A newly hired AI developer at a multinational company has sparked an online debate after saying he has not been assigned any substantive work despite repeatedly telling his manager he is available. In a post on the Reddit community developersIndia, the newcomer said he met his manager one-on-one after joining, shared his resume and technical background, and was told to wait until suitable work appeared.
The developer said he has been attending daily team update calls but still has no tasks to complete. He added that he has contacted his manager several times to reiterate his availability. “I have communicated to my manager that I am available if any tasks come up. Should I reach out to my teammates to know what they have been working on or just wait until anything shows up? How would you swim these waters?” he wrote on Reddit.
The post drew wide responses from other developers, many urging him not to remain passive. Commenters advised proactively approaching colleagues and managers to request work, rather than waiting for assignments. Several users also recommended using any downtime for learning and skills revision; the original poster said he was already revising existing skills and learning new ones while he waited.
The thread resonated with professionals who described similar onboarding experiences. One commenter warned: “Always go find managers, ask them for work. Never wait. If you wait you get laid off.” Another said they had spent eight months receiving only minor tasks and being told to study: “I want to learn by working.” A third wryly asked, “So free salary with no work?”
The discussion highlights common issues in tech onboarding and resource allocation at large companies, including unclear task assignment and uneven manager follow-up. Reddit respondents largely pushed for a proactive approach-reach out to teammates and managers, seek small tasks to start, and use idle time for targeted learning until formal assignments arrive.
Original Source: https://www.ndtv.com/offbeat/ai-developer-says-he-has-been-waiting-for-work-since-joining-mnc-internet-calls-it-free-salary-11917520#publisher=newsstand
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Publish Date: 2026-08-16 18:49:00
