From a 35 LPA Promise to a 6 LPA Reality: A Fresh Graduate’s Internship Nightmare Goes Viral

When Rahul Kumar (name changed) walked into his final year of engineering at a reputed "Tier‑1.5" college in 2026, he was buzzing with the usual mix of hope and anxiety that most final‑year students feel. Like many of his peers, he spent months polishing his résumé, attending campus drives and, finally, snagging a coveted six‑month internship with a mid‑size tech firm that promised a full‑time Software Development Engineer (SDE‑1) role at a staggering 35 LPA once the internship wrapped up.

It wasn’t just the salary figure that made the offer feel like a golden ticket. During the onboarding session, the hiring manager – who introduced himself only as “Mr. Sharma” in the later Reddit post – repeatedly reassured the batch of 90 interns that the company had earmarked 90 positions for them. "We’re expanding, we need talent, and you’ll be our first‑cut hires," he said, punctuating the statement with an enthusiastic thumbs‑up.

For the next five months, Rahul and his cohort worked on a mix of product‑development tasks and bug‑fixing sprints. The experience, he later wrote, was a blend of learning opportunities and the usual “intern‑to‑full‑time” grind: long stand‑ups, code reviews, occasional weekend pushes, and the occasional morale‑boosting pizza day.

Then, two days before the internship was set to end, a curt email landed in the inbox of every intern. The subject line read simply, "Program Update." Inside, the manager announced that the company was shifting its focus to AI‑driven solutions and, consequently, would no longer be hiring any SDE‑1s from the batch. The promised 35 LPA packages? Gone.

"It felt like a punch in the gut," Rahul wrote on Reddit. "One day you’re told you’ve got a secured job at 35 LPA, the next day the company says, ‘Sorry, we’re pivoting to AI, you’re out.’" He added that the company did extend a backup offer – a 6.5 LPA role at Accenture – but the gap in compensation and the suddenness of the change left him scrambling.

The post quickly gathered steam, racking up thousands of up‑votes and comments from students across the country. Many echoed similar stories of promised placements turning sour, while others warned about the growing trend of firms using unpaid or low‑pay internships as a cheap talent pipeline before pulling the rug.

Industry observers note that this isn’t an isolated incident. The tech hiring landscape in India has become increasingly volatile, especially as firms rush to re‑tool for AI and automation. According to reports from the Economic Times (July 21 2026) and News18 (July 21 2026), several midsize companies have paused or cancelled campus recruitments, citing the need to re‑allocate resources toward AI research and product development.

Legal experts point out that while internships are generally governed by the terms of the agreement signed at the start, promising a future full‑time role can create an expectation that, if broken, might be deemed misleading. "Employers should be crystal clear about whether any post‑internship offer is conditional or guaranteed," says employment lawyer Priyanka Sharma.

For Rahul, the experience has been a bitter lesson in the importance of having a contingency plan. "I’m now looking at a few other offers and also considering higher studies," he says. "But I hope my story helps other students verify promises and keep multiple options open."

The Reddit thread continues to spark debate, with some users defending the company’s right to pivot in a fast‑changing market, while others call for stricter regulations on internship promises. One thing is clear: the conversation around fair hiring practices and transparent internship policies is far from over.