Ashneer Grover Quit EY In Just One Day Despite Rs 1 Crore Offer, Here's Why

Ashneer Grover described the EY office atmosphere as “dull” and filled with “living corpses.” 

Days after the death of Ernst & Young (EY) employee Anna Sebastian Perayil, allegedly due to “overwork”, an old video of BharatPe co-founder Ashneer Grover talking about toxic work cultures has resurfaced on social media. In the video, the former Shark Tank India judge shared his decision to quit EY within a day, despite receiving a Rs 1 crore package. It's baffling to see anyone advocate for a toxic environment. #AnnaPerayilYour views? pic.twitter.com/QhPnCeKhxq

The clip shows Ashneer Grover explaining how he exited EY on his very first day. “I walked into the office, looked around and pretended to have chest pain to get out,” Mr Grover said. He justified his actions by describing the office atmosphere as lifeless, referring to the employees as “mare huwe” (dead) and “laash” (corpses).” 

However, he also put forward a controversial view that the best offices are those deemed “toxic” because that's where, according to him, work gets done. “If anyone is saying an office has a toxic culture, then that one is the best,” Ashneer Grover said. 

The video was shared by billionaire industrialist Harsh Goenka, who slammed Ashneer Grover for what he described as promoting a “toxic work environment”. “It's baffling to see anyone advocate for a toxic environment,” Mr Goenka wrote on X, adding the hashtag #AnnaPerayil.