Intern And Startup Founder Spar On Twitter Over Payments

Twitter bore witness to some intense workplace disagreement between an intern at Soshals, Wasim Raja, and the startup founder Kritarth Mittal. Raja accused the founder of exploiting his work and withholding his stipend. In a detailed Twitter thread, Raja alleged that Mittal burdened him with unrealistic expectations, pressured him for constant updates even during his time off, assigned an excessive workload, and ultimately refused to pay him. According to Raja, his association with Soshals began when Mittal reached out to him on Twitter about a front-end development opportunity. Raja stated, “I informed him about my ongoing notice period, and being a final semester student, I could only commit to part-time work with a minimum stipend of 10k.”

According to Raja, Mittal agreed to a two-month part-time internship to assess his performance and commitment before considering a full-time role, without mentioning any bonds or notice period. Raja claimed that Mittal asked him to build a website for Soshals as a hiring task but later revealed that it would be launched within a week. Despite Raja’s concerns, Mittal dismissed them as miscommunication. Raja worked tirelessly on the website, accommodating numerous design changes and facing unrealistic deadlines.

As Raja’s final end-semester exams began, he informed the management that he would not be available 24/7 but would try to accommodate requests. However, Mittal allegedly continued to pressure Raja for updates and set unreasonably high expectations. “Finally, after a month of enduring unrealistic expectations and struggling to balance my full-time job, I made the difficult decision to quit. Unfortunately, the founder refused to provide any stipend, claiming I hadn’t met his deadlines, which he attributed to his own losses,” he wrote.

Meanwhile, Kritarth Mittal countered the accusations, claiming that Raja took 18 days to complete a task that he estimated would take only 7 hours. Mittal also accused Raja of skipping calls, being unreachable, and quitting without prior notice. Mittal’s tweet read, “He constantly set wrong expectations and then ended up blaming me for his exhaustion. He even asked for days off (within a week of joining, without delivering anything) I was constantly disappointed and concerned but do you know how I tackled the situation?”

Mittal responded to Raja’s allegations, calling him a “bad hiring decision” and sharing screenshots to support his version of events. Mittal claimed that Raja took significantly longer to complete tasks and often set wrong expectations. He justified withholding Raja’s stipend based on his perceived lack of delivery and failure to abide by timelines. The startup founder also went on to write, “What do you think? How could I have handled this any better? Screenshots are a proof of how I treat my team, how considerate I am. Can I still improve? Should I even consider paying him after this public feud? I am willing to hear. Do suggest. Thank you.”

Social media users shared their own thoughts and opinions on the matter. Most people advised Mittal to have some tests laid out for people joining the team. Others remarked that the entire agreement between both parties should have been in writing. “Seeing both sides, I felt the biggest mistake was not getting anything in writing. Plenty of freelance contract templates out there. IMO, the 7-hour commitment with pixel perfection was a red flag. Unrealistic timelines like that would’ve made me uncomfortable,” wrote a user.

Another user wrote, “I can relate totally! There are times when passion takes precedence over reality and we often mistake our team to be as invested in the mission! But it’s learning for all! In the end, your work, vision, and karma always make you thrive!”

A tweet read, “Learning: Always have a trial run before getting someone on board. One of my best clients had me on a 2 week paid trial before signing with me”

What are your thoughts on this feud that unfolded on the microblogging platform?