Unacademy founder Gaurav Munjal was left questioning his career choices on Tuesday as many heaped criticism on Indian startups. Union Minister Piyush Goyal had initiated the discussion over the weekend after contending that such organisations were busy “creating cheap labour” to improve the lives of the rich.
First Comedians, now Startups. We should all have stuck to being Doctors and Engineers,” Munjal lamented in a social media post.
Several Indian founders issued rebuttals this week following the critique of homegrown startups. Goyal had also contrasted the Indian trajectory against neighbouring China during his address in Delhi.
“We are making food/hyper delivery apps; creating cheap labour so the rich can have a meal without stepping out, while the Chinese are working on AI (artificial intelligence), EVs (electric vehicles), and semiconductors. Should we make ice cream (delivery apps) or make chips (i.e., semiconductors)? Dukandari ka hi kaam karna hai ya vishwavyapi aur international scale par Bharat ki pehchaan banani hai?” the Union Minister had asked.
The Unacademy founder had previously made waves in February after criticising ‘cancel culture’ amid the India’s Got Latent controversy. Comedian Ranveer Allahbadia had sparked outrage last month after an inappropriate remark made during an episode of the web show went viral. The incident has since sparked a legal battle against the show and its contributors — with creator Samay Raina eventually opting to shut it down and delete all episodes.
“Let’s ban Game of Thrones, Succession, Sacred Games, Black Warrant and other Shows like these as well while we are at it. They are also available for access easily behind a Paywall,” Munjal had jibed in response to the debate last month.