Fair-weather friends: How Snapdeal founders found support during tough times

Through this personal experience, Kunal Bahl learnt a lesson for life: If you see someone in need, reach out.

By ET Bureau | Nov 12, 2018, 08.17 AM IST

It is safe to say that Snapdeal cofounders Kunal Bahl and Rohit Bansal have seen testing times over the past year or so.

From being the toast of the startup world to rapidly losing ground, the two and their startup have been on a roller coaster ride. But apparently things have changed for the better, going by a recent post shared by Bahl.

Bahl shared in detail Snapdeal’s journey since the summer of 2017, when talks of a possible takeover first came to a grinding halt, as well as the key lessons that the cofounders have learnt since.

An important one has been that about “fair-weather friends”.

“It’s easy, but not correct to judge — for good or bad — a story by the chapter one walks in on. When the big investments came in, Snapdeal’s journey was widely celebrated — and with that came a lot of inbound requests for introductions, LinkedIn invites, awards and jury participation requests, etc. Everyone was singing praises and wanting to shake hands and be friends. Funnily, a lot of these people that we called for help and support last year, wouldn’t even return calls or emails,” Bahl wrote.

War Of Words: When Sachin Bansal Sparred With Kunal Bahl; And Other Spats Of Tech Tycoons

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Sachin Bansal vs Kunal Bahl

The e-commerce giants traded barbs on Twitter in early 2016, after news of Alibaba’s plans to start direct operations in India became known. The Chinese ecommerce behemoth has investments in Snapdeal. Bansal took the first shot with a tweet saying, “Alibaba deciding to start operations directly shows how badly their Indian investments have done so far.” Bahl responded within an hour: “Didn’t Morgan Stanley just flush 5 billion worth market cap in Flipkart down the drain? Focus on your business, not commentary.” This wasn’t their first Twitter spat, with shots being fired in mid-2015.

With the two engaged in a public war of words, here are other top leaders from the tech world who weren’t afraid to butt heads.

However, some did. As Bahl said further, “In the most unlikely of situations, I was able to get the guidance and counsel from some of the most respected and leading business persons in the country. Two of them are leading bankers, one of them runs a leading airline, one of them runs a large Internet company, and one of them heads one of the largest charitable trusts in the country. In our time of need, it was those who had the least to gain, and most to give, that came to our help. Not with money. But with their wisdom and encouragement.”

Through this personal experience, Bahl learnt a lesson for life: If you see someone in need, reach out.

Modi, PeeCee, Kunal Bahl: Here Are LinkedIn India's Most-Viewed Profiles

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Success means different things to different people. LinkedIn, the world's leading professional social media platform announces this year's most-viewed professionals on LinkedIn in India.

This year (2017-18) is the fifth edition for India. From Narendra Modi to Priyanka Chopra, all of them are examples of members who invest in their own professional brand and continue to inspire the community around them.

They have not only had exciting career journeys but participate in meaningful dialogue, offer perspectives and drive conversations across many of the 50 million plus members in India. Here's a look at all those who are on the coveted list:

Image: From left to right, Narendra Modi, Priyanka Chopra and Kunal Bahl.