Ashneer Grover shares why he quit Ernst & Young in a day despite Rs 1 crore salary

In an old video, Grover shares why he left Ernst & Young (EY) on his very first day despite being offered a Rs 1 crore salary.

In Short

• Old video of BharatPe's Ashneer Grover resurfaces
• Grover left EY on first day despite Rs 1 crore salary
• He described EY employees as 'living corpses'

An old video featuring Ashneer Grover, co-founder of BharatPe, has resurfaced on social media, drawing attention to toxic work environments.

In the video, Grover shares why he left Ernst & Young (EY) on his very first day despite being offered a Rs 1 crore salary.

Grover recalls joining EY with an attractive salary package. However, upon entering the office on his first day, he pretended to have chest pain as an excuse to leave the office and never returned.

Grover explains his decision by saying he found the office atmosphere to be "too dull."

He described the employees as “Zinda lash,” which translates to "living corpses," implying that the energy and enthusiasm he expected were missing.

For him, a lively and sometimes chaotic office environment, where people are fighting to get things done, is essential for productivity.

In the video, Grover even adds, “Jahan pe koi bol raha hai toxic culture hai, bahut sahi office hai” — loosely meaning, "If people say an office has a toxic culture, that's the best kind of office."

According to Grover, in such workplaces, results are achieved, and things move forward.

At that time, Grover's statement on work culture had sparked reactions from several business leaders, including billionaire Harsh Goenka.

Harsh Goenka criticised Grover for promoting a toxic work environment. In his response, he pointed out that encouraging such a culture is harmful and can affect employees' well-being.

Grover's old comments were recirculated on social media at a time when Ernst & Young is facing scrutiny over its work culture, particularly after the tragic death of one of its employees.

The company came under fire when 26-year-old Anna Sebastian Perayil, a chartered accountant from Kerala working at EY's Pune office, died due to what her mother described as “excessive workload.”

Anna's mother, Anita Augustine, wrote an open letter to EY’s India Chairman, Rajiv Memani, blaming the company's work practices for her daughter's death. The letter has since gone viral, highlighting the risks of overworking employees in high-pressure environments.

In her letter, Anita Augustine said that no one from EY attended her daughter's funeral. This revelation has intensified discussions around the perils of corporate hustle culture and raised concerns about the welfare of employees in large organisations