NRI PULSE STAFF REPORT
A U.S.-based company has come under public scrutiny after a viral Reddit post claimed that its Chief Operating Officer (COO) abruptly laid off the majority of its Indian workforce during a four-minute online meeting. The alleged incident, which surfaced on the r/gurgaon forum last week, has since drawn widespread criticism over the impersonal manner in which the layoffs were conducted and raised fresh questions about labor ethics in global remote work setups.
According to the original post by a Reddit user identified as Efficient-Tangelo-81, employees in India were asked to join a mandatory meeting at 11 a.m. During the brief virtual call, the COO reportedly announced that most of the Indian team was being let go as part of an “organizational restructuring.” Cameras and microphones were allegedly disabled, and no questions were permitted. “He wasn’t taking any questions,” the post claimed, adding that the meeting ended abruptly after the announcement.
The post described how workers, who had logged in to their regular workday earlier that morning, were caught off guard. They were told to await email notifications regarding severance and final settlement details. According to the employee, salaries for October would be credited later in the month, and unused leave would be encashed. The layoffs, they said, were not tied to individual performance but were described as a cost-cutting measure.
While several Indian news outlets, including The Indian Express, NDTV, Hindustan Times, and LiveMint, covered the viral account, none independently verified the claim or confirmed the company’s identity. The reports largely relied on the Reddit post, which has since generated thousands of reactions and comments.
In the discussion thread, the Reddit user said the company involved was Trusted Media Brands (TMB)—a U.S.-based digital media and publishing firm known for titles such as Reader’s Digest and Taste of Home. However, this remains unconfirmed. TMB has not issued any statement regarding the allegations. As of now, there is no official verification linking the firm to the incident.
The lack of confirmation has led observers to urge caution. Many have pointed out that viral social media claims—especially those originating from anonymous accounts—can sometimes exaggerate or misrepresent events. Still, the incident has reignited debate over how multinational corporations handle layoffs, particularly in offshore teams that often lack clear legal recourse under U.S. labor frameworks.
