Bengaluru AI startup offers Rs 40 lakh job without degree but internet calls out ¡®cracked¡¯ salary

Imagine landing a high-paying tech job without a resume, college degree, or even a traditional interview. Sounds too good to be true? Well, Bengaluru-based AI startup Smallest AI is actually doing it. Founder Sudarshan Kamath recently posted a job listing that sent shockwaves through the tech world, offering Rs 40 lakh a year for a software engineering role with one simple requirement: show your work.

This startup will pay you Rs 40 lakh if you prove your skills - No degree needed

Kamath made it clear that he isn¡¯t interested in fancy degrees or glorified CVs. Instead, applicants must send a 100-word introduction and links to their best projects. If they have the skills, they have the job. No HR hoops, no unnecessary formalities.

We are looking to hire a cracked full-stack engineer at @smallest_AI

Salary CTC - 40 LPA
Salary Base - 15-25 LPA
Salary ESOPs - 10-15 LPA
Joining - Immediate
Location - Bangalore (Indiranagar)
Experience - 0-2 years
Work from Office - 5 days a week
College - Does not matter¡­

¡ª Sudarshan Kamath (@kamath_sutra) February 24, 2025

The internet reacts: Genius hiring or overhyped salary?

The job listing, posted on X (formerly Twitter), went viral almost instantly, racking up nearly 3.5 lakh views. Many hailed the move as a much-needed shake-up in the hiring process. One enthusiastic user celebrated the focus on proof of work over college credentials, saying it¡¯s the kind of hiring process that rewards actual talent.

But not everyone was sold on the hype. While Rs 40 lakh sounds like a dream paycheck, some tech professionals called it misleading. A Bengaluru-based software engineer pointed out that after taxes and expenses, an employee in Indiranagar, where Smallest AI is based, would barely have Rs 20,000 left to save. Others took a more sarcastic approach, arguing that a truly ¡°cracked¡± full-stack engineer should be getting a lot more than that. One user remarked that calling it a ¡°cracked¡± role without offering a competitive salary was, well, not a good look.

¡®Cracked¡¯ engineer or just another job?

For those outside the tech bubble, the term ¡°cracked full-stack engineer¡± might sound like some hacker jargon. But in reality, it¡¯s just a way to describe an elite software developer who¡¯s a wizard at both front-end and back-end development. The role at Smallest AI is open to candidates with up to two years of experience and requires five days a week in-office.

Despite the salary debate, Smallest AI¡¯s hiring experiment has made one thing clear, the future of tech recruitment might just be about skills over degrees. Whether or not other companies follow suit, this move has certainly made the industry rethink the way talent is hired.