“We’re not machines”: viral Reddit rant exposes harsh realities of India’s outsourced tech workforce

A passionate Reddit post by an anonymous Indian techie has gone viral, reigniting the conversation around outsourcing culture and the growing pressures faced by young IT professionals in India.

In a post titled "To my American friends who outsource to India, please chill," the frustrated software engineer urged clients from the U.S. to consider the stark contrast between the workload and the compensation Indian workers receive.

“Hey folks, if you're outsourcing work to India and feel like breathing down our necks every minute, take a breath. Please. Here's the ground reality: The average new IT grad here makes ₹7 LPA ($8,000/year). Yet we're expected to perform at Google-level output, on that salary. Time zones, endless meetings, last-minute deadlines... we're dealing with it all too,” the post read.

The techie emphasised that fresh graduates in India are often expected to deliver Silicon Valley-level results, despite earning salaries that are a fraction of what their Western counterparts make. Long hours, late-night meetings to align with U.S. time zones, and tight deadlines are making the job environment increasingly unsustainable for many.

“We're not machines. We care about the work. But mutual respect and realistic expectations matter. Timelines are important for both sides. So instead of constant pressure, let's build partnerships. We're doing our best, and we know you want the best. Let's meet in the middle with some empathy,” he added.

The post struck a chord with many readers. Several Redditors agreed with the sentiment, while others debated the accuracy of the stated salary. Some pointed out that tech graduates from Tier-2 cities or lesser-known institutions often earn even less—sometimes just ₹15,000 to ₹20,000 a month.

Critics of the outsourcing model also highlighted systemic issues. One commenter noted, “It’s not them. Indian companies lie to foreign clients and sell you to them as a 5-year experienced dev, even if you are just a fresher with 6 months internship/training.”

Another added, “More than Americans what I think is Indians living in America should understand this more.”

An Indian-origin manager based in the U.S. wrote, “As an Indian manager in the US, this is only true for the non-US-born Indians. Indians born in the US, like me, hate this micromanaging shit. Our parents micromanaged our lives, so we are fighting back by trying to be as chill as possible.”

Yet another Redditor shed light on the economics behind the expectations: “7LPA is your salary, but what does your company bill your client? Let's say the company bills 20 LPA in your name. So the client will expect an output worth 20 LPA. So the expectation set by our Indian companies is high.”