Bengaluru founder responds to backlash over ‘unpaid’ job ad: ‘Meant to assess skills…’
Sridhar A, founder of 16VC, faced backlash for advertising unpaid roles on LinkedIn.
The Bengaluru-based founder of asset management firm 16VC has come under fire for advertising unpaid jobs on LinkedIn. Sridhar Arunagiri took to LinkedIn last week to share vacancies for four roles within his company. Sridhar made it clear that 16VC would only hire a “top performer” who would be expected to work out of their Bengaluru office, with no remote or hybrid flexibility.
And then came the stinger - “this is an unpaid role until you match all the checklist,” wrote Sridhar.
Sridhar told HT.com in an emailed statement that the position is a paid one, with an “unpaid” period during which skills of the candidate will be assessed.
The job post
His post made it clear that candidates selected for the roles of product manager, software engineer, UX developer, and growth marketer would have to fulfil an extensive list of requirements before they could get paid. Then, too, the first month on the job would be unpaid.
“We're not hiring anyone just because they have the right skills on paper or some outdated projects. come join us, prove what you can do in a real environment, and from the next month, we'll make it paid,” wrote Sridhar. His post has triggered backlash at a time when conversations around work-life balance are happening across the country.
You can take a look at the post here.
In his post, the Bengaluru-based founder wrote “This is not a 9-to-5” - indicating that employees would be expected to work long hours. “This is a high-speed, high-impact opportunity for those who want to build something massive,” he added.
The clarification
“The job posting was structured to filter applications effectively. Today, any job post attracts thousands of applications, making it difficult to identify the right candidates efficiently. My approach was intended to streamline the process and ensure that only genuinely interested and highly motivated candidates applied,” Sridhar A told HT.com over an email.
"I also want to emphasize that this is a paid role. The mention of an unpaid period was meant to assess skills before onboarding a candidate into a full-time, compensated position. My plan was always to follow up with a post after hiring someone to confirm that it is a paid role.
“The interview process is still ongoing, and I will be updating the post accordingly once the selection is completed,” he added.
The backlash
Sridhar’s post was widely criticised not just on LinkedIn but also X and Reddit.
“Post keeps getting worse with every line,” wrote one X user. Another called it “Labour exploitation wrapped into motivational trash.”
Several people pointed out the contradiction in his LinkedIn post, where on the one hand he said that his company would rather pay above market rate for a top performer, and on the other hand called it an unpaid role.
Some even doubted the authenticity of not just his post but the company as a whole. In fact, a quick Google search for “16VC” reveals that dozens of people have accused the firm of defrauding them with fake job offers.
The LinkedIn post also reached the popular ‘LinkedIn Lunatics’ forum on Reddit, where reactions were similarly negative.
