Max Verstappen #1

Although the BPO job was my first, I soon realized it wasn’t what I wanted to do long-term. I started learning about startups and switched to a job in customer service. Over the next 2-3 years, I juggled different roles, always striving to understand each deeply and use my knowledge to solve problems.

In 2016, my life changed for the better. I had always loved mobiles and even flipped phones on OLX for pocket money during my college days. I saw a job post on Angellist for a "Product Manager." Although I didn’t know what a product manager was, I applied because it sounded interesting. I missed their reply for six months due to joining another company that eventually shut down. While going through old emails, I found the missed reply from Sahil, whom I now consider my mentor. I reached out to him, expressing my continued interest. He sent me a couple of questions, not about work but about integrity. After answering them, we met, and I shared my story. He found me intriguing and intelligent, so he decided to hire me.

The company was Phonecurry.com (which I'm trying to restart), a phone recommendation platform. I worked there for five years, eventually becoming a co-founder. During my time there, I learned a lot about design, product management, branding, and more importantly, how to see the world differently. Surrounded by smart people, our lunch conversations often revolved around world politics, policies, and making the world a better place, this is the reason we had to shut down the company, we never cared about the money, we all wanted to do good work and when COVID came, we didn't have enough money to sustain. I became more empathetic, and self-aware, and started thinking more critically while working at Phonecurry, I have also learnt from my mistakes after it was shut down and will do better this time.

After five years of earning a constant salary of ₹30,000 per month, I had no money and was in debt. I started a small store in my hometown selling used phones, but it didn’t go well. I then found a well-paying job in Bangalore, which helped me become debt-free. I spent a year there before moving on to my last job.

In my last job, I worked for a 22-year-old rich founder with a grand vision, but the reality was far from ideal. He ran the company like a dictator, treating people with disrespect. Despite my attempts to help him improve, he often got angry and insulted me. Unable to tolerate the toxic environment any longer, I resigned without any backup or job security.

Now, I have no income, but I need to survive. Seeing everything around me has made me hyper-aware. I read about what’s happening in the world and how people in power are destroying it. It’s not about a country, religion, or colour; people are being systematically oppressed. We are made to live routine lives, not to ask questions, and we are being programmed through social media. Growing up, I always hoped the world would be a better place, but it has only gotten worse. The way we have structured our world is broken, with a small number of people controlling it based on their ego, uneducated, and ill-informed people playing with our lives.

I can’t see this anymore, so I have decided to change things.