‘Couldn’t Breathe, Collapsed in Chair’: Bengaluru Employee Shares Horror Story of CEO Harassment
‘Couldn’t Breathe, Collapsed in Chair’: Bengaluru Employee Shares Horror Story of CEO Harassment
A startup employee in Bengaluru has shared that he suffered a panic attack during a work call after being yelled at by the CEO. The man posted his experience on Reddit, where he said the CEO screamed at him so loudly that he broke down and had to be taken to the hospital. He said he faced months of constant mental pressure at the company before the incident happened.
The employee said he joined a small events discovery startup in Bengaluru in early 2024 as a junior data scientist. He hoped the job would give him good experience, but instead, he went through what he described as “relentless psychological harassment” by the non-technical CEO. According to him, the CEO micromanaged his work, gave impossible deadlines, and shouted often.
“He believed himself to be some kind of data science mastermind, even though he had zero technical background,” the employee wrote. He added that the CEO would keep changing project plans and “lose his complete mind when reality didn’t match his delusions.”
I had a complete breakdown during a work video call because my CEO kept screaming – still dealing with the trauma
byu/energized_maverick inIndianWorkplace
The employee said the CEO forced him to explain every single thing to him. “If my explanation wasn’t flawless, or if he couldn’t understand something technical, he would completely explode,” the Reddit post said. He added, “I’m talking about full-scale screaming sessions where he’d destroy me both professionally and personally.”
The man also said he thought the CEO picked on him because of his quiet nature and slim body. The employee had a reporting manager, but the CEO made him report directly to him. “I tried desperately to address his points professionally, but he just kept escalating. Yelling louder and louder,” the post read.
The incident reached a peak during a video call one week after the employee resigned from the job. He said, “The verbal attack was so brutal that I literally couldn’t breathe properly. My chest started tightening, I began struggling for air, and I completely collapsed in my chair.” His mother, who heard the noise, rushed him to the hospital.
He also mentioned that despite working long hours every day and on weekends, the CEO never praised his effort. “For seven consecutive months, I worked 12–14 hour days. Weekends included. I took exactly TWO sick days the entire period. Not once did he acknowledge this commitment. It was always criticism,” he said.
The employee shared his story to help others in similar situations. “To anyone currently trapped in a similar nightmare: your mental health is infinitely more important than any salary. Trust your instincts. If someone constantly makes you feel worthless, the issue is with them, not you,” he wrote.
