1,000 Applicants Fail Coding Test For Rs 50 LPA Job: Bengaluru CEO Highlights 'India's Talent Problem'

A founder has sparked a debate online after claiming that India is facing a serious talent crunch in the tech sector, as most applicants these days do not even know basic coding. He made the remarks after experiencing a disappointing hiring drive, where out of 1000 backend engineer applicants, fewer than five were decent.

In a post on X last week, Runable Founder Umesh Kumar highlighted that his team discovered that several applicants were submitting broken or AI-generated codes. 

"We got around 1000 applications for a backend engineering role in just the last 2-3 days, and guess how many were actually decent? < 5," the CEO outlined.

"We asked for a basic, simple coding task. The submissions? Mostly absolute trash," he said bluntly. According to Kumar, the quality of the submission was shockingly poor and most codes did not even run.

“Honestly, forget high standards; is it too much to ask for code that actually compiles?” he asked rhetorically.

Outlining the annual package for the coding job, Kumar added, "And let's get real, we pay a damn good Rs 50 Lakh base salary plus relocation, food, and the chance to work with some of the best talent out there. So yes, at this pay scale, expecting code that actually runs is justified."

In his defence, he clarified that the hiring process was designed to be "straightforward". He outlined that the hiring process was simple and quick: a basic coding task, two short calls with the CEO and CTO, then a paid one-day trial. 

"We aren't Big Tech, dragging you through months of interview hell just to reject you. Our hiring is quick, simple and respects your time," Kumar’s post read.

He also revealed this was not an entry-level position. The IIT-Roorkee alumnus also shared the company's online hiring page on X, hoping to seek "better talent". The company website showed that the Bengaluru-based infrastructure engineer role required over three years’ experience, offering a salary of Rs 25-45 lakh per annum plus equity.

"So yes, at this pay scale, expecting code that actually runs is justified. I am confused. Am I the only one facing all this, or is this becoming the new normal in hiring nowadays?" he concluded his post.

As his post gained traction, many people agreed that finding good talent has become difficult. "One of the biggest issues with hiring today is people applying for jobs they're wildly unsuited for," a user said.

Another user argued that the mountain of unqualified applicants in this field comes from over-incentivising software engineering. Many see it as a cash cow and expect high salaries, even though programming isn’t their passion, the user highlighted.