'You’ll either be rich or poor in 10 years': Startup founder’s brutal reality check for India's middle class

India’s middle class isn’t shrinking—it’s splitting. And in the blunt words of tech founder Shyam Achuthan, the divide is no longer between rich and poor, but between those who fake wealth and those quietly building it.

In a LinkedIn post that’s ricocheted across social feeds, Achuthan lays out a brutal diagnosis of the Indian middle class. What once was the backbone of society—“hardworking families with steady jobs, two-wheelers turning into cars, annual vacations, and dreams of owning a home”—is now teetering on a knife edge.

“Today, the middle class is on a dangerous path—one that leads either to wealth or worry. There’s no middle ground anymore,” he writes.

At the heart of his argument: financial self-delusion. Achuthan paints a picture of a generation prioritizing optics over ownership. “From EMI-loaded iPhones to overpriced brunches, today’s middle class is desperate to look rich, not be rich,” he says.

He breaks it down ruthlessly: a ₹50K monthly salary eaten up by ₹20K rent, ₹10K EMIs, ₹5K in weekend splurges—and barely ₹1K left, if any, for actual investments. “This is financial suicide dressed up as ‘living your best life.’ They’re borrowing their future to flex in the present. Instagram aesthetics over actual assets.”

But not all is lost. A “smart few,” he notes, are playing a longer, quieter game. “They skip the lavish weddings. They drive used cars or take the metro. They live below their means. They invest early and consistently.” They may not look the part now, but in a decade, Achuthan says, “they’ll own what others are still renting.”

His post takes a darker turn with a harsh truth: “You can’t fake wealth forever.” With inflation rising, job security eroding, and AI eating into traditional roles, he warns the middle class to pick a side: “Act rich and become poor, or act poor and become rich.”

He ends with a prescription—track every rupee, invest 20–30% of income, build assets, and learn how money works. “Your decisions today decide which side you’ll be on tomorrow.”