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‘Don’t take money from dad’: Ankur Warikoo’s ‘toxic’ advice to 25-year-old with Rs 40 lakh education loan sparks backlash

According to Warikoo, the email came from someone who completed a master’s degree in the US in 2022 but had to return to India by mid-2025 because he couldn’t land a sponsored full-time job.

4 min readNew DelhiUpdated: Dec 12, 2025 11:33 AM IST

Warikoo replied that in the same situation, he wouldn’t seek his dad’s help and would sort things himself

Entrepreneur and creator Ankur Warikoo recently sparked a debate after posting an email he received from a 25-year-old along with his piece of advice on X. The young man wrote to Warikoo, describing his difficult situation.

According to Warikoo, the email came from someone who completed a master’s degree in the US in 2022 but had to return to India by mid-2025 because he couldn’t land a sponsored full-time job. Back home, he joined a media firm in Pune, only to discover that the pay was nowhere close to what he needed to survive.

The person explained, “I have an education loan of around Rs 40 lakh. My current salary is 56k. My EMI is 45k, rent is 12k, travel is 3k, and other expenses come to about 10k. I somehow manage to put 25k towards my EMI, and my dad gives me 20k every month to help. I am 25, and it feels terrible that I am stuck like this.” He went on to say, “I feel ashamed and helpless, and Iloan genuinely don’t know what to do next.”

Warikoo’s reply, which he posted along with the email, read, “If I were you, I would not ask for help from dad and figure my s**t out. It will be tough, extremely difficult – but it will leave you with no choice but to work through your difficulty. Right now, the mental health hit you talk about is a privilege – because you have the option of thinking about your state and feeling terrible about it.”

He didn’t stop there. “I am suggesting you should not even have a f-ing second to think about your miserable life – instead do everything in your capacity (odd jobs, internships, multiple jobs) to get over this bump,” he added.

Check out the post:

Got an email from this morning
I went to the US for my masters in Fall 2022 and completed it, but I could not secure a full time job that could sponsor me.
I had to return to India in July 2025.
I joined a media company in Pune in September, but the salary is very low compared…

— Ankur Warikoo (@warikoo) December 6, 2025

Warikoo wrapped up with, “You don’t realise how courageous you are until being courageous is the only option you have.”

His post quickly went viral, attracting a flood of mixed reactions. A user wrote, “You told him to fight with his hands tied. I’m telling him to first untie the knots, then pick up the right weapon. He needs a new ocean to swim in, and that starts with a map, not motivational talks.”

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Another user commented, “This advice is the most toxic shit I read all year. You tell him to cut off his dad’s money when he is barely making EMI that is not tough love; that is just stupid. The mental health hit is not a privilege; it is a trauma response to systemic failure and being lied to for a decade by counselors and colleges. You’re just projecting your own trauma onto a kid with 40 lakh debt. Stop telling people to feel bad about their situation.”

A third person added, “Oh dear. That’s such a miserable reply. Please kindly refrain urself from giving any advice even if someone asks.”

A fourth individual commented, “Your response clearly shows you lack a lot of depth in handling such cases. Pls accept it and send such people to a psychologist. You can’t compare your journey to everyone.” A fifth person added, “Sometimes Excel formulas do not work in real life scenario.”