Bengaluru: Young developer’s abrupt termination highlights workplace challenges in startups

A young software developer in Bengaluru was abruptly dismissed from his first full-time job after just 2.5 months, raising concerns about workplace practices in startup environments. Hired as a frontend developer with six months of internship experience, he quickly found himself handling unexpected backend tasks, despite having no prior experience in the field.

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Sharing his ordeal on Reddit’s "DevelopersIndia" forum, the developer described being assigned a backend-heavy project within his first week, accounting for 70% of his tasks. Despite his willingness to learn, the workload proved overwhelming. "I conveyed every problem I faced in the project’s Slack channel," he said, but responses from team members were inconsistent, with pull request reviews taking several days, further disrupting progress.

The termination came without warning via a text message from a board member, leaving the developer feeling "confused and defeated." He expressed frustration at not being given an opportunity to explain his side, questioning whether he was set up for failure by being assigned tasks beyond his expertise.

The incident sparked online sympathy, with commenters criticizing the startup for poor management and unrealistic expectations. Some noted the broader issue of freshers being overburdened in cost-cutting measures by startups. Supportive voices encouraged the developer to view the setback as a learning experience, emphasizing the chaotic nature of startup work environments.