‘People don’t sleep here’: Delhi startup job offer leaves Indore professional confused

An Indore-based professional has found himself in a situation that a lot of people instantly related to. He shared his story online, unsure whether to accept a startup job in Delhi or start 2026 without a job and keep hunting for something better.He has around five years of experience and has worked in very different spaces, from Indian Railways to solar manufacturing, and even vendor negotiations in China. His current job wraps up on December 31. At the moment, he earns about Rs 11 lakh a year and works from home in Indore, which makes the decision even harder.Things started getting messy when he interviewed for a technical sales role at a Delhi-based startup.

At first, the industry sounded interesting and the role felt like a good shift. But as the interview process went on, he began to feel uncomfortable.

In a Reddit post that quickly went viral, he said the whole experience was full of red flags. The startup offered him the same Rs 11 lakh salary, but expected him to move to Delhi. With the city’s higher cost of living, that already felt like a step backwards. What bothered him even more was the work culture.

According to him, the founder casually mentioned that “people don’t sleep” at the company. That immediately set off alarm bells about work-life balance. On top of that, despite his hands-on experience, he felt he was being treated like a fresher. And this was for a sales role dealing with heavy machinery, which only made it more frustrating.The offer itself didn’t feel solid either. He said key details were left unclear.

Targets were “not fixed yet.” The probation period was also “not fixed yet.” The overall vibe was to join first and sort things out later.When he asked for at least Rs 13 lakh in fixed pay to make the Delhi move worth it, the company didn’t give him a clear answer.So he’s left with two options. Take the job, move to Delhi, and possibly burn out or get pushed out because of unclear targets. Or say no, begin the new year unemployed, and keep applying from home.The post struck a nerve online. Many people advised him to slow down and not rush into something that already felt off. Some said that if he had savings to last a few months, waiting it out made sense. Others shared their own bad experiences with toxic startups and told him to trust his gut.For a lot of readers, this wasn’t just about one person. It felt like a familiar struggle between playing it safe and protecting your peace.