Viral Post: Founder’s Hiring Story About ‘Terrible English’ Sparks Online Buzz!

The post sparked a huge online conversation, with many pointing out how Indian workplaces often prioritise English fluency over actual skills, raising questions about whether language should outweigh talent and ability.

So many talented people in our country lose out on good jobs just because their English isn't perfect. Even if they have the right skills, many companies just don't seem to care. But one Mumbai-based entrepreneur decided to do things differently, and his story is now a hot topic on social media.

Kanan Bahl, an entrepreneur, shared his experience on X about taking a chance on a young man who was a tech genius but couldn't speak English fluently. And guess what? It turned out to be a massive success.

In his post, Kanan talks about a candidate from a Tier-2 city. He was super impressed with the guy's technical skills, but he had his doubts. The job involved dealing directly with clients, and the candidate's English was weak. Kanan says he was tired of hiring people who spoke great English but were weak on the technical side. So, he decided to give this young man a chance. He even told the new employee to confidently speak to clients in Hindi.

Today, Kanan says that hire was one of the best decisions for his company. He pointed out how people like Kumar Vishwas hold audiences captive just with their command over their mother tongue. He also mentioned how people in countries like Japan, China, and Korea achieve success using their own languages. Kanan added that while speaking English well is important, it should never be the only measure of someone's intelligence or talent.

The post went viral, and the comments section was flooded. Many people shared their own experiences of how Indian workplaces often prioritise English speakers over those with other valuable skills. One person commented, 'In Australia, no one really cares about your English proficiency for technical jobs, even if they involve client interaction.' Another user pointed out, 'In other countries, English is just a language. But in India, it's treated as a special 'skill'. It's a really sad trend.'

I interviewed a guy from a Tier-2 city whose English was terrible.

But he was too good with his sample task.

I was still overthinking about hiring him because his role involved facing the clients.

I still hired him!

I was tired of hiring people great with their English but…

— Kanan Bahl (@BahlKanan) August 19, 2026

People also said that this trend is quite sad.