A Software Development Engineer had shared a post on Reddit about working for a start-up, which asked every team member to subscribe to a mandatory AI productivity tool priced at nearly Rs 1,800 for two months ($20), and pay for it out of their own pockets. There was just an instruction from HR that the tool was “non-negotiable for performance".

The employee protested internally. Management told him the company was “not responsible for personal digital skill upgrades". He took the story to social media. Within hours, thousands of workers — engineers, designers, salespeople, interns — shared similar experiences. AI writing tools, AI meeting transcribers, AI coding assistants, and AI research dashboards. Many said that instead of employers investing in technology to make teams more efficien

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