Vishal Kal from Netflix's 'Indian Matchmaking' says his US firm laid him off to hire 'Indians from India'

In a comment, Vishal Kal wrote, 'For the record, yes, I really did get laid off and yes they did move the team to India.' (Image credit: @vishal.kal/Instagram)

Comedian and software engineer Vishal Kalyanasundaram who made an appearance of Netflix series Indian Matchmaking has claimed that he and his team were laid off by his US tech firm so that they could hire "Indians from India" at a cheaper price.

In a now-viral reel, Kalyanasundaram -- who uses 'Kal' as his last name -- shared that he got to know why he and his team were laid off during  the exit interview. "I'm a software engineer. I work in tech or at least I used to work in tech until recently when my whole team got laid off, and you know what the craziest part was? In my exit interview, they go: 'Hey, we're replacing you guys with Indians'," the comic said.

He then apparently had to point out to his HR managers that he was in fact, an Indian, and he could ask his Indian friends to apply for the roles, if he is allowed to keep his job. Kal claimed he even offered to move back to India to save his job but was informed that the company was replacing the entire team with that of "Indians from India" with much lower salaries.

"'We're getting rid of you, we're moving the job to India, to be done by Indians from India who live there and will do it for cheaper'," Kal said in the reel, quoting his recruiter.

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Vishal Kal (@vishal.kal)

In a comment, Kal clarified that he had indeed gotten laid off and that he didn't just say it for the sake of the reel. "For the record, yes, I really did get laid off and yes they did move the team to India," he wrote, adding in a separate comment that the only people he doesn't love are "corporate executives".

The video appeared to have struck a chord with several social media users.

"I’m an Indian from India in Cali and I got replaced by Indians in India … so this skit got me. I be like bro I can move back you know. I just came here when I was 17," said Rohit Ramprasad (@rrampr). Another user Katie Lupo (@ktcatlupo) commented, "These goddamn corporations keeping us all in global poverty so their shareholders can line their pockets. My company laid off a ton of people at the beginning of the year, and just celebrated the opening of a larger office in Chennai."

A third user Shashank Nair (@sn892003) shared, "Don't know whether to laugh or cry. Moved to LA for a job. Then didn't like like it there so moved back to India and then I get offered the same job in India, for less pay."