Freelancer confronts CEO on Google Meet over pending payment, gets abused. Video

The freelance motion designer, Mayank, shared a video of the group call on X. It received close to five lakh views. (Image credit: @mynkdzgn/X)

A motion designer has put the spotlight on toxicity in the freelance industry in India after publicly detailing his experience of chasing a payment he says was rightfully owed to him after completing a project for Honey Veda, a company previously featured on Shark Tank India.

Taking to X, Mayank said that when he got an opportunity to speak directly to the company CEO during a group call, he asked about his pending payment and was abused by an employee.

"I don’t usually use X for this. But sometimes you have to speak up so other freelancers don’t walk into the same trap," he wrote, adding that around August 2025, he worked on a project with Honey Veda (they also appeared on Shark Tank India). The workflow was standard: 50 percent upfront, 50 percent after delivery, and everything was delivered fully documented and completed.

Suddenly, however, Mayank's point‑of‑contact at Honey Veda, Vivek Rajoria, allegedly shifted the goalpost—suddenly claiming the work was “not complete” despite receiving all deliverables. The company later reached out to Moneycontrol to clarify that Rajoria was their lead designer.

Mayank said what followed was the “classic move”: ghosting, delays, and being told to chase the CEO, Hardik Joshi, who he alleges was consistently unreachable across email, WhatsApp, and calls. After months of silence, he said that he eventually gave up for the sake of his mental peace.

The unexpected Google Meet confrontation

Seven months later, Mayank says something unexpected happened—Honey Veda’s team accidentally added him to an SEO strategy call meant for another freelancer. He joined the call normally and was told he had been added by mistake. With the CEO present on the call, he decided it was the right moment to ask about his long‑pending payment, recorded the call, and shared it on X.

The now-viral clip shows that as soon as Mayank began to speak, the CEO abruptly exited the meeting. Immediately after, Rajoria abused him before leaving the call as well. Mayank said he recorded the call, and later posted the clip online to show “exactly how the conversation went.”

His post on X has since garnered close to five lakh views.

This is the condition of freelancing in India.

I don’t usually use X for this. But sometimes you have to speak up so other freelancers don’t walk into the same trap. Around August 2025, I worked on a project with Honey Veda (they also appeared on @sharktankindia ) The workflow… https://t.co/xt1jv3YYJqpic.twitter.com/5hpAKuy8Pn — Mayank | Motion Designer (@mynkdzgn) March 7, 2026

Part of a larger pattern of exploitation, say freelancers

Mayank’s post was written in response to another viral account from a freelancer who said he received a legal notice imposing a Rs 10 lakh penalty for “non‑compliance” despite allegedly delivering 100 percent of the agreed ERP project scope—and 40 percent extra out of goodwill. That freelancer described a “toxic” freelance environment where clients routinely shift goalposts, gaslight creators about scope agreements, and weaponise goodwill before threatening legal action.

Honey Veda CEO responds

In a statement, Joshi said that the project went through multiple revisions due to technical issues in the freelancer’s work. He added that only half the payment was made because the work delivered was unusable and none of it was used in any of their products or marketing materials.