Intern walks away from Rs 25K internship to join Bangalore startup for Rs 5K stipend. Here's why

Intern leaves higher pay, joins Bengaluru startup for learning and experience. (AI-generated representative image)

In India’s bustling startup scene, interns often face a tough choice, take a higher-paying offer or gain hands-on experience with a growing company. One young professional recently made a bold decision that has caught widespread attention online.

Ritesh, a third-year student, walked away from a Rs 25,000 per month internship to join Bengaluru-based startup Matiks for a Rs 5,000 stipend. His choice, shared by co-founder Sudhanshu Bhatia on X and LinkedIn, has sparked discussion about early-career priorities, learning opportunities, and the realities of working in a fledgling startup.

He wrote, “Everyone talks about founders, nobody talks about the team. So here I am talking about the people who build Matiks. First up, Ritesh. He was a 3rd year student interning somewhere for Rs 25k, we offered Rs 5k, he still joined.”

Bhatia explained that Ritesh joined not for money but to learn. He further added, “Said working closely with IIT grads would teach him more. Joined in September'24, the same month we had all quit our jobs, we moved to Bangalore in October. He came too, on that stipend. We were working 7 days a week then.”

The co-founder also described how Ritesh refused to take Sundays off. He further explained, “Told him to take Sundays off and he said, ‘What would I even do?’ Over time he’s become like a younger brother. Still an intern, graduating this year but I'll bet Rs 5L he’s better than most engineers with 5 years of experience in Bangalore.”

everyone talks about founders nobody talks about the team

so here i am talking about the people who build matiks. first up, ritesh he was a 3rd year student interning somewhere for ₹25k we offered ₹5k he still joined not for money but for learning. said working closely… pic.twitter.com/xEg44gFQ7v — Sudhanshu | Matiks (@cortisoul_) March 11, 2026

Bhatia included a picture of Ritesh, whose X profile shows he is from Bihar. The post has triggered mixed responses on social media. Some praised Ritesh for prioritising mentorship over pay and commended Bhatia for acknowledging his team. Others criticised the story, pointing to low pay and long working hours.

One user wrote, “Ritesh took an 80% paycut to work 7 days a week for you and you're posting it like he's the lucky one. ‘what would i even do on sundays’ is not passion. that's a 21 year old in a new city on Rs 5k who doesn't feel like he can say no to people he looks up to.”

Another comment noted, “Rs 5k a month is ~160 a day if you work 7 days a week. Probably the chaiwala who comes to your office makes more. Actually wild justifying this.”

Some users offered a more balanced view, “Why is the comment section acting like he has no agency? The real takeaway here is simple: Some people optimise for salary early. Some optimise for learning early. Both are valid paths.”

Ritesh responded to the discussion, clarifying that his stipend covers his needs. He said, “By the way currently my stipend is enough that my whole lobby enjoys a month every semester break, so no sympathy needed guyss. But for those showing extra concern, I’m open to opportunities if someone can match both the work culture and stipend (can’t disclose, but you can guess).”

Bhatia also clarified the intention behind his post. He explained, “Ppl took a normal appreciation post out of context. Its about the first guy who believed in us....when matiks was just a side project. His stipend grew more times than the number of months he has been with us...do your math...am not even counting the esops here… Am sorry your jobs & bosses suck and dont appreciate your work with compensation or other acts, but dont assume the same happens everywhere. This post remains about the first guy who took a bet on us, and how lucky we are to have him.”