AI techie says boss's call at 9.30pm triggered anxiety attack: Couldn't eat, burst into tears

The AI techie said it was his first job and first project at the IT giant. (AI-generated image)

A fresher AI engineer at a major tech company has shared a distressing account on Reddit, saying a late-night “urgent” call from his team lead triggered an anxiety attack after an already exhausting day of work.

The engineer said he is working on a project with extremely tight deadlines and has been putting in long hours, often going beyond his assigned scope. On the night in question, the team had completed development and deployment for a business demo scheduled the next day. He logged off at 8 pm, believing the day’s work was done.

At around 9.30 pm, his team lead called, saying “everything had broken down” and asking him to log in immediately to investigate.

‘I couldn’t even eat’

The engineer wrote that he was having dinner when the call came and became so anxious that he could not eat properly. Ten minutes later, he logged back in. After checking, it became clear that the issue was a backend failure unrelated to his work.

That is when he said he “burst out” emotionally on the call.

“I couldn’t control my tears even though my team lead was there,” he wrote. When he said he was feeling anxious, the response he received only made things worse. “Tum bhi chale jaaoge toh kaam kaun karega (If you leave as well, who will do the work),” the team lead told him, according to the post.

When he added that his hands were shaking, he said he was advised to “do yoga” and go for morning walks.

The call ended with the engineer logging off, sitting alone for several minutes, trying to stop crying. “I was feeling insanely hopeless and low at that point,” he wrote.

‘Is this normal?’

Describing it as his first job and first project after campus placement, the engineer asked fellow Reddit users whether such experiences were normal in early careers—and whether he could have handled the situation better.

He also shared that he has no financial pressure from family and is continuing the job mainly to avoid a gap in his résumé. He plans to prepare for an MBA but is currently bound by a 12-month service bond, with four months remaining.

Seniors ask to take it easy, prioritise mental health

The post drew hundreds of responses, many from tech professionals who said they had faced similar incidents early in their careers.

Several reassured him that breaking down on a call would not lead to disciplinary action. One user recounted screaming at a team lead after being blamed for a “client escalation” during a night shift—and then taking a week off without consequences. “Nothing happened. No disciplinary action, nothing,” the user wrote.

"Be compassionate with yourself," wrote a second Reddit user. "No fault of your own, just that someone else back end stuff was not working, and the other person was not available. You have not caused any financial loss to the firm. You may be afraid of losing the job, but there may be only 5-10 percent chances of it turning true. Ninety percent of it is your mind exaggerating the situation. And this is not your shortcoming; everyone may think like this in your situation."

Others advised him to prioritise mental health, seek support from seniors or mentors, and avoid internalising blame for system failures outside his control. Some suggested speaking to a psychologist as a preventive step against burnout.