Man says US founders talk to him like a peer, Indian founders seem to maintain a ‘founder aura’

A startup enthusiast who cold-messaged founders in India and Silicon Valley has sparked a discussion on social media after highlighting what he described as a difference in communication styles between the two startup ecosystems.

Hriday Kadam said in a post on X that several founders in San Francisco interacted with him as a peer despite him being a student, while some Indian founders appeared to maintain a greater sense of hierarchy in their conversations.

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‘SF founders talk to me like a peer’

Kadam said he had reached out to several founders in both India and San Francisco through cold direct messages. According to him, many San Francisco founders responded by asking questions, listening to his ideas and engaging in genuine conversations.

He said this was notable because he is "just a student".

Kadam contrasted those interactions with some of his experiences with Indian entrepreneurs. While acknowledging that India has many impressive technology leaders, he said some founders appeared to project what he described as a "founder aura", creating a sense that they were positioned above the conversation.

He clarified that his observation was not universal and described it as a difference in communication styles he had noticed.

Social media debates cultural differences

Kadam's post prompted users to discuss whether the difference was linked to cultural attitudes towards hierarchy.

One user said the contrast was largely cultural, arguing that societies in the East tend to be more hierarchical while Western workplaces are generally less so. The user added that understanding these differences could also be important when dealing with customers in different countries.

Another user agreed with Kadam's observation but noted that India also has many approachable founders.

A third user linked the discussion to India's position in artificial intelligence, arguing that an attitude of assuming one knows everything can discourage other talented people from engaging. The user also stressed that AI research often depends on teams and collaboration, while acknowledging that not every founder behaves this way.

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Users point to hierarchy and seniority

Another commenter compared the situation with Japanese founders, suggesting similar communication patterns.

A separate user said North America generally has a flatter hierarchy, while India remains culturally hierarchical, where position, titles and seniority carry greater importance. The commenter pointed to differences in how people address one another, saying that people in North America commonly use first names while terms such as "sir" and "madam" remain common in India.

The user further argued that hierarchical attitudes can extend across education and professional settings, suggesting that some people may avoid being the least experienced person in a room even when doing so could help them learn and build relationships.