We’ve all seen how company leaders often describe their employees with fancy words. Some call them “family”, others call them “soldiers”, “ninjas”, or even “warriors”. But behind all this big talk, many times, the basic questions around salary, work-life balance, and fair treatment are brushed aside.
A Bengaluru software engineer, Yashraj Shukla, recently shared screenshots of his chat with a recruiter that showed exactly this kind of mindset. He had simply asked about the budget for a role while speaking to someone, possibly the CEO or founder of a startup, on LinkedIn. But instead of giving a straight answer, the recruiter replied with vague statements about impact and mindset.
According to the recruiter, the salary would depend on whether the candidate could deliver “10x impact.” He also added that if someone was worried about pay before proving themselves, the company probably wasn’t the right place for them. Things didn’t stop there. The recruiter went on to declare that they weren’t hiring employees at all, but building a team of “warriors.”
“We’re not hiring employees. We’re building a team of warriors. If you’re in, prove it,” he wrote.
The screenshots quickly went viral after Shukla shared them on X. Have a look at his post here:
“We are not looking for employees, but warriors” 🤡🤺 pic.twitter.com/mxupm1Thks
— whynesspower (@whynesspower) August 31, 2025
And as expected, people online didn’t hold back. Many mocked the idea of treating a job like a battlefield. Others found the “warrior” analogy over-the-top, saying all they wanted was a stable income and not to fight a war for capitalism. Some also pointed out the irony – if companies want “warriors,” then they should also offer the rewards of war, not just words.
why are these founders so cringe man🤣
— Pranjal Singh Rathore (@I_Psr26) August 31, 2025
i am looking for a company to join, not the army
— Satyajit (@0xsatyajit) August 31, 2025
“warriors” that’s why no one is joining
everyday I get a new reason to hate LinkedIn
— Rise (@RiseWins_) August 31, 2025
Wait till you hear, we’ll give you exposure, real projects, connections, lmao
— Adi & ADHD (@adittya_vaish) September 1, 2025
Give him spartans not coders
— Vineet (@vineetwts) August 31, 2025
agar warriors hire kar rahe toh aata aur daal chawal ke bore dedena sabko salary ke naam par 😂
— Shubh (@kadaipaneeeer) September 1, 2025
This is Spartaaaaa!
— Venkateswaran K N (@KVenkat1984) September 1, 2025
For most job seekers, a simple salary figure matters more than flowery talk about “warriors” and “10x impact”. Don’t you think?