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A startup intern claimed a WhatsApp message asking for a performance-based raise ended with an abrupt exit and an unexpected lecture from the CEO
The aftermath sparked debate. (Representative image)
A post by an intern at an AI startup has sparked discussion about pay negotiations, startup culture, and whether asking for a raise should cost someone their job. The intern claimed she was fired shortly after sending a WhatsApp message requesting a performance-based salary hike.
According to her, the reaction from the startup’s leadership came as a complete shock. What upset many online was that the request reportedly came after months of work that the intern believed had significantly contributed to the company’s growth.
A Raise Request Led To Termination
Sharing her experience on Reddit, the intern wrote, “Fired from my internship over a single WhatsApp Message.” She explained that she had been working at a six-member startup and had spent the past four months handling major technical responsibilities.
According to the post, she had built the company’s Small Language Model (SLM) infrastructure from scratch. The intern also claimed that she had reduced the firm’s inference costs by 95 per cent and helped bring in more than seven clients.
After these contributions, she decided to ask for a raise based on her performance. However, instead of discussing the request, the startup allegedly ended her internship.
“I basically built their entire Small Language Model (SLM) infrastructure from scratch… cut their inference costs by 95%, and even got them 7+ clients,” she wrote.
She added, “They literally fired me for a negotiation text, completely disregarding 4 months of heavy-lifting code when they could have simply said ‘we can only do X amount’ and I would have happily agreed.”
CEO Allegedly Called Her ‘Money-Minded’
According to the intern, the situation escalated further after the company’s CEO spoke to her about the matter. She claimed the CEO spent nearly 30 minutes explaining “startup culture” and criticised her for focusing too much on compensation.
The intern alleged that she was called “money-minded” and was told that her message had “broke the manager’s heart.”
Unwilling to continue in an environment where salary discussions were viewed negatively, she said she had no plans to ask for the role back. Instead, she intends to request her experience certificate and move on.
Reddit Users React
The post attracted strong reactions from other Reddit users, many of whom supported the intern.
A user wrote, “Dude, chill, always set your standards high, don’t let anyone downplay you. If they lost you, it’s their loss. Move forward with your knowledge. Try outside, you still have time and you are young.”
Another commented, “To all people who are working on these shiny new startups. Never ever work for free or without an employment contract. You are being abused.”
A person said, “Just narcissists playing with a student. The kanjoos really do have so much audacity.”
Someone remarked, “CEO gonna call again when he realises he can’t do shit without you.” Responding to this, the original poster wrote, “He is just having FOMO thinking everything can be vibe coded with AI and that will get him funding.”
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