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An Indian founder who quit Goldman Sachs says one question from a stranger in New York made him realise how differently risk and ambition are viewed
The contrast got people talking. (Image: X/Ishaan @ishaangodhaa)
An Indian founder has sparked a conversation online after sharing how differently people in India and the US reacted when he told them he had quit Goldman Sachs to start his own company.
Ishaan Godha, co-founder of Obvious AI and Clearlyy.io, said the questions he gets in Bengaluru are very different from the ones he recently faced in New York. His post has resonated with many entrepreneurs who say the fear of leaving a stable job is deeply rooted in Indian society.
A Simple Question Surprised Him
Godha recalled a recent meeting with a stranger at a coffee shop in New York City. As he explained what his startup was building, the person interrupted him with a simple question.
“What’s your bottleneck?” the man asked. The founder said the question caught his attention because it focused on the problem he was trying to solve rather than the decision he had made years ago.
According to him, conversations in India usually begin very differently. “In Bangalore, I tell people I left Goldman Sachs to start a company. The first question is always the same: Why would you leave?’” he wrote.
He said people often ask whether he is sure about his choice or whether he has a backup plan. But the stranger in New York skipped all of that and directly wanted to know what challenges his business was facing.
“Not ‘why.’ Not ‘are you sure.’ Not ‘what’s the backup plan,’” he said. Reflecting on the contrast, Godha added, “In my country, leaving a safe job is a family crisis. In this city, it’s the beginning of a conversation.”
bangalore. i tell people i left goldman sachs to start a company.the first question is always the same. “why would you leave?”
new york city. i’m at a coffee shop. a stranger overhears me explaining what we’re building. he stops me and says “what’s your bottleneck?”
not…
— Ishaan (@ishaangodhaa) June 19, 2026
He Reached New York Differently
The post came shortly after Godha shared another reflection about standing outside Goldman Sachs’ New York office. He said that while working at the company’s Bengaluru office four years ago, he used to dream of one day making it to the famous headquarters.
4 years ago | joined Goldman Sachs Bangalore. used to stare at photos of the NYC building.this week I stood outside it. as a founder, not an employee.
pitched a $400M Al company. got offered investment. hiring for US expansion.
all because I took one call. I want to build. pic.twitter.com/uHx17vPIMe
— Ishaan (@ishaangodhaa) June 11, 2026
“Every day I’d think about this building. The New York office. The one you see in movies. I told myself I’d get here someday,” he wrote.
But things did not happen as he had imagined. “Well, here I am. Just not the way I planned.”
Godha said he left Goldman Sachs and built Obvious AI before starting Clearlyy.io. Along the way, he learned lessons beyond corporate life.
“I left Goldman. Started that’s Obvious AI. Then Clearlyy.io. Built a team, learned how to sell, how to hire, how to fire, how to survive months where nothing works,” he wrote.
He also thanked his co-founders, Karan Singh and Utsav Chindalia, for being part of the journey.
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