Tech CEO complains about paying Rs 72 LPA for a 'subpar' team lead: 'Need to replace fast'

Tech entrepreneur Aditya Siripragada had moved to the US about a decade ago to launch his company, Fountane. (Image credit: Aditya Siripragada/X)

The co-founder and CEO of a tech startup based in New York recently shared that he was dissatisfied with one of his team leads, who was drawing a hefty salary of Rs 72 lakh per annum (LPA) and was looking for a replacement. Aditya Siripragada took to social media to invite applications for the role.

"Paying Rs 55 lakh for a team lead on a critical project — performance is subpar and I need to replace fast," he wrote on X before clarifying that the amount was only the basic pay while the overall salary was around Rs 72 LPA.

"If you’ve led teams before and know you can do better, I’m open to a serious conversation. Please don’t reach out if you haven’t done this kind of role before — not the time to experiment," he added.

Siripragada's post drew a lot of reactions from interested applicants and received more than 90,000 views. Siripragada himself engaged in conversations with several candidates. Responding to one such comment, he added that he was willing to hire anyone as long as they are "freaking amazing". "Also, I'm down to pay more than that," he said.

The tech entrepreneur had moved to the US about a decade ago to launch his company, Fountane, which uses digital and AI tools to help startups and SME become better and more scalable.

Recalling the day he reached the US, Siripragada wrote on a LinkedIn post that he landed in the country with two bags, $700 in cash, and "a heart full of ambition".

He added that as of August 2024, Fountane was the 884th fastest growing business in the US, top 10 in the state of Minnesota, and topped the list of software and technology services in the region.