24-year-old earns Rs 40 lakh working just 3 hours a day, parents ask ‘Is he doing something illegal?’

As artificial intelligence continues to change how people work, a growing number of young professionals are earning more while spending fewer hours on the job. This shift, however, is not always easy for families to understand. A recent post by Delhi-based entrepreneur Rohan Dhawan has brought this gap into focus, after he shared a conversation about his 24-year-old nephew who earns ₹40 lakh annually but works only a few hours a day.

A high salary, but not enough “visible work”

In his post on LinkedIn, Dhawan described meeting his nephew, who works remotely as a developer at a YC-backed AI startup. While the young professional is doing well financially, his parents appeared worried rather than relieved.

Dhawan wrote that after dinner, his nephew’s father pulled him aside and said, “Rohan, ye kuch karta hi nahi. 2-3 ghante laptop kholta hai aur band kar deta hai. Kuch illegal toh nahi kar raha”.



The concern, as Dhawan explained, came from the perception that limited working hours do not match the level of income. He added that if the same individual had been working long hours in a traditional IT job for a lower salary, it would likely have reassured the family.

Dhawan’s post also pointed to a broader shift in how work is getting done. He noted that tools powered by artificial intelligence are enabling professionals to complete tasks much faster than before. According to him, focused work for a few hours can now match or even exceed the output of longer workdays in older setups.

He wrote that many young professionals today feel the need to appear busy even when their work is complete, simply because long hours are still seen as a sign of effort.

Mixed reactions from professionals

The post drew several responses, reflecting both agreement and skepticism. One person commented, “Work is work. Money has its worth. You work for 8 hours to earn. Looks like people have a misconception that AI can compress 8 hours to 1 hour. It doesnt work that way… working 2-3 hours a day at age 24 sounds very abnormal to me”.

On the other hand, a commentor supported the idea of efficiency over hours, saying, “If a 24-year-old produces more in 4 hours than most do in 12, that’s success, not laziness”.


Someone added a middle ground, pointing out that parents’ concerns may come from uncertainty. He wrote that high income with low visible effort can be difficult to understand, especially when there are also illegitimate ways people earn online, and that better awareness is needed.

Several users highlighted that the debate reflects a transition already underway in many industries. A person wrote, “We’re moving from a ‘time-based’ definition of work to an ‘output-based’ one. That transition is bound to feel uncomfortable”.

Others also pointed out cultural factors, noting that traditional systems often value labour hours over knowledge, adding that the shift toward intelligence-driven work is still being absorbed.

What is also worth noting here is that roles in startups, especially those backed by global accelerators, are often structured very differently from traditional corporate jobs. Employees are usually hired for specific outcomes rather than fixed working hours, and performance is tracked through delivery, not time spent online. In many cases, developers work in short, intense bursts and remain on call for problem-solving instead of following a strict 9-to-5 routine. This model can look unusual to those used to conventional office setups, but it is increasingly becoming common in tech-driven companies where speed and results matter more than visible activity.