An Indian employee working remotely for a small US startup has shared a spicy story filled with tension and drama. The employee, who joined just a month ago, said he developed a medical condition caused by stress but tried to manage it himself. Despite working overtime for weeks, his leave request was denied by his American boss. When asked for a detailed reason, the employee did not provide one, leading to a firm rejection. The boss had earlier allowed some time off for Diwali, but this was planned in advance and separate from the rejected leave. Feeling frustrated and fearing he might not get paid for his work, the employee even revoked his boss's access to his work drive. This bold move shows how much tension had built up! The situation heated up but later cooled down after a frank conversation. The employee told his boss, “if the concern is projects getting delayed then I would've managed that by working at nights, if the concern was that he only wants to pay for working days then I wouldn't mind taking unpaid leaves.” He also warned, “I have worked at a lot of toxic places and I am not gonna let people rule over me.” Following this intense chat, the boss asked for better communication and more calls to avoid future mess-ups. The employee agreed, saying his message was clear: he is not helpless and can quit anytime if treated badly. The employee also cleared doubts about the boss’s identity, confirming that his American boss is white, and the startup has only 3-4 employees. He is the only full-time Indian worker there, joined through a personal referral. The story made waves on Reddit, with many users praising the employee’s handling of the tough spot. One comment said, “you handled it better than most would in that situation,” while another noted, “revoking access was risky but understandable.” Many agreed that small startups often blur work boundaries leading to such chaos, but were happy both boss and employee worked things out. This tale rings a bell for many remote workers balancing stress, work pressure, and communication in tiny startups!