Ankur Warikoo opens up about layoffs, guilt and the darkest phase of his career

Entrepreneur, author and content creator Ankur Warikoo has shared a candid reflection on what he described as the most difficult period of his professional life, revealing how a moment that should have marked success quickly turned into a deeply personal crisis.

In a post on social media platform X, Warikoo revisited events from 2016, less than a year after his startup raised $17 million in funding from Sequoia India. Instead of celebrating growth, he found himself making the painful decision to lay off 80 employees from a team of around 420. Warikoo said the episode stemmed from his own flawed decisions and judgment, leaving him consumed by guilt.

In 2016, less than a year after raising $17M from Sequoia India, I laid off 80 colleagues (out of 420) for no fault of theirs.
My terrible decisions and judgment had led us to this point.
I had let everyone down - my cofounders, my team, my investors.
And myself.

Going to… https://t.co/dpq0elH5qx

— Ankur Warikoo (@warikoo) December 17, 2025

“I had let everyone down, my cofounders, my team, my investors. And myself,” he wrote, adding that simply showing up to work each day felt emotionally overwhelming.

Warikoo’s post was shared in response to a question asking what helped during a particularly dark phase of life. In his reply, he outlined three practices that helped him cope and gradually regain stability.

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The first was reading. Warikoo said the book Better Under Pressure played a crucial role in helping him navigate the mental strain. The second was a deeply personal daily routine: stepping out after lunch, listening to Eminem’s Lose Yourself, and quietly crying, a ritual he followed consistently for nearly three months.

The third, and most transformative habit, was meditation. Warikoo admitted that even sitting for 10 minutes initially felt painful, but over time it helped him distance himself from his thoughts, allowing him to observe them rather than be consumed by them.

The post resonated strongly with other founders and professionals, many of whom said they related to the often-unspoken emotional burden of leadership. Several users praised Warikoo for acknowledging failure and the invisible weight that comes with decisions that affect people’s livelihoods.

Comments on the post highlighted how rarely such experiences are discussed publicly, noting that resilience is often built quietly through routine and self-work rather than dramatic turnarounds.

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Warikoo, who has since built a large following by openly discussing money, careers and personal growth, has frequently spoken about the importance of mental health and self-awareness. His latest reflection adds to a growing conversation around the human cost of entrepreneurship and the emotional challenges that accompany leadership.