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Despite the employee offering to manage things remotely, Rana’s decision to fire him immediately caused a stir on LinkedIn
News18
A single WhatsApp message and a three-word reply — “You’re fired” — sent India’s startup ecosystem into a tailspin. Nikhil Rana, founder of Gurgaon-based startup The 15, is the man at the eye of the storm after he shared a screenshot of himself firing an employee in real time.
Trigger? The employee messaged Rana saying they couldn’t attend the event but offered remote support. Rana’s response was quick and definitive, and has since ignited a fierce debate on LinkedIn about the “entrepreneurial culture” of Indian startups.
Defending his decision, Rana claimed that startups have no room for anything less than absolute reliability. In his post, he outlined a hard-hitting statement of what he believes startup hiring should look like: “Startups need: People who take ownership. People who founders can count on. People with high agency. People who don’t wait for the perfect time and situation. People who can ‘make it happen.'” Rana wrote.
He also described the traditional notice period as a “farce” and a “waste of time”, calling for a “no notice period policy” that would allow for immediate exit. While Rana framed the move as bold leadership, the professional community on LinkedIn was quick to describe it as something far more damaging.
One person wrote that the idea of continuous availability is the new standard for excellence. “Why bother building experience when you can just be on call 24/7, change shape at each founder’s whim, and call it dedication? Obviously the real standard now is how well you can function as a machine, but guess what – the only thing designed for non-stop availability is AI, not people.”
Others pointed out that the burden of “ownership” fell squarely on the employee: “Accountability seems like a one-way movement here. Employees are judged, founders are vindicated.”
More importantly, one LinkedIn user reminded the founder that life happens outside of “startup work.” “Nikhil Rana Sometimes, the right people have emergencies they need to take care of — for themselves and for others. Not everyone wants to tell their boss about their spouse’s sudden pain due to a medical diagnosis.”
As expected, many people also saw the flop as a “marketing gimmick.” “This is not ‘high-level leadership’, it’s just toxic glorification. Being fired without notice for a missed event is not ownership, it is poor management and disrespect for people. Strong teams are not built on fear or rash decisions; they are built on trust, clarity and accountability on both sides.”
Some looked at the numbers wondering how this policy would affect the company’s growth:
“You didn’t hire well or you only hired because you wanted to. Every fire will kill the speed if necessary person.”
“Is this why there are only two people listed in your company?”
However, there were some voices in the comments who urged a more balanced view, and questioned whether there was more to the story than just one text. “There’s a lot of context missing here. What was the event, did he do poorly overall, was his job related to the duties at the event, etc.? I’m okay with converting your skill points into merchandise, property, etc. But without enough context, it doesn’t make sense.”
09 April 2026, 10:00 PM IST
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