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Srivastava claimed that his firm interviewed more than 25 candidates from the BS in Data Science programme and to his shock, none of them possessed basic coding skills. “Forget about model tuning or algorithm optimization; many students could not write code even after searching ChatGPT,” he lamented.
He then added that graduates from second-tier institutions such as Mumbai and Punjab University displayed more talent in coding.
He then ended the post on a regretful note. “IITM was the dream college for us; some of the best AI talent comes from there. While the impetus on expanding batches and access to quality education is good, if you can’t manage standards, don’t run.”
A screenshot of Srivastava’s post was shared on the subreddit of IIT Madras. While the recruiter's claims could not be independently verified, an official response from the premier institute is awaited.
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One Reddit user blamed students for not making an effort to hone their coding skills. “The issue is in the Indian mindset. You can give the best professors, the best opportunities, etc., but when students themselves never pay attention in lectures; they watch reels or play BGMI all the time, how can they expect to learn from an online platform? IIT Madras BS data science is a good degree for learning as the lectures are from top faculty, but the students themselves are not willing to put in the work. How can the degree work?” read the comment.
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“There are some BS students who have done really well; they got research opportunities from foreign universities and got offers from big companies like NVIDIA, Deloitte, etc., but yes, then there are some that don't even know proper Python. I'm a BS student too, and seeing other students like these makes me really scared that they would ruin the degree's reputation with all their BS, and then the "IIT" tag would actually become an obstacle for me,” another observed. The user then asked for more demanding entrance exams to filter such candidates out.
“I think that the fact it's an online course is the major issue—all the tests and Jee ends up bringing good HARD-WORKING students together to motivate each other. That's why even people who join with quota often times (not always) end up doing better than what people would have judged their outcome from just their ranks. The motivation to grind when you are surrounded by grinders is what makes you better." wrote another.
Some netizens, however, were skeptical of Srivastava and called him a ‘LinkedIn influencer’ trying to stir trouble. They also pointed out how his startup, Intellimark AI, had just 2 employees. “ He’s most likely a LinkedIn influencer trying to get clicks with controversial statements. He never clarified if he interviewed foundational students or actual BS graduates,” they wrote.
Srivastava, who is active on Reddit, hit back at the user. “I am not a LinkedIn influencer, just a bootstrapped founder trying to find some decent talent. I never asked to get invited to IITM. They called me and assured me of quality and i just called out the BS (no pun intended) about their commitments…”
( Originally published on Feb 28, 2025 )
