Back'To those who called me slave owner...,' Shantanu Deshpande quits LinkedIn with apology and defence
Shantanu Deshpande has shared a video of an interview given to a TV channel on LinkedIn and wrote, ‘This is my last post on LinkedIn. Been a good ride’
PremiumShantanu Deshpande, CEO of Bombay Shaving Company, who has sparked quite a furore with a post advising youngsters to work 18 hours a day in the formative years of their career, has apologized to people who disagreed with him.
Deshpande has shared a video of an interview given to a TV channel on LinkedIn and wrote, "This is my last post on LinkedIn. Been a good ride".
He also apologized for hurting the sentiments of people through his previous LinkedIn post. "I did not mean to put in 18 hours every day. My exaggeration to make a point was taken out of context. I just meant to give it my all," Deshpande said in the interview.
He went on to call out the hate he received after his comments to say, “To those who sent nasty 'your son is a slave owner' messages to my parents and thousands like those - You won."
Also Read: 18-hour work debate: Why Shantanu Deshpande's LinkedIn post is the brutal truth
In a TV interview, Shantanu Deshpande said, "I apologize to people for whom the post may have hurt sentiments or come across without context or without nuance that I now recognize was a need".
However, after regretting not being very nuanced in his argument Deshpande said, "In any field or pursuit which a human being takes, it could be art, sports, business, new job, whatever it is...the only variable you can control is your hard work. You cannot control how much money you are bonded with, you cannot control how much God-given talent you have, and you cannot control the way you are born in a city or a village. You can only control your hard work".
According to the CEO, between 22 and 27 years of age, an individual is "maximum on opportunity and minimum on liability". But from 28 onwards, marriage, kids, and other things get added.
"22-27 you are maximum on opportunity and minimum on liability. From 27-28 onwards, you start getting married, your parents get older, and you start having liability. 22-28 is that window where you can give it your all and build significant muscle," Shantanu Deshpande said.
He appealed to youngsters not to be "unfair to aspirations at that age (22-27). You can maximize your potential because you don't have any other obligation," the CEO said.
On toxic work culture, Deshpande advised youngsters to leave the company and look for other opportunities. He said, "If you are in a place where you are not learning or you are not feeling inspired or you are not having fun then you are in the wrong place. Change your work environment".
A few days ago Deshpande received a barrage of criticism as he suggested that new recruits at any job work 18 hours a day for the first four to five years of their career.
He asked youngsters to "worship" work and avoid "rona-dhona (cribbing)" in an online post.
Milestone Alert!Livemint tops charts as the fastest growing news website in the world 🌏 Click here to know more.
