Shantanu Deshpande, Founder and CEO of Bombay Shaving Company, has stirred debate on LinkedIn with a pointed critique of influencers stepping into the world of entrepreneurship. In a strongly worded post, Deshpande argued that most influencers are ill-suited to be startup founders, citing their addiction to instant gratification and lack of long-term vision.
“Influencers by nature of work are driven by instant gratification. Views, engagement, popularity. Today. This instant,” he wrote, adding that their focus on social media metrics makes them “slaves of distribution.”
Contrasting this with the mindset required to build lasting businesses, Deshpande said, “Founders (at least good ones building anything meaningful) realise this is a game of decades. They cannot afford to get distracted by the here and now tomfoolery of social media.”
He questioned the sustainability of influencer-led businesses, especially those inspired by Western success stories. “They’ve been taken for a ride by Mr Beast, Logan Paul and Kylie Jenner-type aberrations from the West which pump false printed dollar-value into non-COGS elements of businesses,” he said, referencing commentary from brand strategist Adheet Gogate.
Deshpande also predicted a reality check for influencer-led ventures, pointing to emerging market dynamics. “All of this will be shaken down by China as we’re already seeing,” he added, though he did not specify which examples or markets he was referring to.
His post ended with advice to influencers seeking to become entrepreneurs: “Find operators, structure equity that reflects fair value added, and see if that works.”
While Deshpande’s comments sparked both support and criticism online, they have reignited conversations around the viability of influencer-backed startups—especially in an era where social media fame is increasingly equated with business acumen.