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An Indian-origin startup founder came under intense criticism this week for publicly calling out a former employee over a viral social media post recounting her dismissal. The controversy erupted after Namya Khan, now the co-founder of design agency Supafast, shared a reflective post on X (formerly Twitter) about being fired from her first job in tech in 2023.

In her post, Khan did not name the company but recalled a conversation with her then-product manager, who allegedly told her that artificial intelligence (AI) could soon replace her. A month later, she was let go. Rather than letting the experience derail her, Khan wrote that she used it as motivation to launch her own agency.

“Looking back, getting fired was the best thing that ever happened to me,” Khan posted, adding, “Lesson: If it won’t matter in five years, don’t give it five minutes of panic. Zoom out. Your worst day can be your biggest turning point.”

Her post quickly gained traction online, with many users commending her resilience and optimistic outlook. However, the story took a turn when Keswin Suresh, co-founder of DarDoc – the startup where Khan had reportedly worked – responded publicly, accusing her of distorting the facts to garner sympathy and attract freelance clients.

“The truth is simple,” Suresh wrote in a quote-post. “The work was sloppy, deadlines were missed, and basic execution was consistently off. This wasn’t AI replacing a job. This was someone not doing the job.”

He went further to describe Khan’s post as a “sob story,” writing: “We’re glad she’s running her own agency. We’re not here to block anyone’s growth. But don’t rewrite history. Don’t twist facts. And don’t drag the company that gave you your first shot into your personal PR strategy. You weren’t replaced by AI. You were replaced by someone who could actually ship working code.”

Suresh’s post swiftly sparked backlash from users who labelled his response “unprofessional” and criticised his decision to disclose details about a former employee, particularly when she had never identified the company.

“Sorry to say, but this is not how a founder reacts,” wrote one user. “Demeaning your ex-employee was not needed here given that she does not name any organisation here. Even if you feel it's needed, not the ideal leadership quality.”

Another commented: “It’s impossible to convey how badly you are damaging your own reputation here. She never named your company but you’re now sharing screenshots of her emails which are written with respectful professionalism.”

A third user wrote: “If your intention was to retaliate because she was giving your company a bad name, you miscalculated. You just made your startup look way worse than she did.”

Criticism continued to mount, with another user remarking: “Word of advice – don’t burn your company’s rep and goodwill by going tit-for-tat with an ex-employee online. She didn’t even name the company but you got triggered and released her personnel file publicly.”

“While she may be clickbaiting, I still find it bad style from a founder to call out a former employee publicly like that. Be better than this,” added another.

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