New Delhi : Ola’s artificial intelligence unit Krutrim has been facing massive backlash after a social media post claimed that one of its employees, Nikhil Somwanshi, died by suicide due to ‘toxic culture’ and extreme work pressure. “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,” Ola Krutim said.
The company further said that Nikhil had informed his manager that he needed a rest for some days and was on personal leave at the time of the incident. “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,” the statement read.
As per his LinkedIn profile, he joined Krutrim as a Machine Learning Engineer in August last year. “As a company, we are heartbroken by this loss. 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,” the company said in the statement.
His tragic death came to light when an anonymous Reddit user called the company’s work environment “traumatic,” especially for newcomers. It further alleged that Nikhil’s manager “attends the calls, bashes people left, right and center and disappears” since he lives in the US and most of the workforce is here in Bangalore.
