CEO cheers staff for staying after hours to assemble office furniture, calls it ‘culture'. Sparks online outrage
Netizens Aren't Buying the 'Culture' Kool-Aid
MORE STORIES FOR YOU
✕
« Back to recommendation stories
I don't want to see these stories because
They are not relevant to me
They disrupt the reading flow
Others
SUBMIT
A seemingly innocuous LinkedIn post by the co-founder and CEO of a Texas-based construction software startup has stirred up a whirlwind of online debate over work culture, voluntariness, and startup ethics. Sharing a snapshot of his team assembling flat-pack furniture late on a Monday night, the CEO described the moment as 'culture,' accompanied by a picture of employees building desks and shelves after hours. 'Beers and pizza included of course,' he added.The caption read: 'Culture – it means many things to many people. I don't think there's a good definition. But when your US team is at the office on a Monday night after-hours, setting up flat packs so we can move in faster, I'd say culture is pretty good.'While the post might have been intended as a cheerful nod to team bonding, it took an unexpected turn after a screenshot was shared on Reddit's forum r/LinkedInLunatics with the biting headline:'Culture is pretty good if people are doing unpaid manual labour.'The sarcastic caption read: 'Beers and pizza definitely makes up for staying after hours and doing manual labour.'The post triggered a flood of criticism from users, questioning whether employees were truly volunteering — or subtly coerced.'If it's not during paid hours, it's not culture. It's unpaid labor,' one Reddit user wrote bluntly. Another added, 'A real company pays a handyman or two to put together the office furniture. They're probably 'pre-revenue'.'Some pointed out the deeper concern — the blurred line between startup enthusiasm and exploitation. One user noted: 'Only makes sense as a founder or similar level of ownership. Otherwise, it's a cult working for free so the owners can get rich faster.'Others, however, argued that not every instance of after-hours work amounts to toxicity. 'I did this for a company I loved working for,' shared one Redditor. 'It was all voluntary and the dinner wasn't beer and pizza — it was a top-notch thank-you meal. I didn't feel taken advantage of.'In the startup world, 'culture' is often worn as a badge of pride — a sign of camaraderie, hustle, and going the extra mile. But as this episode shows, not everyone interprets it the same way. What one founder may call team spirit, others may see as unpaid labour under the guise of belonging.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
&w=3840&q=100)
Business Standard
26 minutes ago
- Business Standard
IHH inks Fortis-Gleneagles O&M deal to strengthen pan-India platform
Under the agreement, Fortis will manage operations of six Gleneagles hospitals and one clinic, earning a monthly fee and expanding its bed capacity and national presence Sanket Koul New Delhi In a bid to consolidate its healthcare presence in India, Malaysian healthcare major IHH on Wednesday announced an operation and maintenance (O&M) services agreement between its two subsidiary companies—Fortis Healthcare and Gleneagles Healthcare India (GHIPL). As part of the agreement, Fortis will manage the operations of five out of the six hospitals and one clinic under the Gleneagles India network. The agreement will become effective for the sixth hospital—Gleneagles BGS Hospital in Karnataka—upon receipt of acceptance and acknowledgment from certain third parties. The move expands Fortis' geographic footprint by increasing beds under its management, and provides incremental revenue and improves profitability through direct service fees. As part of the deal, Fortis will be entitled to receive a monthly service fee at the rate of 3 per cent of the net revenue of GHIPL's hospitals business on a consolidated basis, which stood at Rs 718.5 crore as of March 31, 2025. Fortis' consolidated revenue stood at Rs 7,783 crore for the full financial year 2024–25 (FY25), of which Rs 6,528 crore came from its hospital business. The healthcare major currently has 4,750 operational beds, including O&M beds, in 27 facilities. It recorded 69 per cent bed occupancy, generating an average revenue of Rs 2.42 crore per occupied bed in FY25. The Delhi-based chain, however, added that the arrangement with Gleneagles is being done on an arm's length basis, as determined by an independent financial adviser. 'The arrangement does not entail any acquisition and is only for the provision of O&M services,' Fortis said in a regulatory filing on the exchanges. The filing also stated that GHIPL shall bear all third-party and out-of-pocket expenses incurred by Fortis, in the manner laid down in the definitive documents. Commenting on the deal, Prem Kumar Nair, group chief executive officer of IHH, said the O&M services agreement reflects the company's commitment to long-term growth in one of its most important markets. He added that this is being done by deepening collaboration to enhance patient care and outcomes and drive greater operational efficiencies.
&w=3840&q=100)
Business Standard
26 minutes ago
- Business Standard
Dr Reddy's Q1 profit up 1% to ₹1,410 crore, revenue rises to ₹8,545 cr
The Hyderabad-based drug major reported a net profit of ₹1,392 crore in the year-ago period Press Trust of India New Delhi
Time of India
26 minutes ago
- Time of India
India's top LNG importer Petronet seeks $1.4 bn local loan
Petronet LNG is seeking a ₹120 billion ($1.4 billion) loan to fund a petrochemical plant in Dahej and an LNG terminal in Gopalpur. SBI Capital Markets is advising the deal, with Axis Bank, SBI, and Union Bank likely participants. If approved, it would be among India's biggest rupee loans this year, diversifying Petronet's earnings beyond LNG. Tired of too many ads? Remove Ads Tired of too many ads? Remove Ads India's largest importer of natural gas Petronet LNG Ltd. is seeking a loan of at least 120 billion rupees ($1.4 billion) for a new petrochemical plant and an LNG terminal , according to people familiar with the lenders including Axis Bank State Bank of India and Union Bank of India are considering to join the facility, which is among the company's largest fundraising exercises, said the people, who asked not to be identified discussing private matters. The borrower is seeking bids from banks in groups or individually, they said, adding that SBI Capital Markets has been appointed as adviser for the facility for triple-A rated Petronet comes at a period of muted activity for India's loans space, where bank lending grew 9.5% as of June 27, the lowest growth rate since March 2022, according to the latest data from the Reserve Bank of India. If the financing goes through, it would be one of the biggest local currency loans for the country this year, according to Bloomberg-compiled for Axis Bank , Petronet, SBI, SBI Capital Markets and Union Bank of India didn't immediately reply to emails from Bloomberg News seeking from the loan will partially fund the construction of a new petrochemical complex in Dahej, located in the southwest coast of Gujarat in India, the people said, adding that it will help diversify the company's earnings beyond the LNG space. The project is estimated to cost 206.85 billion rupees, according to the company's New Delhi-based firm is also setting up a separate five million tons land-based LNG import terminal at Gopalpur, located on the east coast in latest loan could carry a tenor of more than 10 years, the people said. The pricing could be lower than SBI's one-month marginal cost of funds based lending rate of 7.95% currently, a benchmark gauge of local currency borrowings, two of the people said.
