapped in a similar nightmare: your mental health is infinitely more important than any salary. Trust your instincts. If someone consistently makes you feel worthless, the issue is with them, not you," he wrote.
Tom's Guide
a day ago
- Tom's Guide
I can't believe Google is making such a big deal out of Pixel VIPs — it's the most disappointing new feature in years
Pixel VIPs is a new feature that's part of Android 16, and if you paid attention to Google's marketing and release notes,you'll know that it's being treated like a flagship addition — something that's to be desired, and that'll make owning a Pixel phone worthwhile. Now that Android 16 is here, I can tell you that this absolutely isn't the case. In fact, Pixel VIPs seems pretty darn pointless in the grand scheme of things. Of all the new features that have landed in Android 16, I don't know why Google is making such a big deal out of something that doesn't really offer anything of value. Pixel VIPs is a new feature in the Contacts app on Android 16. As the name suggests, it's exclusive to Pixel phones. You can preselect up to 8 VIPs, each of whom have their own special pages. Those pages have icons for the phone app, Google Messages, Google Meet, the Contacts app and (if you give Pixel VIPs permission) other third party apps like VIP pages also features a location option for "local updates," details on when you last spoke to each VIP, and notes and suggestions on "things to do together." It'll also remind you about their birthday, assuming you've told the app when it is. The Pixel VIPs can be accessed through Contacts, or with a special new Pixel VIPs widget — which is also technically part of the Contacts app. Really, it's kind of like the MySpace top friends list from back in the pre-Facebook era. Any readers born after 1995 should go and ask their parents or older siblings what I'm talking about. I can see what Google is trying to do here. It's a way of resurrecting that idea of having your favorite or most important people in a list and adding some practical value to it. But every time I look at, or tinker with the Pixel VIPs feature, all I can think of is "Why?" Do I need Google to suggest things I can watch with my girlfriend? Even after disclosing the kind of things she likes, those recommendations aren't particularly good. I also don't need another app to remind me when her birthday is — that's already in Google Calendar with all the other birthdays that don't belong to VIPs. She also has an iPhone, so conversing on Google Meet is never going to happen I also don't need to know what the weather is like wherever my VIPs are. I'm English. Discussing the weather is half of what we all talk about, and without it, there would be little reason to speak to anyone. I could maybe see some use in adding specific group chats to a list like this, but the fact Pixel VIPs is tied to the Contacts app means that isn't possible. The only real benefit is that these contacts are supposed to be able to bypass the Do Not Disturb setting on your phone — though as far as I can tell, there's no way to toggle this particular feature on or off for individual contacts. So if you actually want to get the benefits of Pixel VIPs for certain people, you apparently need to be willing to give them unfiltered access to your phone as well. Having a feature that lets key people contact you regardless of whether Do Not Disturb is on or not could be useful. But it feels like something that should be its own feature. Frankly, it would have been better if Google had quietly added this feature in the background, and let more important apps and updates take the center stage. Because Pixel VIPs just doesn't have headliner potential. Unfortunately, as it stands, Android 16 doesn't actually have a whole lot going for it. Maybe it's the fact the software was released so early, but it seems like all the actual upgrades are few and far between. Take the Material Expressive 3 redesign, as one example. Google announced this at I/O 2025, but confirmed that it wouldn't be arriving until much later in the year. When that might be is anyone's guess. The same is true for the Desktop windowing feature, which is set to hit "large screen devices" toward the end of the year. Similarly Live Updates, which seem to be Google's closest thing to Apple's Live Activities in the Dynamic Island doesn't seem to have a home on my Pixel 9 Pro. There's no settings menu for the feature, and I can't seem to find evidence that it's actually been added to my phone. But, assuming it has, Google said that it would be restricted to ride share and food delivery notifications at first. And that's not a particularly large number of use-cases, so it feels rather disappointing even if I know these features can't include all apps right away. So when you think about it, Google didn't have much chance not to try and hype up Pixel VIPs. Because it's not like anything more exciting was available.
