The Enshittification of American Power
Nikhil Somwanshi was a 24-year-old machine-learning engineer in southeast Bengaluru who earned $41,000 US per year—nearly 10 times what his family was able to earn farming. Somwanshi, under heavy pressure to work more and more hours under the constant threat of AI-induced layoffs, took his own life in May, 2025. As Parth MN reports for _Rest of World_ , Indian tech employees like Somwanshi, with worries about layoffs and facing demands for unpaid overtime, are burning out, giving up hope, and turning to suicide.
> Founded by Bhavish Aggarwal, one of India’s top entrepreneurs, Krutrim was positioned as India’s answer to ChatGPT. Aggarwal has pushed an intense work ethic within the company. He derided work-life balance as “a Western cultural import” and advocated for a 70-hour workweek. “I have a strong belief that one generation will have to do _tapasya_ [penance],” he has said, “so that we can build the number one country in the world.”
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> Krutrim has been criticized for its work culture, with one Indian outlet describing it as “toxic, unsustainable and mentally draining.” Last year, a 38-year-old engineer at Ola Electric, another of Aggarwal’s startups, reportedly wrote a 28-page note in which he blamed his seniors for harassment and withholding his salary. Then he consumed poison, and died by suicide. The man’s family filed a police complaint against Aggarwal and another senior executive.
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Death of an Indian Tech Worker "A wave of suicides and widespread AI-fueled layoffs reveal a workforce under extreme pressure." Nikhil Somwanshi was a 24-year-old machine-learning engineer ...
#Editor's #Pick #India #Parth #MN #Rest #of #World #suicide #tech #tech
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