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Truth behind the viral ₹5,000 stipend row: Intern opens up about his journey, defends founder
"I reached out first," 21-year-old Ritesh tells HT.com, slamming exploitation claims after his ₹5,000 stipend sparked a viral social media debate.
Ritesh, a final-year B.Tech student, recently became the centre of a viral debate after Matiks co-founder Sudhanshu Bhatia tweeted about hiring him on a ₹5,000 stipend. Critics quickly labelled the move as "exploitation," but in a conversation with HT.com, Ritesh clarified that the decision was entirely his. Having previously earned ₹25,000 elsewhere, he explained why he chose mentorship over money and what it’s really like to build a startup from the ground up in Bengaluru.
The 21-year-old hails from Darbhanga, a city in Bihar. He told HT.com, “I’m just a student who happened to join a small startup early and stayed because I believed in what we were building.”
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He explained, “Growing up, I didn’t have a lot of exposure to the startup ecosystem or tech founders. Most of what I learned about building products, startups, and open source came from the internet.”
The “internet-famous intern” who is set to graduate this year was the one who first approached Matiks’ team. “When I first connected with the Matiks team, I was actually in my 2nd year of college, which is why a lot of this journey started very early in my career.” He added, “Before Matiks, I was interning at a company where I was earning around ₹25k/month. I had already spent 2 years doing internships across different companies before joining Matiks, so I wasn’t completely new to the industry.”
Why Matiks?
“I came across Matiks online and really liked the idea of what they were building. At that time I didn’t even apply for a formal internship. I actually asked them if I could contribute as an open-source contributor because I wanted to learn and be part of the project,” Ritesh answered when asked why this particular startup.
He further elaborated on what made him join the team. “Two things. First, learning opportunity. The founders were IIT graduates working in MNCs, and for a student in his second year that was honestly a big ‘wow’ moment. Second, ownership. In most internships you work on small tasks. Here I could actually build real product features, ship code, and see users interact with it. That kind of exposure is very rare early in your career.”
How was it to relocate to Bengaluru?
Ritesh recalls it was a “big step”. He decided to follow the founders of Matiks when they decided to relocate to Bengaluru.
“It wasn’t a luxury move. It was more like a small group of people trying to build something from scratch. But Bengaluru has a special energy. You’re surrounded by builders, startups, and people chasing ideas. That environment alone teaches you a lot.”
Recalling his early days of internship, he told HT.com, “The early days were intense. We were working 7 days a week sometimes, mostly because we were excited and there was so much to build. I still remember one time when the founders told me to take Sundays off, and I genuinely said: ‘What would I even do?’ At that stage, learning and building was more exciting than taking a break. Professionally it was a crash course in real engineering and startup life.”
For him, it personally felt like “being part of a small team trying to solve hard problems together”.
Success in a new venture rarely comes without hurdles, and Ritesh’s journey was no exception. He told HT.com that the biggest challenge he faced in his new role was "startup speed.”
He explained, “In startups there is no hand-holding. You have to: figure things out yourself, debug production issues, ship quickly, learn new technologies constantly. For a student, that can be overwhelming at times. But it’s also the fastest way to grow.”
What is the best thing that came out of this internship?
When asked about the most rewarding aspect of his experience, Ritesh pointed to one key factor: “Ownership.”
“Not just writing code, but actually building something from the ground up. Working closely with founders also teaches you things that aren’t taught anywhere: product thinking, decision making, responsibility, how startups actually operate. Those lessons are worth a lot early in your career.”
How is his relationship with the founders?
When asked about his relations with the founders and other team members, the intern revealed, “The team is small and close-knit. There are a few core members plus the founders, and because the team is small, everyone works very closely together. Over time, the relationship became less like a formal intern-manager structure and more like mentorship and collaboration.”
He told HT.com, “Personally, I also see the founders as mentors and older brothers who pushed me to grow technically and professionally.”
Is the controversy justified?
“I think the tweet was meant to appreciate the team, not create controversy. But on the internet, people often see only one number — the stipend — and immediately jump to conclusions. The full context of how I joined, why I stayed, and what I’ve gained often gets lost in those conversations,” Ritesh shared.
He added, “I understand where those concerns come from. There are cases where interns are treated unfairly in the industry. But in my case, this was my decision. No one forced me to join. In fact, I reached out first. Early in your career, sometimes learning, mentorship, and ownership can be more valuable than maximising salary immediately. Different people choose different paths. This one worked for me.”
How much is he earning now?
Though reluctant to reveal his current stipend or earnings, Ritesh told HT.com, “I’d prefer not to disclose the exact number publicly. But it’s significantly different from the early days, which is natural as the company has grown and so has my role."
