‘Toxic’ work culture at Ola? ‘We're not here to have nice easy time’, says CEO

Several current and former employees have accused co-founder and CEO Bhavish Aggarwal of tearing up presentations, and calling staffers ‘useless’.

Ola is not here for people to have a ‘nice easy time,’ said co-founder and chief executive officer (CEO) Bhavish Aggarwal, amid reports of a ‘hostile' work culture in the company.

Ola CEO Bhavish Aggarwal (Bloomberg/File Photo)

“We're a very hardworking company…we're not here to build a me-too product or company. We're not here to have a nice easy time, obviously, all those things will happen. But we will follow our dreams, as well as our mission,” said Aggarwal, according to HT's sister website Mint. The CEO was addressing an event in Bengaluru – where Ola is headquartered – on Saturday.

Aggarwal added Ola is for ‘aspirational’ and ‘ambitious’ people, and for those who want to leave behind a legacy by being a part of the electric vehicle revolution in the country.

Alleged ‘hostile' work culture at Ola

Recently, Bloomberg reported, quoting several current and former Ola employees, that Aggarwal ‘ripped up’ presentations due to a missing page number, directed Punjabi epithet at staffers, and called the team ‘useless.’

When questioned about his management style, the CEO remarked not everybody is fit for the company' culture, the respondents – who chose to stay anonymous fearing reprisals – claimed.

So ‘toxic’ was the situation that several executives chose not to join Ola despite formally accepting employment offers, they further alleged.