Time of India
a day ago
- Business
- Time of India
Bengaluru startup employee calls CEO 'satan', alleges daily mental torture, HR harassment even after resignation
A former employee of a Bengaluru-based startup has shared a harrowing account of psychological abuse and harassment on Reddit, painting a grim picture of workplace toxicity that persisted even after his resignation. The employee, who worked as a Junior Data Scientist, claimed he suffered seven months of relentless micromanagement and emotional abuse from the CEO, whom he referred to as 'Satan himself.' According to the post, the CEO had no technical background but constantly imposed unrealistic deadlines, changed project requirements without notice, and subjected employees to intense verbal abuse. 'He would explode in rage if he didn't understand something technical. Screaming, personal insults—daily mental torture,' the employee wrote. Despite working 12–14 hour days, including weekends, and taking just two sick days in seven months, he said his dedication was never acknowledged—only criticized. The situation reached a breaking point during a Google Meet, a week after the employee resigned. The CEO allegedly excluded the reporting manager from the call and confronted the employee directly with aggressive questioning. The stress triggered a physical collapse mid-meeting, leading to a hospital emergency. 'My chest tightened, I couldn't breathe, and I collapsed in my chair. My mother rushed me to the hospital,' he recalled. Even after leaving the company, he alleged that the harassment continued. The HR head reportedly downplayed his medical emergency and framed the final settlement as an act of charity. He claimed his experience letter was withheld as a 'favor' and his PF transfer was deliberately delayed, harming future job prospects. Live Events He also described a disturbing incident where the CEO publicly berated a 21-year-old intern to tears, reinforcing his belief that the toxic culture was deeply rooted and targeted vulnerable individuals. 'I still have flashbacks. It took a severe toll on my mental health. These people weren't demanding—they were psychological abusers,' he wrote, encouraging others facing similar abuse to prioritize their mental well-being. In closing, the employee wrote: 'To the ones who nearly broke me—karma exists. And I hope it finds you.' Economic Times WhatsApp channel )
Indian Express
a day ago
- Business
- Indian Express
‘I began struggling for air': Bengaluru techie hospitalised after CEO ‘kept screaming' during meeting
One of the recurring debates on social media has been about the work culture in India. Many professionals have called out toxic bosses and workplaces. A Bengaluru techie, who joined a startup company as a junior data scientist, recently shared harrowing details of 'psychological torture' his boss inflicted on him, making him land in a hospital. In a lengthy Reddit post, the employee shared that he worked at the company for seven months and had to quit after a traumatising episode during a Google Meet with the CEO. He collapsed during the meeting as the CEO kept yelling. ' Survived 7 months of relentless psychological harassment at a Bengaluru startup where the non-tech CEO micromanaged everything, imposed unrealistic deadlines, and yelled constantly. Finally suffered a complete breakdown so severe during a Google Meet that I collapsed breathless and was rushed to hospital. Company and HR continued their vindictive behavior even after I resigned,' the post read. According to the employee, the CEO had no technical background and often set 'unrealistic' deadlines and changed project requirements at whim. 'The CEO – I'll call him Satan himself because that's literally what he felt like – had zero technical background. Yet somehow, this man believed he was some kind of data science mastermind. He'd create these completely unrealistic deadlines from thin air, change project requirements whenever he felt like it, and then lose his complete mind when reality didn't match his delusions,' he wrote. Elaborating on the CEO's 'toxic' behaviour, the employee also claimed that he made him doubt his skills by targeting him professionally and personally. 'For seven consecutive months, I worked 12-14 hour days. Weekends included. I took exactly TWO sick days the entire period. Not once did he acknowledge this commitment. It was always criticism, always fault-finding, always something I was supposedly doing incorrectly,' he shared in the post. After many episodes of 'psychological harassment,' the techie submitted his resignation. However, the torture did not end. The CEO began grilling him during a video call meeting, which caused him a 'high-stress work-induced breakdown.' 'My chest started tightening, I began struggling for air, and I completely collapsed in my chair. Thank God, my mother heard the chaos from the adjacent room and rushed me to the hospital immediately,' the employee shared. See the post here: I had a complete breakdown during a work video call because my CEO kept screaming – still dealing with the trauma byu/energized_maverick inIndianWorkplace The post resonated with several Redditors who extended support to the employee. 'This is literally the most horrible thing I've read recently. Such 'CEOs' deserve to be sued. I have no idea how you managed to put up with this for 7 whole months. More power to you for your healing journey,' a user wrote. 'Good riddance. Hope you have taken a much deserved break. And sooner you should get better teams and environments,' another user commented.
