What drives an intern to move cities and work weekends for a fraction of their market value? According to a co-founder of Matiks, the opportunity for his star intern, Ritesh, was to learn. In a candid post on X, the founder detailed how Ritesh left his ₹25,000 internship and followed the founding team to Bengaluru on a ₹5,000 stipend just as they were starting out. While the post celebrates Ritesh’s grit, it has also reignited conversations about the intense expectations of early-stage startup life.
“Everyone talks about founders, nobody talks about the team. So here I am talking about the people who build Matiks,” co-founder Sudhanshu Bhatia wrote on X and LinkedIn. He added, “First up, Ritesh. He was a 3rd year student interning somewhere for ₹25k, we offered ₹5k, he still joined.”
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Bhatia explained, “Not for money but for learning. Said working closely with IIT grads would teach him more. Joined in September'24, the same month we had all quit our jobs, we moved to Bangalore in October. He came too, on that stipend. We were working 7 days a week then.”
The co-founder recalled how the intern even refused to take Sundays off. “Told him to take Sundays off and he said, ‘What would I even do?’ Over time he’s become like a younger brother. Still an intern, graduating this year but I'll bet ₹5L he’s better than most engineers with 5 years of experience in Bangalore.”
{{/usCountry}}The co-founder recalled how the intern even refused to take Sundays off. “Told him to take Sundays off and he said, ‘What would I even do?’ Over time he’s become like a younger brother. Still an intern, graduating this year but I'll bet ₹5L he’s better than most engineers with 5 years of experience in Bangalore.”
{{/usCountry}}He completed the post with a picture of Ritesh Shandilya. The intern’s X profile suggests that he hails from Bihar.
How did social media react?
The post sparked a polarised debate on social media. While many praised Ritesh’s decision to prioritise mentorship over a paycheck and commended Bhatia for acknowledging his team, others criticised the narrative, calling it a prime example of the "exploitation" often found in startup hustle culture.
An individual wrote, “People often tend to forget it's the journey and the environment that makes you grow and learn rather than fancy tags.”
Another added, “You should give him a bonus and retrospectively cover all the living expenses since Oct' 24. I don't think anyone can survive on ₹5k in Bengaluru; he must have spent money out of his pocket.”
A third expressed, “Are you proud of this?” A fourth commented, “This is the kind of story people don’t see behind startups. Respect for Ritesh’s dedication — learning mindset beats everything.”