India, Aug. 19 -- A CEO's post about hiring a young Indian man who initially offered to work for free has sparked intense online debate. Entrepreneur Mickey Hardy revealed the employee now earns on a commission model after proving his worth. While Hardy pitched the story as a lesson in creating economic value, social media users were quickly divided, with critics calling it e exploitation and supporters praising the worker's hustle.

"I recently hired a kid in India who offered to work for free. He asked for nothing. He just wanted an opportunity to prove he could create value. Once he did, I moved him into a commission only role," American CEO Mickey Hardy wrote on X.

Explaining the working model, the entrepreneur continued, "The model ...