Krutrim employee dies by suicide amid alleged extreme work stress; company says, 'We granted him leave for rest'

A young employee of Bhavish Aggarwal's AI startup, Krutrim, died by suicide on May 8, triggering serious concerns about alleged toxic work culture and extreme pressure at the company's Bengaluru office. Aggarwal is also the co-founder and chief of Ola Cabs and Ola Electric.

The incident came to light after a Reddit post by an alleged colleague went viral, accusing Krutrim of fostering an environment of "extreme work stress."

The employee, identified as Nikhil Somwanshi, was a graduate of the Indian Institute of Science (IISc) and had joined Krutrim last year as a Machine Learning engineer. According to the post, he had been shouldering the responsibilities of an entire project after two other team members left the company, allegedly leaving him overburdened and unsupported.

"He used to work in Krutrim, and with 2 other guys leading a project(even after being a freshie). The other two guys left the company, so he was cramped up with work of the other two as well," the post read.

The colleague claimed that Nikhil was subjected to sustained verbal harassment and unrealistic expectations. The post specifically named a senior manager 'Rajkiran Panuganti', alleging poor leadership and absenteeism.

"He just attends the calls, bashes people left, right and center and disappears since he lives in US and most workforce is here in Bangalore. The words used in meetings, especially against freshers, its just traumatic."

The colleague also said some remaining team members had expressed fear of facing similar outcomes if they continued under current conditions.

Suicide at OLA Krutrim!!
byu/Kirigawakazuto inIndianWorkplace

Company says he was granted leave for rest

Following the viral post, Krutrim issued a formal statement expressing grief and confirming that Nikhil had been on personal leave for a month prior to the tragedy.

The company said Nikhil first reached out on April 8 asking for rest and was granted time off. His leave was further extended on April 17 after he reportedly said he was still in need of additional rest.

“We are deeply saddened by the tragic passing of one of our most talented young employees, Nikhil, on the 8th of May. Our thoughts and heartfelt sympathies are with his family, friends, and loved ones during this incredibly difficult time. Nikhil was on personal leave at the time of the incident. He had reached out to his manager on the 8th of April, expressing that he needed rest, and was promptly granted personal time off. Later, on the 17th of April, he shared that he was feeling better but would benefit from additional rest, and his leave was extended accordingly. As a company, we are heartbroken by this loss," Krutrim's spokesperson said.

"Nikhil was a valued team member, and his absence will be deeply felt by all who knew and worked with him. We are extending our full support to Nikhil’s family and our employees during this time of grief. We are also in contact with the relevant authorities and will continue to offer our assistance as needed."