The long-standing debate over whether a candidate's academic credentials should influence their salary resurfaced after a recent incident involving a college student from a Tier I institute and a start-up founder. 

As reported by the Hindustan Times, the controversy began when entrepreneur Vinayak Sarawagi shared a WhatsApp exchange where the student declined a Rs 10,000 stipend for an internship at his start-up.

The student stated, “I am sorry it won’t work for me being from a Tier 1 college this is too low for me. Hope you understand.” 

Sarawagi’s response — a simple “okay cool” — quickly went viral on X, a social media platform, reigniting discussions around compensation and expectations in the job market.

In the post, Sarawagi remarked, “I thought this mindset was going away, but sadly it’s not.” He later revealed the stipend amount, explaining his decision to offer Rs 10,000. 

According to the Hindustan Times, he clarified that the role was designed to accommodate a student’s schedule with flexible hours and remote working options.

Despite his explanation, the backlash was swift. “Founder gets sad when someone from a Tier 1 college refuses to join at Rs 10,000 per month. Zamindaari nahi jaayegi is desh se (Feudal mindset won’t leave this country),” wrote X user Ravi Handa.

Sarawagi defended himself, stating, “I know the stipend is low, hence I try to offer other comforts... Calling me a zamindar without knowing it all is not cool.”

As noted by the Hindustan Times, Sarawagi acknowledged that the candidate was not at fault. “The candidate is not wrong here, and I wish him the best of luck! I just posted this screenshot because I could see that the ‘Tier 1’ debate is still not over yet.”

The entrepreneur disclosed that several other candidates had bluntly rejected his stipend offer, but he maintained that the role's conditions were fair considering the start-up’s financial constraints and its status as an open-source project.