Krittika Marwaha, founder of a Gurugram-based creative agency, has gone viral on LinkedIn after admitting that the hustle of “founder-giri” almost turned her into the kind of boss she never wanted to be. In a now-deleted but widely discussed post, Marwaha shared how a colleague’s refusal to take a 9 pm work call jolted her into realising the dangers of relentless startup culture.
“You sign up to give it your all – weekends, sleep, family time, because the vision is yours. And somewhere along the way, you start expecting everyone else to burn at the same intensity,” she wrote.
She recently received a WhatsApp message from a team member who politely declined the late-night call, citing dinner prep, helping her son with exam revision and managing household chores – all on top of patchy internet.
Krittika Marwaha LinkedIn post
“I was so caught up in my own urgency that I failed to see her reality,” Marwaha confessed. “That message made me realise I was becoming the kind of person I wasn’t ready to be known as.”
She noted how the advertising industry’s culture rewards “speed over sensitivity, for every brief, every day.”
Marwaha further said, “The truth is: I signed up to give it everything. That’s my choice. But when someone else decides to give a piece of themselves to your dream, that’s a privilege. That’s a responsibility you carry back as a leader.”
Her words struck a chord across LinkedIn, with professionals praising her honesty. “I wish there were more founders and leaders like you who recognise these facts and support their team with sincerity,” one comment read.
Entrepreneur Nakul Saini added, “Your post is so honest and reflective. It’s easy to get caught up in our vision and forget our team’s reality. Your words are a reminder that leadership is not just about results, but empathy.”