'Creating, innovating, building': Teen from Qatar relocates to India, lauds country's relentless hustle in viral video

Mohammad Jueitem identifies himself as an 'international entrepreneur' on Instagram.

A 17-year-old entrepreneur from Qatar has stirred intense debate across social media platforms after posting a video explaining his decision to relocate to India, a country he described as vastly different from his homeland in terms of comfort and pace of life.

Mohammad Jueitem, who identifies himself as an “international entrepreneur” on Instagram, shared a video in which he spoke about his experience in India and the contrast he observed between life in the Gulf and in one of the world’s most populous and diverse nations. His remarks have since gone viral, igniting a wide spectrum of reactions online.

“In our countries, life is comfortable and predictable,” Jueitem said in the video. “But here, everything is different. Everyone is working tirelessly, and comfort doesn’t seem to exist,” he added.

Jueitem praised India’s “hustle culture”, recounting how locals he interacted with spoke with conviction about their ambitions and routinely worked more than 10 hours a day in pursuit of their goals. “This is persistence, passion, and discipline,” he said. “They are not just surviving, they are creating, innovating, and building.”

He further revealed that he and his team had travelled to India to work on a venture called “COSMOS”, which he said had “a lot of room for growth” and the potential to “leave an impact”. He added, “We are here to get inspired by that energy.”

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A post shared by Mohammad Jueitem | محمد جعيتم (@jueitems)

While the video received a wave of appreciation from some users — with several flooding the comments section with heart emojis and words of encouragement — it also provoked backlash from others who criticised the tone and content of his statements.

The internet remained deeply divided. Many users praised the teenager for stepping outside his comfort zone and recognising the work ethic of Indians, while others accused him of offering a skewed and patronising portrayal of the country’s socio-economic conditions.

One Instagram user wrote: “Oh, so you left your ‘rich and comfortable life’ to move to India for business, and now you’re filming trash like it’s some shocking revelation? Bro, focus. You came here to make money not a documentary. No one’s begging you to stay.”

Another user expressed discomfort with what they perceived as a patronising narrative, stating, “Oh after white saviours we have Arab saviours. Cool.”

A third user commented: “Show the best parts of India. Britain looted our money. India is highly populous. We need time to improve standards. But people are generous.”

Some responses pointed to what they viewed as Jueitem’s privileged perspective. One user remarked, “India is more comfortable for you because of white privilege."

Despite the polarising reactions, the video continued to circulate widely across platforms such as Instagram and X (formerly Twitter), generating further discussion about the nuances of international perspectives on India, particularly when they come from individuals perceived as outsiders.