1/ Most people “prepare for interviews”.

If you’re aiming for top spots like @Rippling , @databricks , @stripe , @nvidia , @Razorpay , @JioHotstar etc, you may need to rebuild yourself for that bar.

Here’s the PLAYBOOK for 0–5 YOE folks in India.
Save this. 🔖 2/ Step 1: Pick your “A list” (5/7 companies max)

From the list: Rippling, Databricks, Stripe, NVIDIA, OpenAI, Anthropic, Razorpay, Tekion, Datadog, JioHotstar, Microsoft, Adobe, Salesforce, Atlassian, Glean, Abnormal, ThoughtSpot.. this list is far from complete... go find your own niche and style!

Rule: if you’re serious, don’t chase 50 logos.
Go deep on a focused 5/7.

🧵 If you’re in your early 20s, hungry, and actively looking for hustle culture (with real upside, not fake “startup vibes”), here’s a 2026 list of companies I’d aim for from India.

Remember, this isn’t a “safe” or “complete” list ;)

🔖 Bookmark for later “Change your life money + insane learning”

@Rippling
@databricks

Why?
- Rippling: India SDEs are pulling 40L to 1Cr+ with top bands much higher; tiny teams, brutal pace, massive ownership, lot of India builds.
- Databricks: very high India bands, deep work in data/AI infra, exceptional peer group.

If you want to maximise comp + growth early,
...these two sit right at the top.

I didn’t crack JEE.
I didn’t get Computer Science.
I was a 60–80% student.

Yet I graduated with the highest CTC my college had ever seen.
This story doesn’t start in college.
It starts much earlier 🧵 I grew up in a township called Reliance Greens, Jamnagar.

This matters.
Not as a flex... as context.

Because where you grow up quietly shapes how your brain forms.

So I’m travelling to Pune after a while.
By train from Mumbai!

Happened to open @zomato and saw this prompt to enter my PNR! Decided to skip ordering from the attendant and give Zomato on Train a chance.

Found this hotel serving Triple Shezwan Rice. I have an option to choose delivery an any upcoming station. Picked Panvel!