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Ola Engineer's Suicide Highlights Toxic Work Culture Allegations

The death of Nikhil Somwanshi has prompted an investigation and scrutiny of management practices at Ola's AI unit, Krutrim.

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FILE PHOTO: Bhavish Aggarwal, CEO of Ola Cabs, and founder of Ola Electric.
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Overview

  • Nikhil Somwanshi, a 25-year-old engineer at Ola's AI division Krutrim, died by suicide on May 8, with his body found in Bengaluru's Agara Lake.
  • A viral Reddit post and employee accounts accuse US-based manager Rajkiran Panuganti of fostering a toxic work environment through verbal abuse and mismanagement.
  • Somwanshi, an Indian Institute of Science graduate, was reportedly handling the workload of multiple employees after team resignations.
  • Ola confirmed Somwanshi was on personal leave at the time of his death and expressed condolences while cooperating with authorities investigating the case.
  • The incident has reignited concerns about mental health challenges and workplace pressures in India's tech industry.