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Journalism of Courage
A recent Instagram video has fuelled discussions about the worsening job situation in the tech world. In the clip, creator Nomadic Teju talks about his friend – an IT engineer from Noida – who has been unemployed for the past two months and is now working part-time for Rapido just to keep up with his home loan EMIs (equal monthly instalments).
The video, shot in Greater Noida’s Gaur City, shows Teju explaining how his friend quit his previous job thinking that he would land a better role quickly. But with a hiring slowdown gripping the sector, things took an unexpected turn. Flats in the area cost anywhere between Rs 1 crore and Rs 2 crore, and rents often go up to Rs 30,000–35,000. Unable to manage expenses without a stable income, the engineer had to send his family back to their native place and now lives alone in a rented apartment nearby.
Teju says the EMI burden hasn’t eased, and surviving without a job has become extremely challenging. To manage his expenses, his friend is doing Rapido rides on the side and occasionally takes up freelance assignments.
The video has sparked a wider conversation online about the uncertainty tech workers are facing, especially with disruptions by Artificial Intelligence (AI) and reduced hiring.
One user commented, “Aiyaashi ke liye personal loan le lo lekin 30 saal ka home loan mat lena kabhi agar pvt job hai toh (Take a personal loan for luxuries if you want, but never take a 30-year home loan if you’re in a private job).” Another wrote, “Fake lifestyle is ruining middle class people.”
A third person said, “Bhai… market mei job h.. but bando pr skills nhi h… keval gpt se code copy krr rhe h… knowledge hi nhi h… toh interview crack kaise hoga (There are jobs in the market, but people don’t have the skills… They are just copying code from GPT without real understanding, so how will they crack interviews?)”.
Another user added, “Bhai 5 saal aur ruk jaa… aisi band bajegi koi bachane wala ni aega (Wait five more years… Things will get so bad, no one will be there to save you),” seemingly criticising inflated real-estate prices.
