A Bengaluru-based startup founder is facing heavy online backlash after revealing that he fired an engineer just weeks after hiring him and used artificial intelligence tools to rebuild the product workload.
Jeevanth Ramamurthy, founder of Pitchline, shared the incident on LinkedIn, stating that he let go of a developer four weeks after onboarding him.
According to Ramamurthy, the engineer had two years of experience and was hired full-time. He said concerns grew over the pace of progress after the employee cited a messy codebase as the reason for delays.
AI tool used as performance benchmark
The founder claimed he then subscribed to an AI coding tool and rebuilt much of the product in four days despite having no engineering background.
He said this led him to question the developer’s output. Ramamurthy added that he later asked the employee to match at least half of his speed using the same AI-assisted setup.
He alleged that while some progress was shown initially, the developer later failed to complete assigned tasks.
Social media questions leadership style
The LinkedIn post quickly went viral, with many users criticising the founder’s management approach and public handling of an internal employment matter.
Several commenters argued that software development involves more than speed, including security, debugging, scalability, testing and long-term maintenance.
Others warned that overdependence on AI-generated code without technical oversight could create future problems for startups.
Debate on AI and workplace expectations
The episode has sparked wider discussion about the growing use of AI tools in startups and whether such tools should be used to judge employee performance.
Industry observers noted that while AI can improve productivity, comparing short-term outputs with professional engineering responsibilities may not always reflect the full picture.
The controversy also underlines changing workplace expectations as founders increasingly turn to automation while balancing limited budgets.