India, April 16 -- A Gen Z employee in Gurugram pushed back after being pulled up for logging off at 7 pm, telling his founder he would adopt a "founder's mindset" only if he was given 50% equity - a response that has since sparked discussion around startup work culture.

The incident was shared on LinkedIn by Nishant Joshi, who recounted how his younger cousin, working at an early-stage startup, was called into a meeting the next morning after shutting his laptop at 7 pm.

According to the post, the founder called him in and delivered a lecture on hustle, ownership and commitment. "He gave a twenty-minute lecture on the importance of hustle and taking extreme ownership. He looked at my cousin and said you need to have a founder's mindset...