A Reddit message by the user Throwaway_267xx Awarded an animated debate on the differences between the founders of American and Indian startups, on the basis of the personal work experience with both. The user, a software engineer who spent more than three years working with both, shared a detailed comparison that highlights his unique work styles.
In the post, the user highlights certain key differences between the two types of founders. According to the engineer, American founders tend to know the product and the customer well, often focusing on quality rather than quantity.
“The American founders trust their team and do not try to master all trades,” noted the user, stressing how they build for users, not just one user, and remain focused on resolving a problem at a time. They also give their team autonomy and respect for expertise and are known to treat people with respect, avoiding the game of blame.
On the other hand, the user observed that Indian founders Often, fight against the clarity of their product and can focus too much on the complaint of a single user rather than solving problems for a large audience. “The Indian founders push days and weekends of 16 hours, regardless of sustainability,” said the user, noting a trend in quality on quality.
The post has also described how the Indian founders frequently change contexts and have strong opinions on things outside their expertise, while not listening to their teams.
The post has stirred the reactions of Reddit users, some in agreement and others offering different points of view. A user has suggested that the real difference comes down to hiring practices. “It all depends on how they hire,” said the user, comparing the hiring process between the European, American and Indian founders.
While Europeans take the time to hire carefully, the American founders hire quickly but shoot even faster. The user noted that the American founders often have the capital to hire more people than necessary, while the Indian founders do not always have access to this level of funding, which leads to a hiring process which is sometimes satisfied with average talents.
Others repelled the austere comparison made in the post. A Redditor argued: “You have just compared the good of the American founders compared to the evil of the Indian founders. This does not make sense to me, ”stressing that such comparisons should involve equal conditions for the two groups, such as the comparison of an Indian founder to an American founder in the same country.
Another user added to the conversation, noting the way in which certain Indian founders rely on “jugaad” (ingenious shortcuts) and “dhanda” (commercial practices), sometimes overestimating their own ingenuity and exploiting a cheap workforce.
