Anupam Mittal on being laid off early in career: 'Best thing that could’ve happened to me'

Millionaire and Shark Tank India judge Anupam Mittal recently revealed that he was laid off early in his career when he was working in the US. Calling it "the best thing" that could have happened to him, the People Group founder and CEO said the job loss spurred him to launch the successful matrimonial site Shaadi.com.

“My career was on steroids. I was a multi-millionaire in my early 20s. I got fired from my job. And that’s when I started Shaadi.com. I was gutted when I was laid off. But it was the best thing that could’ve happened to me,” Mittal said in an interview with Himesh Madaan on his YouTube channel, ahead of the premiere of the fourth season of the business reality show, Shark Tank India.

He was referring to his stint with MicroStrategy where he was offered stock options. The company was worth $100 million at the time and within the next three years, thanks to the dot com boom, its valuation reached $40 billion. "I had joined as a sales consultant but very quickly I rose through ranks to become the director of strategic partnerships so I had a lot of stock options and had become a multi-millionaire in my early twenties," he said during the Barbershop podcast earlier this year. "It was crazy, I’d never imagined it. I’d ordered a sports car, we used to party in stadiums, our corporate parties would be on cruise ships. It was next level.”

Elaborating on how he continues to take risks, Mittal said he has turned down offers as steep as Rs 800 crore. “I have received so many offers, I could’ve walked away with a $100 million. Rs 800 crore is not a small amount. I turned those offers down. I’ve sold a couple of companies for smaller amounts, but I’m still taking risks. There will come a time when I look back and say that I made the right choice,” he said.