Founder proves employee who left saying ‘company won’t survive for long’ wrong: ‘We grew 3X last year’

A social media post by startup founder Karthick Raajha has triggered a wider conversation about how much risk employees should share with founders, and where professional loyalty should lie. In his LinkedIn post, Raajha described how a senior employee chose to leave after receiving a 100% salary hike from another company. He said he attempted to retain her by matching the offer, even though it was financially difficult at the time.

“One of my senior staff quit. She got a 100% hike from a funded company. After consulting with some of my friends, I decided to retain her with matching the salary. We were not big but we were profitable,” founder and CEO Karthick Raajha recalled.

He admitted that offering such a steep raise was challenging, noting that giving out “100% hikes was next to impossible at that stage”. Despite this, the company went ahead with the offer. He added, “This person also was the highest paid around that time. She didn’t accept the new offer.”

Concerns over company’s future

According to Raajha, the employee declined the revised offer due to concerns about the firm’s financial stability. He claimed she told HR that the “company won’t survive for long”.

Founder highlights growth journey

Raajha said the company has since proved those concerns wrong, reporting strong growth in the past year. He credited the progress largely to the determination of the founding team.

“However smart you are, you don’t or won’t understand a few things in business. It’s not the cash flow, pipeline, revenue, or leads; it’s the founder who makes it work for the initial few years. We grew 3X last year. We are on track to 5X this year. Thanks to people who never trusted me, you make me.”

Online reactions divided

The post drew mixed responses online, with some users criticising the tone and others supporting the founder’s perspective.

One user wrote, “It's great to speak about the growth journey, but it does not mean belittling folks who were not part of the continued journey. Again, as a founder, we all know the risks of running an entrepreneurial venture. Milestone celebrations are great, but this does not need a chest-thumping exercise, especially at the cost of belittling someone else.”

Another commented, “She was looking out for herself, and I don’t think she should be put down for that. Employees would never have the same conviction in the business as the founder, and that’s expected and should be accepted.”

Responding to the criticism, Raajha said, “When did I put her down? The whole point of this is not someone leaving. Please read the post again.”

Others took a more balanced view. One person said, “She didn't see your vision and that's where the gap is. The employee and employer need to share this in some cases, especially long-term.” Another added, “Founders take risks. Employees manage risks. Both are doing their job.”

About the founder

According to his LinkedIn profile, Raajha completed his MBA from Anna University in Chennai and began his career as a practice marketing analyst. He later founded his startup, Revv Growth, in 2023, where he currently serves as CEO.

(Disclaimer: This report is based on user-generated content from social media. Livemint has not independently verified the claims and does not endorse them.)