Death of Indian engineer spotlights suicides and AI-driven layoffs in tech
The suicide of 24-year-old machine-learning engineer Nikhil Somwanshi has focused attention on extreme hours, rising burnout and a wave of AI-related job cuts across India’s technology sector.
- Police say Nikhil Somwanshi drowned by suicide after taking leave from AI startup Krutrim.
- A Rest of World analysis identified 227 reported suicides among Indian tech workers between 2017 and 2025.
- Surveys and studies cited in the reporting say about 83 percent of tech workers report burnout and one in four work more than 70 hours a week.
- Experts and union leaders link mounting stress to blurred work boundaries since Covid, heavy outsourcing demands, and increasing job insecurity.
- AI-driven restructuring prompted large 2025 layoffs, including nearly 20,000 cuts at Tata Consultancy Services and more than 6,000 at several startups.
- Researchers warn AI is likely to displace many entry-level and routine outsourcing roles, increasing pressure on remaining employees to raise productivity.