Microsoft techie in Bengaluru rides autorickshaw on weekends to combat loneliness

A senior Microsoft engineer in Bengaluru has been discovered moonlighting as an auto rickshaw driver on weekends to battle loneliness. This revelation, shared on the social media platform X, ignited a debate online.

Venkatesh Gupta, a fellow tech professional, took to X to share his encounter: "Met a 35-year-old staff software engineer at Microsoft in Koramangala driving Namma Yatri to combat loneliness on weekends." The Microsoft engineer was notably wearing a company hoodie while operating the rickshaw.

The social media post quickly went viral, drawing a mix of reactions. Some users expressed empathy for the engineer's struggle with loneliness, while others were taken aback. Ankit Shrivastava, another tech enthusiast, commented, "That’s just plain sad. (if true)."

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The discussion extended beyond personal sentiments to broader societal issues. One user sarcastically remarked, “They’ll complain about moonlighting,” hinting at potential workplace repercussions. Another added humor to the discourse, linking the incident to Bengaluru’s linguistic diversity: “This is what happens when you speak only one language in a city (BLR) where more than 50% of people are outsiders.”

Interestingly, this is not the first time Bengaluru's techies have been spotted taking on unconventional roles. Instances of tech professionals working as bike taxi drivers or gig workers to supplement their income are not uncommon. A previous case involved a former Hindustan Computers Limited (HCL) employee who turned to driving a Rapido bike taxi to network and find job leads after being laid off. His story highlighted the lengths to which tech workers sometimes go to sustain themselves and seek new opportunities in a competitive job market.