Techie regrets quitting MNC for startup, willing to accept pay cut to switch back

A software engineer who left a comfortable job at a multinational company for a fast-growing startup said that he regretted the decision almost immediately, citing micromanagement, misaligned work and a lack of ownership in his new role. The techie shared his experience in a post on the subreddit r/developersIndia titled, “I recently joined a startup, and I'm already regretting it. Tips needed to switch back to MNCs.” Read Full Story In his post, the techie claimed that he had been working as a Generative AI engineer at a multinational company, where he earned around Rs 1.25 lakh per month and worked only “one to two hours a day." Seeking greater technical exposure and long-term career growth, he accepted an offer from a startup valued at nearly $600 million. However, just three weeks into the new role, he said he began hearing concerns from colleagues about his manager's leadership style. “I had a 1:1 meeting with him two weeks ago and found out why others were talking about him like that,” the techie said, adding that the work itself had also turned out to be disappointing. He said the role was very different from what had been discussed during the hiring process and did not align with his long-term goal of designing and building systems. In a comment responding to another Reddit user, the engineer elaborated on the issue. “It's more about micro-management and the work doesn't really align with my long-term goals of designing and building systems,” he said. He also claimed that the team lacked ownership over the product and that promises made during recruitment had not materialised after he joined. “During the interview, I was told that I'll be able to work on internal services 50% along with what they actually want me to work on, and after joining, they don't want me to touch those things and are forcing me to work 100% on whatever they want,” he wrote. Now, he misses the work culture at his previous organisation and regrets leaving. “I realised how important a great manager and a great team is,” he said, adding that he would even accept a lower salary for a better fit. The techie, who said he currently earns a package of Rs 27 lakh per annum and has four years of experience, listed skills including Python, React, AWS, Kubernetes, Terraform and LangGraph. He asked fellow professionals for advice on how to move back to an MNC within the next three to six months. The post prompted discussion among other technology professionals, some of whom shared similar experiences. “It happened to me when my boss got fired. They had no idea what I was up to, and I had no deliverables. This lasted for about 1.5 months,” one user commented. Another user said they were also considering leaving a company they had joined only a few months ago because the technology stack and work did not align with current industry trends. However, the Reddit user wondered whether quitting within a few months would create a negative impression on future employers, adding that they had never left a job before completing three years at an organisation. Ends