'We are treated like slaves': Byju's employees reveal toxic work culture

According to a recent investigation, Byju's employees claim that the company's success is built on the back of an abusive and exploitative work environment and unscrupulous sales practises, such as targeting people from low-income families and pressuring them into purchasing Byju's courses.

Byju's, which was founded in 2011, released its learning app in 2015 and quickly grew into a multibillion-dollar behemoth, becoming India's leading edtech business, as the country's expanding middle class flocked to one of the world's largest tech hubs in search of employment and financial stability.

Twenty-six salespeople (18 current and eight former) were interviewed by Context and described their difficult working circumstances, including long hours, physical and verbal abuse, and a culture in which employees are pushed to deceive customers to generate sales.

Emails, corporate contracts, and recordings of phone conversations and meetings demonstrate that certain managers at Byju's force their staff to work more than 72 hours per week and refuse to let them take breaks or leave the office if certain goals are not fulfilled.

Byju's employees, many of whom are first-generation college graduates or hail from low-income backgrounds, claim they put up with the harsh atmosphere out of fear of losing their employment in India's competitive labour market.

Context also spoke with 22 of Byju's customers, many of whom said they were coerced into enrolling in classes, tricked into taking out loans, and ultimately lost money with nowhere to turn.

Pratik Makhija, a former Byju’s salesman who had two spells with the company, said he had endured “daily mental torture”.

The 27-year-old said this included his manager shouting at him, forcing him to work seven days in a row, and pitting colleagues against each other.
“You feel like you’re in a bubble or trapped at the bottom of a well, with no way to climb out and enjoy the outside world. There is no work-life balance. Zero,” said Makhija, who first quit Byju’s in January 2021 after 18 months there.

“We are treated like slaves. At what cost are they making their revenue, their valuation? By crushing us,” he added.

Makhija said he rejoined Byju’s in July because he needed the money but was suspended in August - for a month - after he complained about aggressive behaviour by his managers. He quit again in October but said he is still “haunted” by the actions of his managers, who he says shouted at and manhandled him.

“It got so bad that I had to seek professional help, and eventually got diagnosed with anxiety,” said Makhija, who is now unemployed and looking for a job. “I get terrible flashbacks.”

Bjyu’s did not respond to a request for comment on Makhija’s account.

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A Byju's representative responded to Context's report by saying that the employees who came forward reflected a "infinitesimal proportion" of the company's workforce and that Byju's had "zero tolerance for unpleasant behaviour in the workplace."

Byju's responded to customer complaints by saying the company is "centred on customer respect and satisfaction" and that employees are instructed not to "pursue customers who are either disinterested in or unable to pay for our items."

(With inputs from Reuters)