Indian H-1B visa holder risks immigration status after losing job at startup, seeks immediate employment on LinkedIn

AI Engineer Prayut Jain Navigates Career Uncertainty Following Unexpected Startup Layoff

Theindiapostdaily.com – Prayut Jain, an AI Engineer who has been active on LinkedIn, is currently searching for new professional opportunities after an unexpected turn of events at his startup. The situation has left him needing to secure employment quickly, particularly given his visa circumstances.

A Deep Commitment to Rayni

Jain became part of Rayni during its formative stages, approaching his role with genuine ownership. His responsibilities extended well beyond what was formally outlined in his job description. He maintained a strong connection with the company’s product vision, its customer base, and the technical architecture that supported everything.

While Jain was deeply engaged with his work, a personal crisis emerged. His father received a serious diagnosis of severe pneumonia. As his father’s health deteriorated rapidly, Jain made an urgent trip back to India. Medical professionals placed his father on a ventilator initially, and later transitioned him to ECMO support. Even through this family emergency, Jain remained connected to his work and continued contributing remotely.

Timing Made Everything More Difficult

Just two weeks after his father’s hospitalization, Jain learned that his position at Rayni would be terminated. The timing proved particularly unfortunate because his significant equity vesting milestone was approaching. This milestone was originally scheduled for October.

For an H-1B visa holder, losing employment carries serious implications for immigration status. Additionally, Jain faced the prospect of losing years of professional development accumulated during his time in the United States. The equity he had earned through nearly twelve months of dedicated effort was now at risk of disappearing entirely.

Compounding these professional concerns, medical professionals informed Jain that his father’s lungs were not healing as expected. A lung transplant emerged as the only viable medical path forward for his father.

Reflections on Startup Culture

“I understand startups have to make difficult choices. But accountability toward the people building those companies should be part of their foundation,” Jain wrote.

“Unfortunately, experiences like this aren’t unique to me. They point to a larger problem in startup culture,” he added.

Jain observed that early-stage employees frequently receive encouragement to think and behave like owners. However, he questioned whether that sense of ownership should vanish simply because an employee becomes inconvenient for the company. He wondered whether anyone would consider it fair to lose everything just before reaching an equity cliff.

While Jain acknowledged that existing contracts might legally permit such outcomes, he raised questions about whether this represents the ideal way startups should treat their builders.

Looking Ahead

Jain expressed that this experience, while challenging, has provided valuable lessons. He remains proud of the work he accomplished during his time at Rayni.

Currently, Jain is exploring positions in Applied AI and GenAI. He is also receptive to Founding AI Engineering roles or technical leadership opportunities. His H-1B status means he cannot afford to wait too long.

“I’m on H-1B and need to move quickly. If you know someone I should speak with, I’d deeply appreciate an introduction. Or, if you’re building something ambitious and reading this, hit me up. Let’s build something,” Jain wrote while asking for employment.

Community Response

LinkedIn users have shared their own experiences that mirror Jain’s situation.

“It’s definitely a pattern, and I’ve had a very similar experience, having my employment ended just days before reaching the one-year equity cliff. HR failed to even address my equity question formally and swept it under the rug,” commented a LinkedIn user.

“Sorry for your situation. Unfortunately for any company, start-up or otherwise, the main priority is topline/bottomline growth. For the majority, the Human aspect often comes last! That’s the hard reality,” wrote another user.

“Honestly, these days it’s very difficult to trust the founder material. The least they could have done is let your equity vest.”