Ashneer Grover Reveals Why He Walked Out Of Rs 1 Crore EY Job On Day One; Harsh Goenka Reacts

Following the tragic death of 26-year-old Ernst & Young (EY) employee Anna Sebastian Perayil, allegedly due to "overwork," an old video of BharatPe co-founder Ashneer Grover has resurfaced on social media, stirring further discussions about toxic work cultures.

In the video, Grover shares his personal experience with EY, explaining why he quit the company on his very first day despite receiving a Rs 1 crore salary package.

"I walked into the office, looked around and pretended to have chest pain to get out," Grover said, candidly admitting his discomfort with the work atmosphere.

He criticised the office environment as lifeless, saying the employees looked like "mare huwe" (dead) and "laash" (corpses). Grover's exit from EY was swift, but his views on toxic work cultures, expressed in the same video, have since raised eyebrows.

Grover controversially stated that the best offices are often the ones labeled as having a "toxic" culture. According to him, this is where real work happens.

"If anyone is saying an office has a toxic culture, then that one is the best," he said, sparking a wave of reactions.

Billionaire industrialist Harsh Goenka took issue with Grover's comments and shared the video on social media, condemning the idea of promoting a toxic work environment.

"It's baffling to see anyone advocate for a toxic environment," Goenka wrote on X, adding the hashtag #AnnaPerayil, in solidarity with the late EY employee.

Anna Sebastian Perayil, a chartered accountant who had joined EY's Pune office just four months before her death in July, allegedly succumbed to the extreme pressures of overwork.

Her mother wrote a heartfelt letter accusing the company of neglecting employees' well-being. She claimed that no one from EY attended Anna's funeral and urged the company to reassess its work culture to prevent such tragedies in the future.

"I hope my letter will bring real change so that no other family has to suffer what we have," she wrote.

In response to the incident, EY India Chairman Rajiv Memani issued a statement, expressing deep regret over Anna's death. He acknowledged the importance of fostering a healthier work environment, saying, "I am absolutely committed to nurturing a harmonious workplace, and I will not rest until that objective is accomplished."

Memani also addressed the fact that no EY representatives were present at the funeral, describing it as "completely alien to our culture."