‘Complete breakdown during video call’: Bengaluru man hospitalised after CEO’s brutal outburst
A Bengaluru startup employee experienced severe verbal harassment from the CEO, leading to a panic attack during a video call.
A Bengaluru startup employee claims he had a complete breakdown after a “brutal” verbal attack from the CEO. In a post shared on Reddit, the employee said he faced constant harassment from the CEO during the few months he spent at the company. The harassment ultimately culminated in video call where the CEO kept yelling “louder and louder” until the employee had a panic attack so severe that he had to be rushed to the hospital.
“I had a complete breakdown during a work video call because my CEO kept screaming,” he wrote in his Reddit post.
Psychological harassment at a Bengaluru startup
The employee said he “survived 7 months of relentless psychological harassment at a Bengaluru startup where the non-tech CEO micromanaged everything, imposed unrealistic deadlines, and yelled constantly.”
He explained that in early 2024, he joined a small events discovery startup in Bengaluru. Working as a junior data scientist, he had hoped the job would bring him professional satisfaction. Instead, 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.
According to the harassed employee, this CEO would come up with unrealistic deadlines, change project requirements at whim, and “lose his complete mind when reality didn't match his delusions.”
CEO’s behaviour
“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,” the Reddit user revealed.
“I'm talking about full-scale screaming sessions where he'd destroy me both professionally and personally.”
The employee theorized that he was being targetted due to this quiet nature and thin physique. He further claimed that the CEO bypassed his reporting manager and made him deal directly with him.
However, despite working 12 to 14 hours a day, and even on weekends, he could not please the CEO.
“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.
The breakdown
The employee said that he eventually could not take the harassment any more and submitted his resignation. A week later, during a Google Meet, the CEO started attacking him verbally. It resulted in the employee’s dramatic health scare where he felt breathless and had to be rushed to the hospital.
“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,” he wrote.
Thankfully, his mother heard the commotion and rushed him to the hospital.
The employee ended his Reddit post by saying he shared his experience because he wanted other people who are 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 advised.
