Gauri Agarwal, an Indian-origin entrepreneur and the co-founder and chief technology officer of San Francisco-based startup KoyalAI, publicly responded this week to criticism after an image of her working on her laptop shortly after her wedding ceremony went viral online.
The photograph, which showed Agarwal seated in traditional Indian bridal attire while using her laptop, was shared on X by her brother and co-founder, Mehul Agarwal. The groom was visible beside her, smiling and eating. According to Mehul Agarwal, the image was taken approximately ten minutes after the wedding ceremony.
“This is my sister & co-founder Gauri Agarwal at her own wedding, 10 minutes after ceremony, fixing a critical bug at KoyalAI,” he wrote. He added that the moment had not been planned. “Not a photo op, parents yelled at both of us. When people ask why we won, I’ll point to this.”
The post spread rapidly, generating strong and divided reactions. While some social media users praised Agarwal’s commitment, others questioned the broader implications for work-life balance and startup culture.
One user commented, “No wonder I love the tool. Founders are locked in. Congrats!” Another wrote, “Love the hustle… just remember it’s a marathon, not a sprint.”
Criticism, however, focused on priorities and organisational structure. “I’m deeply committed to my career, but not at the cost of missing the moments that matter most,” one user wrote. In response, Mehul Agarwal replied, “Of course, nor should you be. We got heavily scolded by our parents.”
"This is not something to be proud of," a user added, to which Agarwal replied, "Agreed".
Another user described the post as “cringe”, prompting Mehul Agarwal to respond: “I’m well aware, don’t want to propagate this behaviour.”
Concerns were also raised about delegation within the startup. “The fact that no one else on the team could pick this up makes me wonder what’s going wrong here,” one user wrote.
It was to this comment that Gauri Agarwal directly responded, addressing both the criticism and the setting in which the photograph was taken. “Try sitting for hours at an Indian reception, and you will want to code more than ever before,” she wrote on X.
In a subsequent post, Mehul Agarwal added that his sister continued to take work calls even after the wedding celebrations concluded. “She’s currently on honeymoon but taking meetings three hours a day. The husband is not happy lol,” he wrote.
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